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In honor of Black Music month, Community Works/New Heritage Theatre Group is presenting harlem is . . . Music ALIVE!, this once-in-a-lifetime community celebration of music in Harlem from its African roots to gospel to classical to jazz and hip hop and music now.
The Monday, June 16 performances at Harlem Hospital Center will feature 2024 Apollo Amateur Night winner Cruz Angel, the sounds of the New York African Chorus Ensemble, and actor/writer Daniel Carlton. Cruz sings about love and relationships. The African Chorus will present pieces from its Experience Africa work including an interactive call and response with the audience. Carlton will present excerpts from his verse play When Small Had It All, tracing 80 years of music in Harlem.
The event will honor two longtime music legacy-keepers, Joyce Adewumi, President and Founder of the African Chorus Ensemble and the NYC Multicultural Festival, and George Harrell, Founder of Harrell Community Outreach.
The free celebration will include a tour of the harlem is . . . Music, Theater & Dance exhibit on the second floor of the hospital and performances in the Mural Pavilion on the hospital’s first floor, home to a harlem timeline as well as to historic WPA-era murals that depict Black workers.
To attend the free program, please register at https://forms.gle/DkDpYdCv6peRrQpCA.
About the honorees: Joyce Adewumi, Nigerian-born vocalist, dancer, choreographer and scholar, seeks to preserve African musical heritage and to foster cultural unity. The Harlem-based New York African Chorus Ensemble promotes African music across the city. The annual NYC Multicultural Festival this year runs from June 7-June 21. (Details at https://multiculturalfestival.nyc)
Music producer George Harrell,founding member of Uptown Records, founded Harrell Community Outreach to empower aspiring artists with the knowledge, skills, and connections to succeed in the arts and music industry. (Learn more at https://www.harrellcommunityoutreach.com/about
The harlem is. . . Music, Theater & Dance exhibit, a permanent installation at Harlem Hospital Center, 506 Lenox Ave. between 135th and 136 Streets, opened a year ago and offers free tours to students and community groups with images, videos and timelines about 100 years of cultural blossoming in Harlem. The harlem is . . . project also sponsors programming, including Saturdays@harlem, that build on the exhibition themes.
The free exhibit is open Tuesdays 10 am to 2 pm and Thursdays and Saturdays 12 pm to 4 pm. School and community groups may visit only by appointment by calling 917-757-2242 or emailing bh@communityworksnyc.org.
A program of Community Works/New Heritage Theater with funding from Harlem Community Development Corporation.
