Tips for Tuesday - Books - Channel of Peace and The Other Brother

We may have been given one or more of the below mentioned books for free for review purposes. This post may also contain affiliate links, if you click on a link and make a purchase we will be compensated. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Me - Today I am recommending Channel of Peace by Kevin Tuerff.  This book is about a man who was stranded in Gander on 9/11. He is one of the people whose stories are the basis for the show Come From Away. The book was really interesting. I haven't seen the show Come From Away so I did not know that much about what happened in Gander after 9/11. The book was very inspirational not only because it made me really want to see the show but because reading the book makes you want to do nice things for other people just like the people of Gander did after 9/11. As a matter of fact, Kevin Tuerff himself, started a 9/11 Pay It Forward where every year on the anniversary of 9/11, people do random acts of kindness for strangers. If you want to read a book that will make you feel good, this book is a good choice.

Mom - Today I am recommeding The Other Brother by Lauren Baratz-Logsted. Denny Springer is one of the most famous singers in the world. Mona is married to his brother, On the surface, Denny seems to be a self-centered jerk, and he and Jack have never been close. Still he is Jack's brother, so Mona feels like they should spend some time together and do some bonding. When she invites Denny to spend some time with them in their summer rental home she never expects him to take her up on her offer, but he does and when Denny arrives, things don't go exactly like Mona thought they would. This is an endearing book about family and how hard it is to truly know another person even if they are your family. The characters are really well drawn and likeable. All in all, it's an engaging read.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.

A More Theater Monday Monthly Mashup for July, 2018 A Bronx Tale and New York Music Festival Concerts

Me -  My topic for this month is A Bronx Tale. I recently had the opportunity to see aA Bronx Tale. It was a good show. I liked the music. It was written by Alan Menken who has done the music for a lot of Disney movies. For a long time, I hadn't wanted to see A Bronx Tale. It didn't seem like the kind of thing I would be into, but I really enjoyed it. It was much better than I expected.  It had a good story and good songs, and I liked the characters. Some parts of it reminded me of Jersey Boys, and I loved Jersey Boys. Previously, a friend of ours who was working backstage at A Bronx Tale took us backstage there between shows one Saturday. When we were there, we saw Chazz Palminteri, the author of the show. The show is a true story based on his life. He said hello to us  when we saw him backstage. That was cool!  It is even cooler that now I got to see him in the show! A  Bronx Tale is closing next weekend on August 5. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend seeing it before than if you can!

Mom - My topic for this month is concerts at the 2018 New York Musical Festival. Aside from shows, another type of event they have at the New York Musical Festival is concerts. It might be a concert of a show that is in the process of being completed but is not quite ready to receive a full scale production or a preview of all or some of show that is completely written but has yet to be given a full production, or it might even  just be a concert that revolves around a particular theme like a concert that celebrates female, queer and trans artists. At this year's musical festival, I attended two concerts which I will discuss more below:

What: Defy Your Expectations

Where The Green Room 42

             570 10th Ave.

             New York, NY

When: This event occured on 

             Thursday July 19, 2018

             Saturday July 21, 2018

The first concert I attended was Defy Your Expectations. Defy Your Expectations was a concert put on by musical theater writer, Riley Thomas and his friends. The concert consisted of excerpts from Riley's shows and shows he is working on along with some cool mashups of some popular songs. Even if you were not familiar with Riley or his shows and/or  if you were not familiar with any of the actor friends who appeared along with him in the concert as I wasn't, the concert was still a blast. The performers were so full of energy and so obviously having a great time that the audience couldn't help but have a great time too. The whole atomsphere of the concert was completely joyous. A touching song from a musical Riley is currently working on about a daughter and her two mothers, her adoptive mother and her birth mother, and the fun mashups were the highlights of the evening, but all in all, it was a really pleasant and entertaining concert.


What: Living History: An Inside Look at Show Time! The First 100 Years of the American Musical

Where: The Green Room 42
             570 10th Ave.
             New York, NY

When: This event occured on
            Wednesday July 18, 2018
             Saturday July 21, 2018

The second concert was a one man show put on by Ben West consisting of excerpts from his upcoming show, Show Time, The First 100 Years of the American Musical. If you want to learn about the history of musical theater in this country in a fun way, this show is a great choice.  Ben doesn't just talk about theater history, he performs it. He sings popular songs from different eras and dances popular dances from different eras and more. He is just full of energy and charm. Before, the concert, he even took time to speak to members of the audience making them feel even more welcome and more excited about and invested in the concert they were about to see. The concert  itself was very enjoyable too which bodes well for the full production. It is surely going to be well worth seeing. Show Time! The First 100 Years of the American Musical Theater is actually part of a trilogy. Parts two and three focus on black musical theater writers and woman musical theater writers respectively. Part One is currently scheduled to be performend at the York Theater at St. Peter's, 619 Lexington Ave., New York, NY for five performances only from September 13 -16.

For more about Show Time! The First 100 Years of the American Musical, visit https://showtimemusical.com.

And that's our view. What's on your mind? Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Sunday Scoop Week of July 29, 2018 - What's Happening This Week or Coming Up Soon

A Birthday Celebration and Other Upcoming Events at Franklin Square

200  N. 6th St.

Philadelphia, PA

Franklin Square is celebrating its 12^th Birthday on July 31! There will be free birthday cake and carousel rides with Benjamin Franklin. There will also be a host of free programs coming the rest of the summer and into the fall. 

Other Upcoming Special Events at Franklin Square:

·       August 4, 6 - 8 pm – Summer Sounds on the Square – Concert series and beer garden with blues musician Norman Taylor. NEW for 2018,the Great Lawn Stage comes alive with a variety of musical genres. All performances are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       August 11, 6 - 8 pm – Summer Sounds on the Square – Concert series and beer garden with bluegrass musicians The Jersey Corn Pickers.NEW for 2018, the Great Lawn Stage comes alive with a variety of musical genres. All performances are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       August 12, 12 - 3 pm – Dog Days of Summer in Franklin Square – NEW for 2018 – Dog Days will welcome four-legged friends with free pet portraits, sprinklers and shallow pools for cooling off, and puppy play dates with fetching balls and toys, as well as pet-friendly organizations to learn about and support. FREE. 

·       August 15, 1 and 3 pm – Street Corner Symphony Pop-Up Music Series – NEW for 2018 – Enjoy free performance by Victor North. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       August 18, 6 - 8 pm – Summer Sounds on the Square – Concert series and beer garden with country musicians April Mae & The June Bugs.NEW for 2018, the Great Lawn Stage comes alive with a variety of musical genres. All performances are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       August 19, 12 - 4 pm – Family Sports Day – NEW for 2018 – Celebrate Philadelphia’s City of Champions and challenge physical skills on a variety of inflatable sports-themed attractions. Football-themed activities will pay homage to the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles as the new season is about to start. Tickets required for some attractions.

·       August 22, 1 and 3 pm – Street Corner Symphony Pop-Up Music Series – NEW for 2018 – Enjoy free performance by Victor North. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       August 24, 8:30 pm – Friday Night at The Movies, Coco – Bring a blanket and watch a movie on the Great Lawn.

·       August 25, 6 - 8 pm – Summer Sounds on the Square – Concert series and beer garden with zydeco musicians Fish Harmonics. NEW for 2018, the Great Lawn Stage comes alive with a variety of musical genres. All performances are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       September 1, 6 - 8 pm – Summer Sounds on the Square – Concert series and beer garden with Americana musicians Black Horse Motel.NEW for 2018, the Great Lawn Stage comes alive with a variety of musical genres. All performances are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Visit Philadelphia.

·       September 1 – 3, 12 - 3 pm – Labor Day Celebration – All aboard! The Lightning Bolt Express Train makes a stop in the Square to help us celebrate Labor Day and the end of summer ($5 adults, $4 children).

·       October 5 – 28, 6 - 9 pm – Spooky Mini Golf – Philly Mini Golf is transformed into spooky fun for the season with fog, lights, music, and surprises (Fri., Sat., and Sun. evenings) ($9 adults, $7 children).

·       October 20, 12 - 2 pm – Pumpkin Patch – Pick a pumpkin out of the Pumpkin Patch and decorate it to take home, FREE for children 10 and under. (Group reservations and participation not available.) Also, the Lightning Bolt Express Train makes the traditional fall stop in the Square ($5 adults, $4 children).

·       October 27, 12 - 3 pm – Trick or Treat Trail – Say the magic words to receive a treat. FREE for children 10 and under. (Group reservations and participation are not available.) Also, the Lightning Bolt Express Train makes the traditional fall stop in the Square ($5 adults, $4 children).

·       November 15 – December 31, daily 4 - 8 pm, Fri & Sat 4 - 9 pm – Franklin Square Holiday Festival – Experience the magic of the holiday and celebrate traditions new and old at the Franklin Square Holiday Festival. Dazzle in the lights of the Electrical Spectacle Light Show presented by PECO, warm up with comfort food, local beers, and hot beverages at Ben’s Sweets & Treats. Celebrate the holiday season with Santa Saturdays, #FranklinSquareFridays, Seasonal Sounds on Sundays, Lightning Bolt Holiday Express train rides around the Square, and the traditional family-friendly Kids’ New Year’s Eve Countdown and Dance Party.

For more information, visit http://www.historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/what-to-see.

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Upcoming at State Theater New Jersey

15 Livingston Ave.

New Brunswick, NJ

Free Summer Movie: The Great Muppet Caper

Tuesday July 31, 10:30 PM & 7:00 PM

For more information, visit https://www.stnj.org/event/great-muppet-caper

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Weekly Camp Sessions at The Academy of Natural Sciences

of Drexel University

1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA

August 6 -10

Prehistoric Pals

August 13 - 17

Buggin' Out

August 13 - 17

Teen Invertebrate Husbandry

August 27 - 31

Explore the Outdoors

For more information or to reigster for a camp, visit http://www.ansp.org/programs-and-events/family-programs/summer-camp

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PR Firm Roundup

News from Karen Greco PR

What's On the Wild Project

July 30 - August 1
MAKE OR BREAK staged reading by Cyrus Aaron
Schedule: Monday - Wednesday at  7:30 PM
Tickets: $15

Dating in New York City is quite the magic trick. A house of mirrors with mind games at every turn. Hate it or love it, the possibility of finding that special someone keeps us coming back for more. But are we always ready to get in on the act?

All performances are at The Wild Project (195 E. 3^rd Street, between Avenues A & B).
Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.thewildproject.com.

The Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain.

**

Gianmarco Soresi’s unromantic comedy LESS THAN 50% arrives at
59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) is thrilled to welcome Gianmarco Soresi’s unromantic comedy LESS THAN 50%, directed byJen Wineman. Produced by Robin Milling in association with James Brent White, Todd & Elizabeth Donovan, Joann Farda, Jesse Kearney, and New Light Theater Project, LESS THAN 50%, begins performances on Friday, August 3 for a limited engagement through Sunday, September 1. Press Opening is Wednesday, August 8 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Friday at 7:30PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM; and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59^th Street, between Park and Madison). 

LESS THAN 50% is a smart and witty unromantic comedy about love and all the insane, irrational, and impromptu ways we try to keep it. Actor and comic Gianmarco Soresi blends theater with stand-up comedy and a shifting fourth wall to build a meta-exploration of contemporary romance in an age of cynicism with an unforgettable twist.

Single tickets are $25 ($20 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or by visiting www.59e59.org.

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Upcoming at Lincoln Center

Tuesday, July 31 – at 7:30 pm

Mostly Mozart Festival

Joshua Bell Plays Bruch

Mostly Mozart Festival favorite Joshua Bell returns, performing a pearl of the violin repertoire: Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which was the first concerto that Bell recorded and released, at the age of 19. The concerto bridges John Adams’s cleverly subdued fanfare, Tromba Iontana, and Brahms’s uplifting Symphony No. 2, which concludes the program.

Pre-concert recital by violinist Stephen Waarts, winner of the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Competition, and pianist Henry Kramer in David Geffen Hall at 6:30 pm.

David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza

Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Wednesday–Sunday, August 1–5 – FREE – Times Vary Out of Doors POP-UP Duets (fragments of love) New York City debut Lincoln Center’s campus becomes the stage for this “richly inventive, wonderfully perceptive” set of duets (Herald, U.K.) from acclaimed Scottish choreographer Janis Claxton. Over the course of nine encounters, pairs of dancers emerge from the crowds to offer ephemeral glimpses of love and affection, from overt flirtation to secret passions, all set to a gorgeous score by Pippa Murphy. A unanimous hit at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Duets will delight visitors during the second week of Lincoln Center Out of Doors. Various Plazas FREE For show times and more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org

Wednesday, August 1 – FREE – at 7:30 pm Out of Doors NPR Music’s Turning the Tables Live: 21st-Century Edition Music and conversation with Carly Rae Jepsen, Jamila Woods, I’m With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan), and others to be announced Moderated by Ann Powers Last summer, NPR Music and Lincoln Center radically changed how we talk about the history of popular music with the publication of the 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women list and a live show at Lincoln Center Out of Doors celebrating those albums. This marked the beginning of the Turning the Tables project, a challenge to think bigger about music's past, present, and future by highlighting voices often relegated to its margins. This year, NPR's Turning the Tables Live: 21st-Century Edition shifts focus toward a new generation of artists claiming center stage. To celebrate, we present a night of music and conversation with Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen; visionary Chicago R&B artist and poet Jamila Woods; Americana supergroup I'm With Her; and more. Damrosch Park, 62nd Street, bet. Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutofDoors.org.

Wednesday, August 1 at 7:30 pm Mostly Mozart Festival Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra Louis Langrée, conductor Joshua Bell, violin John Adams: Tromba Lontana Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 Brahms: Symphony No. 2 Pre-concert recital at 6:30 pm: Stephen Waarts, violin; Henry Kramer, piano Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor Joshua Bell returns to the festival, performing a pearl of the violin repertoire: Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, which was the first concerto the violinist recorded and released at the age of 19. The concerto bridges John Adams’s cleverly subdued fanfare, Tromba Lontana, and Brahms’s uplifting Symphony No. 2, which concludes the program. Violinist Stephen Waarts, winner of the 2015 Queen Elizabeth Competition, performs Brahms’s Violin Sonata No. 3 with pianist Henry Kramer in pre-concert recitals in David Geffen Hall at 6:30 pm. David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Wednesday, August 1 at 10:00 pm Mostly Mozart Festival A Little Night Music Daniel Lozakovich, violin (New York debut) George Li, piano (Mostly Mozart Festival debut) Bach: Chaconne, from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 Beethoven: Sonata No. 6 in F major, Op. 10, No. 2 Mozart: Sonata in B-flat major for violin and piano, K.378 A pair of thrilling young musicians, 17-year-old violinist Daniel Lozakovich and 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner George Li, make their New York and Mostly Mozart Festival debuts, respectively, in an electrifying program of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 West 65th Street, 10th Floor Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Thursday, August 2 – FREE – at 6:00 pm Mostly Mozart Festival Composers’ Forum John Schaefer, moderator International Contemporary Ensemble Four diverse, contemporary composers—Courtney Bryan, Ashley Fure, George Lewis, and Michael Pisaro—whose works will be performed during the Mostly Mozart Festival, join members of the International Contemporary Ensemble for a discussion of the creative process. Together, they will offer insights into their compositions, illuminating visions for the future of classical music. Presented in association with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Amsterdam Ave. and 65th St. FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit MostlyMozartFestival.org.

Thursday, August 2 at 7:30 pm Mostly Mozart Festival Grand Pianola Music International Contemporary Ensemble Christian Reif, conductor (Mostly Mozart Festival debut) Courtney Bryan (Mostly Mozart Festival debut), Cory Smythe, Jacob Greenberg, pianos Peter Evans, trumpet Joshua Rubin, clarinet Ryan Muncy, saxophone Quince Ensemble, voices (Mostly Mozart Festival debut) Courtney Bryan: Songs of Laughing, Smiling, and Crying (2012) George Lewis: Voyager (1987/2018) John Adams: Grand Pianola Music (1982) The piano in various forms is central to this program, conjured up by ICE’s ever-inventive musicians. In Courtney Brown’s Songs of Laughing, Smiling, and Crying, it converses with eclectic recordings plucked from YouTube. In a newly revised version of George Lewis’s epic chamber piece Voyager, artificial intelligence technology allows the piano to take up the conversation on its own, a sentient automaton among human wind players. And in John Adams’s groundbreaking 1982 work Grand Pianola Music, for two pianos, voices, and chamber ensemble, humans return with superhuman skills, recreating tape-delayed loops to astonishing effect. Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 524 W 59th St, bet. 10th and 11th Avenues Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Thursday, August 2 – FREE – at 7:30 pm Out of Doors OkayAfrica’s Mzansi Heat & Naija Beats Yemi Alade DJ Maphorisa DJ Tunez OkayAfrica—the online hub of the African New Wave—brings two Afropop superstars and one of the top Afrobeat DJs in the world to Damrosch Park for this high-octane party. Drawing on everything from Ghanaian highlife, Ivorian coupé-décalé, and American hip-hop, the Nigerian “Queen of Afrobeats” Yemi Alade (Fader) lights up the stage with power vocals and irrepressible charisma. DJ Maphorisa, the multiplatinum South African producer known for his banging blend of house and Afropop, and New York’s own DJ Tunez— known in NYC for his Blackout parties and worldwide for collaborations with Wizkid Davido, and more—will keep you feeling great all night long. Damrosch Park, 62nd Street, bet. Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues.

FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org.

Thursday, August 2 – FREE – at 7:30 pm Atrium 360° Negro Leo São Paulo–based singer-songwriter Negro Leo turns free jazz, funk, noise, Brazilian popular music, tropicalia, and no wave into the building blocks of a colorful and surreal musical universe. Presented in collaboration with Brasil SummerFest David Rubenstein Atrium, Frieda and Roy Furman Stage (Broadway bet. 62nd & 63rd St.) FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LincolnCenter.org/Atrium.

Friday, August 3 – FREE – at 7:30 pm Out of Doors Peter Wolf Super Soul Banned Known to ’70s FM radio kids and early MTV fans as the lead singer of the J. Geils Band (“Centerfold,” “Love Stinks”), Peter Wolf is a sharp songwriter and eternally hip character who possesses an encyclopedic command of blues, pop, funk, soul, bluegrass, and rock. Super Soul Banned—legendary drummer Steve Jordan’s all-star funk project featuring Kool & the Gang’s Ronald Bell, the Beastie Boys’ Mix Master Mike, guitarist Ray Parker, Jr., and artists that have played with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Sonny Rollins— are the perfect traveling companions for Wolf’s "tour de force excursion through the landscape of American music" (All About Jazz). Damrosch Park, 62nd Street, bet. Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org. 

Friday, August 3 and Saturday, August 4 at 7:30 pm Mostly Mozart Festival Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra Christian Zacharias, conductor and piano Rosa Feola, soprano (Mostly Mozart Festival debut) ALL-MOZART PROGRAM Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K.503 Ch’io mi scordi di te…Non temer, amato bene, K.505 Bella mia fiamma…Resta, o cara, K. 528 Symphony No. 38 (“Prague”), K.504 Pre-concert recital at 6:30 pm Jon Manasse, clarinet Shmuel Katz, viola Drew Petersen, piano Mozart: Trio in E-flat major, K.498 (“Kegelstatt”) Mozart had great affinity for Prague, a city he frequently visited and where he wrote and premiered several important works. Christian Zacharias—one of those rare and brilliant musicians who is both an outstanding soloist and insightful conductor—leads the first half of this closely connected concert from the keyboard—first as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25, then performing the obbligato in the concert aria “Ch’io mi scordidi te” with rising star Rosa Feola. In only her second New York appearance, Feola then joins Zacharias (sans piano) and the orchestra for the virtuosic “Bella mia fiamma.” Written for the storied Czech soprano Josepha Dušek, Mozart composed the piece at her summer home while he was composing and premiering Don Giovanni in Prague. His Symphony No. 38, “Prague” had its premiere during Mozart’s first visit to the city. Members of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, along with pianist and 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Drew Petersen, will perform pre-concert recitals in David Geffen Hall at 6:30 pm. David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Friday, August 3 at 10:00 pm Mostly Mozart Festival A Little Night Music Pražák Quartet Dušek: String Quartet in A major (1767) (U.S. premiere) Mozart (arr. Joseph Kueffner): Two arias from Don Giovanni Mozart: String Quartet in D major, K.499 (“Hoffmeister”) Founded in 1972 at the Prague Conservatory, the Pražák Quartet has been at home on music stages worldwide for more than 30 years. For this special performance, the ensemble juxtaposes works by Mozart with the U.S. premiere of the String Quartet in A major by Czech composer František Xaver Dušek, whose wife, soprano Josepha Dušek, who performed one of the arias by Mozart featured on the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra program earlier in the evening. Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 West 65th Street, 10th Floor Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices. 

Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5 – FREE – Times Vary Out of Doors La Casita Poetry: Timothy DuWhite, el-Walad, Amanda Gorman, Randall Horton, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Fred Moten, José Olivarez, Purvi Shah, Danez Smith, and Frank Waln Music: Bohio Music, Los Pleneros de la 21, Madison McFerrin, Soul Inscribed, and Ulali Project MC: Falú Through poetry, music, and stories, a powerful community of artist-activists give voice to the everyday heroes working to uphold and extend LGBTQ, women’s, civil, immigrant, and human rights. La Casita is curated by Melody Capote, Caribbean Cultural Center; Lillian Cho, consultant; C. Daniel Dawson, arts and media consultant; LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, writer, vocalist, sound artist, and curator; Cady Gierke, Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian; Claudia Norman, Claudia Norman Management; and Rich Villar. American Sign Language interpretation provided Saturday, August 4 – 12 pm – Hearst Plaza, Lincoln Center Sunday, August 5 – 2:30 pm – Teatro Pregones, The Bronx FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org.

Saturday, August 4 – FREE – at 7:30 pm Out of Doors Dance Theatre of Harlem ALA.NI For 50 years, Dance Theatre of Harlem has been spreading a message of empowerment through the arts. In recent years, the historic company has used its superlative, multiethnic group of artists to present a powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century. For this celebratory evening, the company dances some of the signature works that embody this impressive legacy. The magic of the night begins with London-born, Parisbased singer-songwriter ALA.NI, who brings the spirit of Billie Holiday and Judy Garland to her jewel box of intimate songs. Damrosch Park, 62nd Street, bet. Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues.

Related Event: Dance Theatre of Harlem: 50 Years of Trailblazing History – 4 pm Join the panel discussion with former Dance Theatre of Harlem members about the company’s half-century of existence prior to its Damrosch Park performance. Presented in association with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Amsterdam Ave. and 65th St.

Both events are FREE; Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org.

Saturday, August 4 at 10:00 pm Mostly Mozart Festival A Little Night Music Paul Lewis, piano ALL-HAYDN PROGRAM Sonata in B minor, Hob. XVI:32 Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI:49 Sonata in G major, Hob. XVI:40 Internationally regarded as a leading musician of his generation, Paul Lewis is one of the world’s foremost interpreters of the central European Classical-period repertoire. Having already completed cycles of core piano works by Beethoven and Schubert, Lewis turns his attention to another titan of the era: Haydn. Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, 165 West 65th Street, 10th Floor Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

Sunday, August 5 – FREE – see times below Out of Doors Heritage Sunday 1:00 pm Hearst Plaza Made in NYC: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Center for Traditional Music and Dance featuring Andy Statman, Cherish the Ladies, Grupo Rebolu, and Sidiki Conde and Tokounou 5:00 pm Josie Robertson Plaza Heritage Sunday Dance Party With DJ Rekha For this 50th birthday celebration, the Center for Traditional Music and Dance calls upon some of its favorite artists—many of whom got their start with CTMD—for an eclectic, energetic afternoon of music reflecting the diversity of New York City’s neighborhoods. Among the guests are klezmer pioneer Andy Statman, IrishAmerican supergroup Cherish the Ladies, the groundbreaking Afro-Colombian band Grupo Rebolu, and the miraculous Guinean dancer, drummer, and singer Sidiki Conde and his group Tokounou. DJ Rekha—the visionary behind the legendary Basement Bhangra parties—oversees the post-show dance party around the Revson Fountain. Presented in association with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and the Center for Art, Tradition and Cultural Heritage FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org. 

Sunday, August 5 – FREE – at 7:00 pm Out of Doors Yoruba Remixed! A Sonic Journey Through the Sounds & Vibes of the African Diaspora featuring PALO!, Philbert Armenteros y Los Herederos, Yuba Iré, Something Positive Dance Company, DJ Carlos Mena, and DJ Bembona Join the Caribbean Cultural Center as they celebrate the legacy of its founder Marta Moreno Vega with music and dance inspired by West African Yoruba traditions. Dance performances by the Something Positive Dance Company open and close this evening that also features live music from Puerto Rican percussion ensemble Yuba Iré and two celebrated Miami bands—Philbert Armenteros y Los Herederos and PALO! In between, world-renowned DJs keep the vibe going with sets of remixed Yoruba songs. Presented in association with the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute Damrosch Park, 62nd Street, bet. Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues FREE Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, including program updates, visit LCOutOfDoors.org

Monday, August 6–Wednesday, August 8 at 6:30 and 8:30 pm Mostly Mozart Festival The Force of Things: An Opera for Objects (New York premiere) International Contemporary Ensemble Ashley Fure, composer and co-director Adam Fure, architectural design César Alvarez, co-director Lucy Dhegrae and Lisa E. Harris, voice Ross Karre, percussion and producer Levy Lorenzo, percussion and engineer Nick Houfek, lighting Lilleth Glimcher, associate director Ashley Fure and Adam Fure: The Force of Things: An Opera for Objects (2016–17) Composer Ashley Fure combines installation and live performance to create this immersive music-theater experience, which premiered at Peak Performances in 2017 to rave reviews. Collaborating with her architect brother Adam Fure and the International Contemporary Ensemble, she activates the Brooklyn space with 24 subwoofers vibrating at subsonic levels under a dense canopy of objects and materials to create an otherworldly soundscape in which seven live performers overlay a wordless drama American Premiere, Alexander Kasser Theater, Peak Performances @ Montclair State University (NJ). Co-produced by Peak Performances @ Montclair State University The 2018 Mostly Mozart Festival presentation of The Force of Things is made possible in part by the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust Gelsey Kirkland Arts Center, Brooklyn Tickets can be purchased online at MostlyMozartFestival.org, by phone via CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or by visiting the David Geffen Hall or Alice Tully Hall Box Offices.

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News from Michelle Tabnick PR

Brooklyn Music School

announces

Early Childhood Music

and Movement Education Classes

Brooklyn Music School (BMS) announces Early Childhood Music and Movement Education Classes for ages infant through 4-years-old beginning in September 2018, with several 12-week course offerings. All classes take place at the Brooklyn Music School, 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY. All classes are taught by highly trained and qualified instructors. Registration starts at $15/class and is available at https://www.brooklynmusicschool.org/early-childhood-music/

Music School (BMS) announces Early Childhood Music and Movement Education Classes for ages infant through 4-years-old beginning in September 2018, with several 12-week course offerings. All classes take place at the Brooklyn Music School, 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY. All classes are taught by highly trained and qualified instructors. Registration starts at $15/class and is available at https://www.brooklynmusicschool.org/early-childhood-music/

The BMS Early Childhood Music curriculum combines proprietary approaches to early music education with the best of early education methodologies and has developed learning benchmarks that reflect consultation with NYC-Blueprint for the Arts.

BMS's Early Childhood Music curriculum emphasizes experiential learning - singing, moving, creating, seeing, hearing, touching - in an effort to encourage an empirical connection with music at an early age that will manifest in lifelong development. BMS believes their curricular mission is best accomplished through concerted efforts between parents and professional music educators, as well as constant reflection upon our value for the creative process.

BMS Early Childhood Music lessons develop word, color, and letter recognition to enhance early interpretation of everyday life through:

• Music Making: through exploration, replication, and observation, students can develop their unique voice in music and how it can impact their everyday lives.
• Music Literacy: developing a working knowledge of music language and applying this knowledge to performance, analyzing, and creating music.
• Making Connections: exposure to common themes and principles of music through historical, social, and cultural contexts.
• Community and Cultural Resources: students can broaden their perspective by working with professional artists and having regular exposure to different musical mediums, creating a fertile ground for students' music learning and creativity.
• Careers and Lifelong Learning: students carry physical, social, and cognitive skills learned in music, and an ability to appreciate and enjoy participating in music throughout their lives.

Current Course Offerings

MINI MAESTROS (Infant-2)

Students and parents/caregivers will engage in musical activities with instructors promoting musical and educational growth. Students and caregivers will be exposed to various instruments and musical mediums. Sing-alongs, echo songs, finger play, early instrumentation (bells, sticks, hand drums, guitars, ukulele, keyboards) as well as visual stimulation (puppets, musical books, scarves, visual prompts). From birth, parents use music to calm and soothe children, to express love and joy, and to engage and interact. Our Early Music Education Program will enable parents to build on these instincts by learning and observing how music can impact a child and how they can impart music into aspects of their everyday lives.

Class size 10-12; Parents/Caregivers attend; 50min; 12-week sessions from 9/6 - 12/20; $15/class

MUSICAL EXPLORERS (Ages 2-3)

Students and Teachers will further their musical experience through singing, movement activities, and working with various instruments. Students will further their understanding of voice and musical/instrumental recognition through early introduction to instruments, music and movement activities, echo songs, call and response, finger play, and musical games. Music ignites all areas of child development from intellectual and social, to motor language and literacy. This program is designed to expose young children to Music in all its forms while also continuing the Early Education process to promote school readiness.

Class size 12; 50min; 12-week sessions from 9/6 - 12/20; $15/class

Music FUNdamentals (Ages 3-4)

Each week, we will be exploring many instrumental families: percussion, strings, piano, etc., while also focusing heavily on singing and movement activities. While learning about each instrument or learning a song/routine, we will also explore musical concepts such as tempo, dynamics, and timbre through musical activities and games. During certain classes, BMS instructors will introduce and demonstrate a variety of instruments. Music FUNdamentals provides a musical foundation for students and acts as a great starting point for private lessons.

Class size 12; 50min; 12-week sessions from 9/6 - 12/20; $15/class

Making Instruments (Ages 3-4)

Students will have hands on experience learning about the structure and integrity of various instruments and their inner workings by looking, touching, listening, and re-creating these instruments they have studied using various art materials.

Class size 12; 50min; 12-week sessions from 9/6 - 12/20; $15/class

Musical Pathways (Ages 3-4)

This class continues to expose young musicians to musical concepts, but increases rigor by providing students with the opportunity to experience, identify, and describe what they are learning. In addition to similar games and activities provided in the foundational classes, this course introduces a different instrument group each week. Students will have the opportunity to engage with a variety of different instrument families and see how each instrument is played. This is a great class to allow students to find a "pathway" to an instrument that speaks to them and explore the benefits of practicing music.

Class size 12; 50min; 12-week sessions from 9/6 - 12/20; $15/class

Yoga & Dance (Ages 2-3)

This unique program is run in partnership with MUSE Academy and is offered for parents who wish to expose their children to dance, yoga, and music at an early age. Children at these ages undergo massive cognitive, social, and emotional changes which enable them to understand the world around them. In this class, children will experience warm and nurturing sensations through experiences focused on creativity, sensory awareness, and social development. Additionally, kids will refine their motor skills and energy regulation, while developing a natural sense of rhythm through music and movement.

Class size 10; 45min; 12-week sessions from 9/17/18 to 12/17/18

**

INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival 2018

August 4 & 5 on the Western Queens Waterfront

20 choreographers from NYC and beyond create original works

inspired by natural and urban landscapes

INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival, named by the New York Times as one of "15Summer Dance Festivals, Portland to Vail" to see this summer, is a unique event presented in four public parks along the East River waterfront in Queens. For two days in August, neighborhood residents and visitors are invited to discover LIC through cutting edge site-specific contemporary and urban dance.

Now in its second year, INSITU 2018 will transforms the Western Queens waterfront into one giant stage on August 4 & 5 from 1 pm to 8pm daily. Twenty new commissioned works by regional, national and international choreographers selected from over 200 applications will be presented in Hunters Point South Park, Gantry Plaza State Park, Queensbridge Park and Socrates Sculpture Park, including new site-specifics works by Douglas Dunn (NYC), Chantal Caron/Fleuve Espace danse (Canada), Sarah Elgart | Arrogant Elbow (Los Angeles) and Alice Gosti (Seattle). One hundred and sixty performances representing 32 hours of dance will be organized into 4 performance rounds per park per day, each lasting approximately 90 minutes and all starting at the same time in each park at 1 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM and 7 PM.Additionally, INSITU 2018 will offer audiences the opportunity to interact directly with several choreographers from last year's festival in a 20-minute workshop presented after the first three performance rounds. The choreographers are Melissa Riker/Kinesis Project dance theatre, JoAnna Mendl Shaw/The Equus Projects, Christopher Nunez, and Cecelia Fontanesi/Parcon NYC.

INSITU is free and open to the public, offering an exciting way to experience dance in unusual public spaces. Inspired by natural and urban landscapes of the public parks, the diverse line-up of 20 contemporary and urban dance companies will maneuver through playgrounds, partner with benches, appear in hidden corners and dance on piers, staircases and shorelines. Other sites within the parks include a beach, historic railway ties, piers, promenades, lounge chairs, thicket of trees, a stone platform, and more. Audiences will be led through continuous dance performances several times throughout the day, setting up a chain of dynamic and immersive performances throughout the four parks.

A festival map, with performance schedule and locations, will be available at each park as well as available on the INSITU 2018 website, insitudancefestival.com/program.

**

INSITU 2018 

announces 

Audience Movement Workshops

INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival, named by the New York Times as one of "15 Summer Dance Festivals, Portland to Vail" to see this summer, announces four audience movement workshops. Festival attendees are encouraged to participate in four short, fun workshops, guided by 2017 INSITU festival choreographers at the end of three performance sequences at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on August 4 and 5, 2018 in all four parks. "We wanted festival goers to experience the choreographic process firsthand at this year's festival," says Svea Schneider, founder and artistic director of INSITU. "Participants will experience four unique ways of creating a dance work through these guided experiences." 

Move Your Number in Queensbridge Park (volleyball court) 

In Move Your Number, Christopher Núñez creates a choreographic game on the volleyball court of Queensbridge Park. 10 volunteers from the audience will be invited to take a number and improvise a movement that the whole audience will learn, one at the time. After all 10 volunteers execute their individual movement, everyone gathered for the experience will create their own choreographic score using at three of the learned movements.

Christopher Núñez is a Brooklyn-based queer choreographer known as "Unpezverde". His work is provocative and political. Unpezverde has been presented at INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival, The Leslie Lohman Museum for Gay and Lesbian Art, and Movement Research at The Judson Memorial Church, among others.

Breathing with Strangers in Hunters Point South Park (railway ties) 

In Breathing with Strangers, Kinesis Project dance theatre's Melissa Riker will guide audiences in a quickly creative, narrative experience on the railway ties of Hunters Point South Park. Consider the quiet of a subway car, your music in your ears. Now, think of the best moment you've witnessed between New Yorkers. Whether in an audience, on a bus, or in a quick conversation on the street, our time with strangers is how urban lives move forward.

Kinesis Project dance theatre is a non-profit organization that creates site-specific dance performances and facilitates educational programs. The company, founded and directed by choreographer Melissa Riker, is dedicated to creating large-scale, site-specific, and unexpectedly intimate dance performances.

Hands On, Eyes On, Bodies Moving: Exploring Site-Specific Choreography at Socrates Sculpture Park (stone platform) 

In Hands On, Eyes On, Bodies Moving, The Equus Projects' JoAnna Mendl Shaw will lead participants in creating a kinetic partnership WITH the stone platform in Socrates Sculpture Park. In this short exploration of the basics of creating a site-specific choreographic score, participants will perform a movement motif, phrase or physical task in order to focus on a specific quality of the site.

Internationally recognized site works creator, The Equus Projects builds performances that focus on visceral engagement with the natural and cultural environment, in events that often feature humans in dynamic partnership with horses.

Space Pillars at Gantry Plaza State Park (Pepsi Cola sign) 

In Space Pillars, Parcon NYC's Cecilia Fontanesi invites the audience to explore the space around the dazzling Pepsi-Cola sign. Participants are encouraged to move in different ways, like walking, running, jumping, rolling, and crawling. They will be (literally) in touch with each other and with the sign's pillars through hands, forearms, heads, shoulders, backs, hips, and feet. Together participants will reflect on what it means to be given space, to hold it, and to intersect the space of others.

Cecilia Fontanesi is the co-founder of Parcon NYC, a collective of dancers and movers dedicated to challenging our connection to the environment and social relationships through play, movement, touch, and reflection. Parcon NYC has been practiced and performed in public spaces open and available to everyone. As a collective, Parcon NYC is committed to engaging people across gender, ethnicity, age, and ability.

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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for a special More Theater Monday Monthly Mashup.