The Carnegie Hall Citywide free concert series continues this winter with dynamic performances by mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker and pianist Madeline Slettedahl at St. Michael's Church in Upper Manhattan; Carnegie Hall's own Ensemble Connect at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in the Bronx; jazz vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his band Blackout at the Schomburg Center in Harlem; and Brooklyn-based group Pistolera at Flushing Town Hall in Queens. The series, now in its 44th year, brings renowned artists and rising stars to all five boroughs of New York City.
KAYLEIGH DECKER
MADELINE SLETTEDAHL
Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 3:00 PM
St. Michael's Church
225 West 99th Street (at Amsterdam Avenue) | Manhattan
"Dulcet-toned" (The Wall Street Journal) mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker has a must-hear voice. A superb song interpreter, she was named one of Caramoor's 2018 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars; she was also part of the inaugural season of Renée Fleming's SongStudio at Carnegie Hall. Decker's operatic triumphs include a recent Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in Mozart's Idomeneo, and title roles in operas by Rossini and Handel. She has also been featured on the concert stage, singing in Bach's Mass in B Minor, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, and more. For this Carnegie Hall Citywide performance, she is joined by pianist Madeline Slettedahl for a recital program featuring music by female composers, including Florence Price, Alma Mahler, Cécile Chaminade, Germaine Tailleferre, sisters Lili and Nadia Boulanger, and Ethel Smyth along with traditional songs of the suffragettes.
ENSEMBLE CONNECT
Sunday, January 12, 2020 at 2:00 PM
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
895 Shore Road | Bronx
Whether it's a string quartet by Haydn or a daring new Carnegie Hall commission, the stellar young musicians of Ensemble Connect bring trademark virtuosity and passion to everything they perform. These fellows in a two-year program prepare for careers as performers and teachers, while energizing audiences with their daring programming and exuberant performances. In this concert, they perform Mozart's Quintet for Horn and Strings in E-flat Major and Britten's String Quartet No. 2 in C Major.
STEFON HARRIS AND BLACKOUT
Monday, January 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Center for Research in Black Culture
Langston Hughes Auditorium
515 Malcolm X Boulevard (at 135th Street) | Manhattan
Take a jazz journey with outstanding vibraphone and marimba player Stefon Harris and his band Blackout. Named Best Vibraphonist by DownBeat's 2018 International Critics Poll, Harris spins nimble solo lines that dart and swirl, while his stellar band complements his playing with its own flights of invention. On their most recent album, Sonic Creed, Harris and Blackout chart new melodic and rhythmic paths in a compelling reflection on present-day African American life, featuring original tunes and classics by such jazz giants as Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, and Horace Silver.
PISTOLERA
Friday, February 14, 2020 at 8:00 PM
Flushing Town Hall
Main Theater
137-35 Northern Boulevard | Queens
Pistolera's songs grab you with their powerful lyrics and melodic beauty. Anchored by the Spanish vocals of Sandra Velasquez and buoyed by accordion, guitar, bass, and percussion, Pistolera's sound owes much to traditional Mexican music. The group's socially conscious songs address timely topics such as immigrants' rights, racism, feminism, and more. Pistolera has given thrilling performances while sharing the stage with Los Lobos, Lila Downs, and others, and energized audiences at major festivals around the world.
To learn more about Carnegie Hall Citywide, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Citywide
