The Indian Panorama

Tag: WIPA

  • WHARTON CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY

    WHARTON CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY

    “Jazz Education is an important part of our mission here at Wharton Arts and we are committed to offering our students high-level opportunities to learn and perform jazz throughout the year. The free Jazz Listening Series is a way for us to extend an invitation to the wider community to learn about jazz history and celebrate the legacies of early Black jazz artists, recognizing jazz as the foundation of popular music such as rock n’ roll, R&B, soul, and more.”- Helen H. Cha-Pyo, Artistic Director-Principal Conductor

    Black Civil Rights protestors (Photo : JCC NYC)

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) celebrates Black History Month with a virtual Jazz History and Masters Listening Hour Series every Saturday from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. EST during the month of February. Learn about the origins and development of jazz genres, including historical icons and their influence on particular jazz styles and trends, as well as an exploration of jazz’s social implications in a broader historical context. Led by award-winning saxophonist Dave Schumacher, the Jazz History and Masters Listening Hour Series is free and open to the public. To register to attend, visit WhartonArts.org

    “I hope many people will join our esteemed jazz faculty, Dave Schumacher, on Saturday mornings in February,”, continued Cha-Pyo, “and listen to this ‘triumphant music’ as best described by Martin Luther King, Jr.: ’Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music.’”

    Jazz History & Masters Listening Hour Series

    All classes take place at 9:00 a.m. EST via Zoom. Classes are FREE.

     Saturday, February 6: Jazz History and Listening Survey I

    Part I of a survey of the history of Jazz music through listening, briefly touching on each of the eras from Early Jazz in the late 19th century through the Bebop Era ending in the ’50s.

    Saturday, February 13: Jazz History and Listening Survey II

    Part II of a survey of the history of Jazz music through listening, briefly touching on each of the eras of Jazz from the mid-50s Hard Bop/Cool eras through the present.

     Saturday, February 20: Jazz Masters Series – Louis Armstrong

    An examination through listening and commentary of Jazz Master Louis Armstrong, considered by many the greatest soloist and one of the most influential Jazz artists of all time.

    Saturday, February 27: Jazz Masters Series – Mary Lou Williams

    An examination through listening and commentary of Jazz Master Mary Lou Williams. Williams was a great pianist, arranger and informal educator who influenced many younger Jazz musicians including Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Tadd Dameron at informal sessions at her apartment. Mary Lou Williams came to prominence in the 1930s when very few women in Jazz received their due.

    About Dave Schumacher

    Chicago native Dave Schumacher has been a key player in the New York jazz scene for more than three decades, touring throughout the United States and internationally with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Art Blakely Big Band, T.S. Monk on Monk Ensemble, Nicholas Payton’s Louis Armstrong Tribute Big Band, and as an original member of the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra. To learn more, visit jazzbarisac.com

    About WIPA

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts’ (WIPA) mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a wide range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, where striving for personal excellence inspires and connects those they teach to the communities they serve.

    Wharton is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving over 1,200 students through a range of classes and ensembles including the 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve 500 students in grades 3 – 12 by audition. WIPA is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Paterson, NJ and reaches students from 10 counties. All of Wharton’s extraordinary faculty members and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable their students to achieve their personal best. To learn more, visit WhartonArts.org

     Events of Note

    Jews and Blacks in the Civil Rights Era and Now — Fact and Fiction

    Why were there Jews on both sides, and the sidelines, of the civil rights movement? What was the role of Judaism in the activism of young people in the 1960s? What are the implications for the streets of America today? Explore these questions and others on the reality of the relationship between the Jewish and Black communities in this session led by Billy Planer, director and founder of Etgar 36

    Tue, Feb 9 pm, 7–8:15 pm, Free. To register, visit

     mmjccm.org/programs/jews-and-blacks-civil-rights-era-and-now-fact-and-fiction#utm_source=CSR&utm_medium=JIAmulti1-28-21&utm_campaign=jbcivilrights

    Justice in Action: Desegregating NYC’s Public Schools

     New York City public schools are among the most segregated in the nation, more than 65 years after Brown vs Board of Education. Students, educators, and activists have been organizing for the past five years to demand change. Join JCC Social Justice Activist in Residence Ruth Messinger and NYC Council Member Brad Lander for a virtual conversation on NYC’s history of school segregation and what it would take to build a better and fairer school system.

    Thu, Feb 18, 7:30–8:30 pm, Free. For tickets, visit

    mmjccm.org/programs/justice-action-desegregating-nycs-public-schools#utm_source=CSR&utm_medium=JIAmulti1-28-21&utm_campaign=desegregating

    (Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)

  • NY & NJ INDULGE IN ARTS ED

    By Mabel Pais

    FTH GLOBAL ARTS FOR GLOBAL KIDS

    Flushing Town Hall (FTH) Releases ‘Global Arts for Global Kids’

    For Families At Home, Now in Five Languages FREE

    “Flushing Town Hall provides culturally responsive arts education through our ‘Global Arts for Global Kids’ programming, and now that we’ve translated content into multiple languages, English language learners across generations and cultures can explore diverse arts and cultures together,” –Gabrielle M. Hamilton, Director: Education & Public Programs

    FTH’s Teaching Artists (Photo : FTH)

    “Global Arts for Global Kids,” is a replay by Flushing Town Hall (FTH) of Season One of its popular virtual series…..now in multiple languages! This enables families who are hunkered down for a winter of home-school and social distancing.

    The Virtual Series began on January 11 and runs for a total of nine weeks. The series replay presents the original arts education videos featuring Flushing Town Hall’s master Teaching Artists, exploring a different topic each week and offering a total of 45 free lessons:

    Colombian Music with Martin Vejarano

    Chinese Dance with Ling Tang

    Pop-Up Book Making with Spica Wobbe and Karen Oughtred

    Indian Dance with Abha Roy

    Mexican Dance with Alberto Lopez

    African Drumming with Vado Diomande

    Dance Party in the United States with Angela Rostick

    Visual Signs of Gratitude with Suzanne DeMarco

    Stories from Quarantine with Robin Bady

    The series is designed to bring artistic traditions from around the world to students and families at home, engaging them in joyful, creative, and cathartic experiences during quarantine.

     While the videos were filmed in English, the accompanying Activity Worksheets have been newly translated into four additional languages: Hindi, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.

    Lessons are provided weekly and each week’s lessons are available every Monday at flushingtownhall.org/education.php (can be accessed anytime) and facebook.com/flushingtownhall at 2 PM EST. Each video lesson will be accompanied by activity worksheets in the above-mentioned languages.

    Participants, in turn, are encouraged to post on Facebook short video clips of themselves learning and presenting their work, tagging Flushing Town Hall @flushingtownhall.

    For additional enrichment, school groups or families may register for live, virtual workshops (“Meet the Artist” and “Jam with the Artist”) for a nominal fee for up to 30 students at a time by emailing: education@flushingtownhall.org. Select workshops are available in dual languages and all will further develop students’ social and emotional skills.

    DONATIONS

    Donations are welcome. To donate, visit flushingtownhall.org

    ABOUT FLUSHING TOWNHALL

    For information, visit flushingtownhall.org

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    WIPA’s PAS Presents Virtual Master Classes

     With Broadway Star Marissa McGowan

    “During this season of virtual learning, Wharton Arts is offering close to 20 free master classes for every instrument, including voice, with world-renowned artists. Marissa McGowan is an award-winning singer, actress, and a seasoned master teacher who finds joy in helping young people find their voice. We are extremely excited about this master class.”- Helen H. Cha-Pyo, Artistic Director

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) Performing Arts School (PAS) presents a free voice master class on Friday, January 22 at 4:00 p.m. EST.

    Marissa McGowan will work with Performing Arts School students online, enabling audience members the opportunity to learn from anywhere in the world. McGowan imparts to her student’s confidence in vocal technique while learning how to really tell a story and nail a great audition. for the master class which will take place via Zoom. To register, visit docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCs_YgHEgCuSaHitKJE059RokbCuOG83GclIPn1pqJ7BuMDw/viewform

    For full details, visit WhartonArts.org

     ABOUT MARISSA MCGOWAN

    Marissa McGowan (Photo: WIPA/PAS)

    Marissa McGowan is known for her work in Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway revival of ‘Kiss Me Kate’ at Studio 54 and the revival of Broadway’s ‘A Little Night Music’ starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. A seasoned vocal coach, McGowan had the honor to be chosen by Marvin Hamlisch to star as Stella Purdy in the world premiere of Marvin’s last musical ‘The Nutty Professor’, directed by the legendary Jerry Lewis, for which she won the “best leading actress” award in Nashville for her performance. Television credits include ‘Major Crimes’ (TNT) and ‘Odd Mom Out’ (Bravo). Concert appearances include Lincoln Center in a tribute to Marvin Hamlisch directed by Mike Nichols, Susan in ‘The Sweet Smell of Success’ in Concert (Hudson Theater NYC). As a pedagogue, McGowan has taught master classes across the country and has a roster of private students in the NYC area.

     With Grammy-winning Guitarist Sharon Isbin

    “Our students at Wharton Arts are incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Sharon Isbin. She is truly a trailblazer in the world of guitar and an inspirational role model for musicians everywhere.”- Helen H. Cha-Pyo, Artistic Director

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) Performing Arts School presents a free guitar master class on Monday, February 1 at 7:00 p.m. EST. GRAMMY Award Winner and 2020 Musical America Worldwide Instrumentalist of the Year Sharon Isbin will share her talents with Performing Arts School students online. Audience members are invited to listen and learn from the acclaimed guitarist. The master class which will take place via Zoom. For more details, visit WhartonArts.org. To register visit docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9PslK1ZMdWtbZ_dpPwNtKQSLzDTUEdTTlzeX_VmTytQ_ceQ/viewform

    ABOUT SHARON ISBIN 

    Sharon Isbin (Photo: WIPA/PAS)

     

    Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, multiple GRAMMY Award winner Sharon Isbin was named the 2020 Musical America Worldwide Instrumentalist of the Year, the first guitarist ever to receive the coveted honor in its 59-year award history. Hailed as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” she is the winner of ‘Guitar Player’ magazine’s Best Classical Guitarist award, and many more.

    Isbin has appeared as soloist with over 200 orchestras and has given sold-out performances in many of the world’s finest halls, including New York’s Carnegie and Geffen Halls, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and others. She has served as Artistic Director and soloist of festivals she created for Carnegie Hall and the Ordway Music Theatre (St. Paul), New York’s 92Y, and the national radio series ‘Guitarjam’. Read more at sharonisbin.com.

    ABOUT THE WHARTON INSTITUTE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (WIPA)

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts’ (WIPA) located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Paterson, NJ reaches students from 10 counties. All of Wharton’s extraordinary faculty members and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable their students to achieve their personal best.  Wharton’s mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a wide range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, where striving for personal excellence inspires and connects those it teaches to the communities it serves.

    (Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)

  • WOMEN@NJPAC CELEBRATES SPOTLIGHT GALA @ HOME

    WOMEN@NJPAC CELEBRATES SPOTLIGHT GALA @ HOME

    By Mabel Pais

    Even before the Arts Center opened its doors, the ‘Spotlight Gala’ has been a way for us to celebrate the arts, and gather together the community that has made NJPAC a vital and effective anchor cultural institution.”  –John Schreiber, President-CEO, NJPAC

    Actor-Singer Brian Stokes Mitchell
    Photo / Courtesy, NJPAC

    Tony Winner Brian Stokes Mitchell stars in Women@NJPAC’s

    Salute to the Great American Songbook

    Spotlight Gala Broadcast on NJTV – October 3, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Women @ NJPAC celebrate their 26th Annual Spotlight Gala on October 3 at 7 p.m. This is the first virtual celebration.

    Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway’s favorite leading man, will headline an inspiring celebration of American song at NJPAC’s annual Spotlight Gala @ Home on October 3. The concert portion of the evening, American Songbook at NJPAC will be broadcast on NJTV and njtvonline.org at 7PM EST.

    Gov. Thomas Kean, Founder-NJPAC
    Photo / Courtesy, NJPAC

    Thereafter, the celebration will be capped at 8PM by a live dance party on NJPAC’s Instagram Live account (@njpac). All are invited to tune in to participate in this salute to the life-affirming power of the performing arts, and to help NJPAC continue its work in arts education and community engagement — programming that the Arts Center has provided online throughout the pandemic.

    NJPAC’s Founder, Governor Tom Kean, and New Jersey’s current Governor and First Lady, Phil Murphy and Tammy Snyder Murphy, will be honored with the Arts Center’s Founders Award during the event.

    “This year, for the first time, we can’t bring the family of Arts Center friends and supporters together on our campus. But we were determined that even the pandemic wouldn’t stop us from hosting ‘the party of the year’ and toasting the friends, allies and supporters that have kept NJPAC a vibrant home for performances, community engagement and arts education in New Jersey,” says John Schreiber, President & CEO of NJPAC.

    NJ Gov. Phil Murphy
    Photo / Courtesy, NJPAC

    This annual spectacular is organized by Women@NJPAC, the Arts Center’s longtime advocacy organization. (formerly ‘The Women’s Association of NJPAC’).

    In addition to Mitchell, the televised concert will feature a slate of stellar performers including Billy Porter, Christine Ebersole, Jessie Mueller, Valerie Simpson, Jarrod Spector and Joshua Bell, all performing classics compiled from NJTV’s American Songbook at NJPAC.

    After the broadcast concert, Arts Center fans are invited to join an Instagram after-party hosted by DJ KISS and DJ M.O.S., deejays to the stars best known for spinning tunes for the Academy Awards’ red carpet and Governor’s Ball. Surprise special guest appearances will keep the party lively.

    About the Women@NJPAC

    Women@NJPAC is celebrating 26 years and over $54 million raised to support NJPAC and its programs that enrich the lives of our current and future generations of cultural citizens.

    Established in 1994, and originally known as “The Women’s Board of NJPAC” and later “the Women’s Association (WA) of NJPAC,” the organization began with only nine members. These “founding mothers” not only helped raise the funding necessary to open the Arts Center in October of 1997, they also grew their small band into a powerhouse of fundraising and “friend-raising” that today proudly numbers over 2,000 members.

    For years, the WA has worked with the Arts Center to fulfill its mission to innovate, educate, collaborate, and advocate.

    In addition, over the past 26 years, the Women@NJPAC has become an organization that not only supports the work of the Arts Center, but serves as a networking venue par excellence for New Jersey women, and a funder with a particular focus on issues impacting women and girls.

    Women@NJPAC annually hosts multiple events on and off the Arts Center campus, including ‘A Gathering of Givers’, an annual convening of women active in philanthropy, held on International Women’s Day.

    NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy
    Photo / Courtesy, NJPAC

    Past Guests have included First Lady Murphy and Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, which provides micro-loans and financial training to women entrepreneurs who live below the federal poverty line. This event each year welcomes hundreds of women to explore ways in which they can pool resources and create significant change through giving, organizing, and activating personal and professional networks. For more information, visit njpac.org/support/women-at-NJPAC.

    About NJPAC

    To learn about NJPAC, visit njpac.org or call 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722)

    Get Social! Follow NJPAC Online:

    Twitter:     @NJPAC

    Hashtag:    #NJPAC

    Facebook:   facebook.com/NJPAC

    YouTube:    NJPACtv

    WIPA COMMENCES SALON SERIES

    Starts October 4 at 7 p.m. Livestream

    Free of Charge

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) kicks off the virtual Salon Series on Sunday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. on WhartonArts.tv. Replacing cabaret-style seating on stage alongside the performers in Wharton’s black box theatre, the intimate concert series continues via livestream free of charge.

    Audience members are invited to watch from the comfort of home and share on social media the wine and cheese pairings of their choice while viewing. For full concert details, visit WhartonArts.org.

    The Sunday evening series opens with pianist, composer, and arranger Matt King performing selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz classics, and original compositions. A former Composition Fellowship recipient from the NJ State Council on the Arts, King has garnered awards as a semi-finalist at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition (2000). He toured extensively with the iconic group Blood, Sweat & Tears and served as music director for jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb. He has performed with symphony orchestras across the United States and appeared on ‘The Today Show’ and ‘Good Morning America’. He can be heard at Holland’s renowned North Sea Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Cape Town Jazz Festival.

    About WIPA

    The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts’ (WIPA) mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a wide range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, where striving for personal excellence inspires and connects those WIPA teaches to the communities we serve.

    Wharton is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving over 1,200 students through a range of classes and ensembles including the 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve 500 students in grades 3 – 12 by audition. To learn more, visit whartonarts.org

    (Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)

     

  • MAKING MUSIC IN COVID TIMES

    MAKING MUSIC IN COVID TIMES

     By Mabel Pais
    “We have been able to keep our students playing, engaged, learning new concepts, recording, and making music together during Covid-19. We have an amazing faculty who hold our students to high standards while making it fun.” – Julius Tolentino, Educator-Saxophonist

    JTOLE SUMMER JAZZ WORKSHOP PRESENTS FREE CONCERT

    SUNDAY, JULY 26 AT 6 P.M.

     The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) JTole Summer Jazz Workshop will present a free concert on Sunday, July 26 at 6:00 p.m. via the online platform Zoom.

    Over 80 students will join some of the top musicians and educators in the country for an evening of jazz featuring two big bands and eight combos performing the music of Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Duke Pearson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, and more.

    Special guests include Sean Jones, Chair of Jazz at Peabody Conservatory and Jazz Education Network President; Kenny Rampton, Founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz Outreach Initiative; Tia Fuller, Professor of Saxophone at Berklee School of Music; Rodney Green, Educator, Composer, and Sound Designer; Michael Dease, Professor of Trombone at Michigan State University; and Helen Sung, Composer, Performer, and Educator.

    “Now that we have all of our offerings online, this is the perfect opportunity to invite all Jazz lovers nationwide to join us for this special event!” –  Peter H. Gistelinck, Exec. Dir., WIPA 

    Led by award-winning saxophonist Julius Tolentino, the JTole Summer Jazz Workshop faculty joining the star-studded lineup of guest artists include Dave Schumacher and Jason Anderson, woodwinds; David Gibson, brass; and Shamie Royston and Matt Slocum, rhythm section. The two-week workshop includes video creation; a master class series partially funded by the Jazz Education Network; and clinics on Women in Jazz, Composition, and How to be a Professional.

    “We have been able to keep our students playing, engaged, learning new concepts, recording, and making music together during Covid-19. We have an amazing faculty who hold our students to high standards while making it fun,” Tolentino said.

     “Our summer jazz workshop is providing unique opportunities for young jazz students across the country, in the comfort of their homes, to learn directly from some of the best jazz artists in the world,” said Artistic Director Helen H. Cha-Pyo. “The workshop is one of the highlights of our overall summer camp programming,“ said Peter H. Gistelinck, Executive Director of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts. “Now that we have all of our offerings online, this is the perfect opportunity to invite all Jazz lovers nationwide to join us for this special event!”

    Zoom login for the July 26 concert is available at www.NJYS.org. For more information, call (908) 771-5544.

    About NJYS

    The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), founded in 1979, is a tiered orchestral program offering ensemble education for students in grades 3-12 across New Jersey. NJYS has grown from one orchestra of 65 students to over 500 students in 15 different orchestras and ensembles, including the internationally recognized Youth Symphony. NJYS ensembles have performed in venues including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. NJYS has received numerous prestigious awards for its adventurous programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and has had six European tours, including participation in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Festival and Competition (Vienna), winning First Prizes in July 2014 and 2017.

    Now in its 42nd season, NJYS continues to achieve musical excellence through intensive instruction and high-level performance. Under the guidance of a talented team of conductors, coaches, and teaching artists, students are immersed in challenging repertoire, learning the art of ensemble playing, and exploring their potential in a supportive and inclusive environment. NJYS remains committed to programming works by diverse composers and featured 20th century African-American and women composers such as Duke Ellington, George Walker, Yvonne Desportes, Emma Lou Diemer, Julia Perry, and Florence Price this past season.

    The NJYS is a program of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA). WIPA is New Jersey’s largest non-profit performing arts education organization serving over 1,500 students of all ages and abilities through a range of classes and ensembles. In addition to the New Jersey Youth Symphony, programs include the Paterson Music Project and Performing Arts School.

    (Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, and Spirituality)