Thursday, April 12, 2018

The Harmony Program To Host 10th Anniversary Gala And Benefit Concert, Including Anthony McGill, April 25

Anthony McGill

Celebrating ten years of providing intensive musical training to children in underserved communities across New York City metro area

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 12, 2018 – For 10 years, The Harmony Program has provided free, intensive musical training to hundreds of youth from underserved communities throughout New York City and Long Island with the goal of supporting their healthy social development and academic achievement.

On April 25, 2018, the Harmony Program will mark this momentous milestone with a benefit concert celebrating its students’ commitment to music and showcasing their talents in collaborative performances alongside world-renowned artists such as:

  • Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated violinists with a career spanning more than 30 years as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and conductor. Mr. Bell has recorded more than 40 albums garnering Grammy, Mercury, and Gramophone awards, and is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize. Named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 2011, he is the only person to hold this post since 1958 when Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra.

  • Jorge Glem, a cuatro player, mandolinist, and musical producer from Cumaná, Venezuela, has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards such as El Silbón de Oro, in 2014, and the Siembra Del Cuatro, in 2015. Jorge has also received three Pepsi music awards for his album “En el Cerrito,” and has been nominated for three Latin Grammys with the ensemble C4Trio. 

  • Anthony McGill, considered among the top solo, chamber and orchestral musicians today, is in his second season as Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, having previously been Principal Clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Associate Principal of the Cincinnati Symphony. As an educator, Mr. McGill is on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music and Bard College Conservatory. 

  • Time for Three is a groundbreaking, category-shattering trio who transcend traditional classification, with elements of classical, country western, gypsy and jazz idioms forming a blend all its own. The members — Nicolas (Nick) Kendall, violin; Charles Yang, violin; and Ranaan Meyer, double bass — carry a passion for improvisation, composing and arranging, all of which are prime elements of the ensemble’s playing.


  • Larisa Martínez is a celebrated soprano, recognized for her “warm quality of voice” and “unique timbre,” and has established a strong and unique presence in the classical music world. Most recently, she made her Madison Square Garden debut as a featured artist alongside Andrea Bocelli in his December tour throughout the USA.

“The Harmony Program is proud of our decade of service and of our growing community of remarkable young musicians. Their accomplishments are a testament to what can be achieved when we simply provide children with opportunities and set high expectations,” said Anne Fitzgibbon, founder and Executive Director of the Harmony Program. “Our efforts, in addition to a growing body of research, continue to remind us that music can change lives in powerfully positive ways. We are so grateful to our many sponsors and partners who have helped us expand access to music education in New York.”

Warner Music Group, one of the world’s leading music companies, has supported the work of the Harmony Program in the past, most recently with its inaugural Warner Music Prize, which seeks to foster the talents of promising young musicians. Warner is committed to strengthening the relationship between the two organizations. Warner Music Group is the lead sponsor of the Harmony Program’s 10th Anniversary Gala.

The Harmony Program was launched in 2003 by Anne Fitzgibbon as a pilot program of the New York City Mayor’s Office to provide students in traditionally under-served neighborhoods across New York City and Long Island with access to music education. Anne was awarded a yearlong Fulbright Fellowship in 2007 to study El Sistema, Venezuela’s world-renowned national youth orchestra system, and adapted tenets of their successful model to meet the needs of communities in New York City. In 2008, the Harmony Program established an institutional partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY) and distinguished its model of music education with an emphasis on community-based programming, uniquely intensive instruction, ensemble performance, and a formal system of teacher training. Under Anne’s direction, the organization has served over 1,000 students and provided over 350,000 hours of intensive music instruction to the youth of New York.


About the Harmony Program
The Harmony Program is a non-profit organization that provides children from under-served communities with free instruments, intensive music instruction, orchestral training and access to a variety of cultural experiences in an effort to promote self-confidence, creativity, social development and academic success.

The Harmony Program’s unique model also addresses a shortage of well-trained music teachers by preparing accomplished musicians to teach at partnering public schools and community centers throughout New York City and on Long Island. Today, the Harmony Program provides over 300 children with up to 150,000 hours of intensive year-round music instruction. The Harmony Program plans significant expansion next year to reach 500 students city-wide through a network of 20 after-school instructional sites and borough-based youth orchestras. 



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