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.
- Lena Hall is known for her work on Broadway, including originating the role of Nicola in Kinky Boots and her Tony Award-winning performance as Yitzhak in the 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which also earned her a Grammy nomination for the musical's official album. She made history by becoming the first person to play both Hedwig and Yitzhak in the same production during the national tour of the musical in 2016.
- 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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