#NewYorkNotes @NYPhil NY PHIL BANDWAGON 2 May 7–30, 2021
MULTIPLE THREE-DAY FESTIVALS
ACROSS NEW YORK CITY
Featuring Philharmonic Musicians
Plus More Than 100 Artists and Ensembles
Performances Take Place on a Mobile, State-of-the-Art,
20-Foot Shipping Container
The New York Philharmonic announces NY Phil Bandwagon 2, a series of four weekend-long festivals across New York City, May 7–30, 2021. Performances will take place from a mobile, 20-foot shipping container at Domino Park in Brooklyn, Marcus Garvey Park in Manhattan, Father Gigante Plaza in the Bronx, and St. Albans Park in Queens. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo returns as Creator and Executive Producer.
For Bandwagon 2, the Philharmonic is partnering with six New York institutions that use art to inspire their communities: A Better Jamaica, Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, El Puente, Flushing Town Hall, Groundswell, and National Black Theatre. Over four weeks, the Philharmonic and its partners will present a total of 39 performances by more than 100 artists, which span artistic disciplines from reggae, jazz, and opera, to dance, poetry, theater, film, and visual art.
“Emerging from this difficult period, we have to consider deeply what we have learned and what we want to change,” said Deborah Borda, New York Philharmonic Linda and Mitch Hart President and CEO. “Last summer’s 81 Bandwagon concerts were a beacon for us — the beginning of a dialogue. We want to take that crucial work of partnership, in all its forms, even further. Bandwagon 2 allows us to center the voices of our partners, and utilize the Philharmonic’s resources to amplify the work of our collaborators. Fundamentally, it’s an opportunity to make joy with our community.”
The mobile venue for Bandwagon 2 is a customized 20-foot shipping container, conceived of and designed and built by Chad Owens. It features a foldout stage and LED video wall, a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound Spacemap Go system, integrated lighting, and a video control system designed and created by Mark Grey. Groundswell, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has created a new mural to adorn the sides of the container. Artist Julia Cocuzza designed the mural in collaboration with the Philharmonic and all partner organizations, incorporating visual elements important to the identities of each group.
Creator and Executive Producer Anthony Roth Costanzo said: “I’ve been thinking a lot about how the words community and communication have the same root. What does a true dialogue look like? How can partnerships inform the identity of the New York Philharmonic? In building Bandwagon 2 to delve deeper into engagement and collaboration, we have discovered new harmonies and found different approaches not only to making music, but to listening.”
Programming for each weekend’s festival centers around artists from the communities in which they take place. Artists and repertoire for each festival will be announced on a weekly basis. The lineup includes:
· The World Premiere of Mark Grey’s Birds in the Moon, a mobile chamber opera with a libretto by Júlia Canosa i Serra, directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, explores themes of migration, the environment, and mother-daughter relationships. Performers include a string quartet of New York Philharmonic musicians, soprano Maria Elena Altany, and actor Austin Spangler (Brooklyn).
· Composer / singer Juana Luna and dancer Elisa Toro Franky — both El Puente CADRE artists — are developing and performing a set of song-and-dance pieces that also feature a Philharmonic string quartet (Brooklyn).
· A tribute to actor and slam poet Craig “muMs” Grant, who passed away suddenly at the end of March, features poetry readings and spoken word. Mahogany L. Browne, a poet previously commissioned by the Philharmonic for its Project 19 initiative, is among the performers (Manhattan).
· James Lovell and The Afri-Garifuna Music Ambassadors (JLAMA), in partnership with Bronx Music Heritage Center, share their musical tradition and perform alongside musicians from the Orchestra (Bronx and Queens).
· Sembrar by Angélica Negrón, a composer who has been commissioned by the Philharmonic for its Project 19 initiative, features musicians from Bronx Arts Ensemble and Negrón on electronics / midi plants (Bronx).
· A freestyle dance battle from It’s Showtime NYC showcases dance styles from Harlem and Brooklyn, and Grand Wizzard Theodore and Philharmonic Assistant Principal Timpani / Percussion Kyle Zerna will provide a tag-team DJ set (Bronx).
· Soprano Laquita Mitchell will perform with the Harlem Chamber Players (Manhattan) and with a Philharmonic string quartet (Queens).
· New works by participants in the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program are being featured each week.
All programming is subject to change. For more information visit nyphil.org/bandwagon or follow the New York Philharmonic’s social media channels.
NY Phil Bandwagon 2 is being planned in adherence to the New York State Department of Health’s COVID-19 protocols. Masks, social distancing, and self-screening will be required at all performances.
