CARNEGIE HALL’S WEILL MUSIC INSTITUTE PRESENTS
THE SOMEWHERE PROJECT
Citywide Exploration of West Side Story Engages People in All Five Boroughs,
Encouraging All to Embrace the Vision of New York City as a “Place for Us”
West Side Story
In Three Performances Only: March 4, 5, and 6
At the Knockdown Center in Queens, NY
Project Encompasses Array of Events and Activities, including an Online Course,
Songwriting Projects, Neighborhood Concerts, and Partner Events
In celebration of Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary, the Weill Music Institute (WMI) has launched The Somewhere Project, a citywide exploration of West Side Story. This extensive creative learning project is engaging people through events in all five boroughs of New York City, plus those outside the city through online content, all anchored by a large-scale production of West Side Story, the classic American musical based on a conception by Jerome Robbins, with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents.
Carnegie Hall’s presentation of West Side Story, in three performances only March 4, 5, and 6, 2016, will take place at the Knockdown Center, a restored 50,000 square foot former glass and door factory in Maspeth, Queens, now serving as an art and event space. The musical will star Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening original cast on Broadway, the films Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2) as Tony, Morgan Hernandez, an 18-year-old phenom making her New York debut as Maria, and Bianca Marroquín (Chicago, In The Heights, The Pajama Game on Broadway) as Anita. Conceived as an immersive celebration of community and connection, this production of West Side Story is directed by Amanda Dehnert, and Marin Alsop, a protégé of Leonard Bernstein’s, will serve as musical director and conductor, with professional artists in lead roles and the participation of 200 high school students from around the city both in the cast and in a chorus specially created for this presentation. “With The Somewhere Project and West Side Story,” said director Amanda Dehnert, “we’re looking to really focus on the voices of the next generation and what they might have to say about the New York that they want to live in. In order to really do West Side Story justice, you want to produce it in this city. You want to be in this city where the people of New York can see the story, can talk about the story, and can hopefully be motivated to make change in their own communities based on what the story tells us. I hope that our production and the song ‘Somewhere’ can be a lightning rod for people to think about making a world that has a little less pain in it, and more hope.” Musical director and conductor Marin Alsop said, “The themes and the moral of the story—youth and independence, and wanting to be your own person and make your own decisions, but being hampered by conflict and prejudice—are what really resonate with us, even today. There are so many things that resonate so sadly with us right in this very moment of history. I think we have the chance to have an open dialogue about these issues. This project is so compelling for me and feels so close to my heart because it brings together my adoration and love for this man, Leonard Bernstein, with this idea that story and music can change the world.” A two-part public forum on West Side Story will take place in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing on January 24. Panel discussions explore the ways in which West Side Story illuminates social issues in both 1950s and present day New York and how social issues can be addressed through the arts. Also leading up to the performances, the Weill Music Institute will support the creation of new songs by students and community members, each inspired by the themes of West Side Story. This original music, created by participants in WMI programs and workshops, will be featured in free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts in all five boroughs throughout the month of February. The Somewhere Project extends throughout New York City with the participation of partner arts organizations and community groups. New works created through these partnerships across all artistic disciplines will be shared online and at events throughout the city. Some of this new work created in WMI workshops and partner events will be exhibited on site at the Knockdown Center prior to the West Side Story performances. Experiencing West Side Story as a celebration of community and music will encourage artists and audiences alike to consider the work’s timeless themes, inviting all to embrace the vision of New York City as a “place for us.” Those outside New York City can participate too, through online content, including a free companion course about the history and social issues that inspired West Side Story and through social media via #SomewhereProject, collected online at carnegiehall.org/SomewhereProject/Gallery. Click here for a complete guide to events. Carnegie Hall’s presentation of West Side Story will take place on Friday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Knockdown Center, a restored 50,000 square foot former glass and door factory in Maspeth, Queens, built in 1903 and now serving as an art and event space. “We’re doing a production that is outside of anyone’s normal theatrical expectations,” said director Amanda Dehnert. “You’re going to get on a train, you’re going to take a journey, you’re going to go into a strange and exciting place, you’re going to sit in seats that you don’t expect to be sitting in with people that you don’t usually sit next to in a theater, and that journey is going to change who you are.” The immersive experience begins before the production itself, with local food, live pre-show music, and artwork by New York City youth, all created as part of The Somewhere Project. The open performance area has no masking—no barriers between audience, the performers, and the orchestra. The space also projects this block-party energy throughout the audience via tables and chairs and bleacher seating. West Side Story will star Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening original cast on Broadway, the films Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2, and the upcoming Epix TV series Graves) as Tony, Bianca Marroquín (Chicago, In The Heights, The Pajama Game on Broadway) as Anita, and Morgan Hernandez, an 18-year-old phenom currently studying at The Boston Conservatory who will make her New York debut as Maria. Additional cast is to be announced. The performances will feature the participation of approximately 200 New York City high school students from 32 schools in all five boroughs, both in the cast and in a chorus, performing songs in new choral arrangements specially arranged for this production by Thomas Cabaniss, as West Side Story has no parts for chorus. In addition to director Amanda Dehnert and musical director and conductor Marin Alsop, the production team will include choreographers Julio Monge (Fosse, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway) and Sean Cheesman (So You Think You Can Dance), musical supervisor Leslie Stifelman (Chicago), scenic designer Eugene Lee (Wicked, Saturday Night Live), costume designer Tracy Christensen (Sweeney Todd and Company at the New York Philharmonic), lighting designer Edward Pierce (Amazing Grace, Wicked), sound designer Nevin Steinberg (Hamilton, It Shoulda Been You), technical director David Benken (Aladdin, The Lion King), and casting by Stewart/Whitley (On The Town, Pippin). Tickets, priced $25 to $65, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. Inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the beloved American theater classic West Side Story resonates as strongly today as it did when it was written in 1957. The collaboration between choreographer Jerome Robbins, composer Leonard Bernstein, writer Arthur Laurents, and lyricist Stephen Sondheim produced a timeless tale of rival street gangs and forbidden love in 1950s New York with music that has been performed and recorded by major orchestras and artists around the world, also inspiring an Academy Award–winning motion picture in 1961. On Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., arts and cultural leaders will explore the powerful social issues raised by West Side Story and the role of the arts in social change as part of a thought-provoking two-part forum in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing. Composer Thomas Cabaniss moderates the two panel discussions, which will explore the social issues in 1950s New York and the ways in which West Side Story illuminates them (1:00) and how social issues can be addressed through the arts (4:00). The first discussion will feature a brief performance from West Side Story, and the second will feature original songs created by New York City community members as part of The Somewhere Project songwriting workshops. Participants include director Amanda Dehnert, music director and conductor Marin Alsop, Carol Oja of Harvard University, Jamie Bennett of ArtPlace America, Arlene Davila of New York University, and artist Yazmany Arboleda. The event will be recorded on video for later distribution online. Tickets, priced at $10 for each forum, are available at CarnegieCharge and carnegiehall.org. Tickets are not available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office. ONLINE COMPANION COURSE To support all facets of the project, Carnegie Hall has created The Somewhere Project: A West Side Story Companion, an eight-part interactive video course available to users around the globe free of charge. This new digital resource engages experts from across the arts and humanities spectrum in discussions about the history and context, social issues, music, choreography, and dramatic elements of West Side Story. The course also includes practical instructions from professionals on all facets of performance, including songwriting, dance, acting, audition preparation, as well as printable resources, discussion prompts, creative challenges, and suggested readings to encourage viewer participation. Developed by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Soundfly, an online music school that creates unique, free or low-cost music educational tools, the course serves both as reference material for Somewhere Project partners and participants in New York City as well as an accessible, evergreen resource for West Side Story fans around the world. Access the course at soundfly.com/WestSideStory. SONGWRITING PROJECTS In a range of musical residencies across New York City, young people and adults will create, perform, and produce original music inspired by the themes found in West Side Story and the song “Somewhere.” These works will be then be celebrated with the public through performances featured on Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts in all five boroughs. Through residencies in a variety of settings, people across New York City will be invited to explore their hopes, dreams, and realities through the question “What kind of city do you want for yourself and your community?” These projects take place in partnership with city agencies and stakeholders between October 2015 and January 2016 at:
Roster artists leading these projects include: Brown Rice Family, Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band, Slavic Soul Party!, James Shipp, Matuto, Deidre Struck, Intikana, Circa ‘95, The Itty Biddies, Charles Burchell, and Thomas Cabaniss. Special thanks to: In February, leading up to the West Side Story performances at the Knockdown Center, original music created in Somewhere Project songwriting workshops will be featured in five free Neighborhood Concerts, one in each borough of New York City, showcasing a kaleidoscope of musical styles. These concerts include performances by: Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band Trombonist Chris Washburne and his innovative Latin jazz group the SYOTOS Band consistently push Latin jazz into new territory with their dissonant, driving sound and contemporary up-tempo beats. Breaking down boundaries between genres, their most recent album Low Ridin’, in a style the band calls “acid mambo,” features Latin jazz versions of popular classic rock songs from the 1960s and ’70s by artists from Lou Reed to Bob Marley. This concert will feature new works written by young people in the Bronx community in collaboration with Mr. Washburne and his band as part of The Somewhere Project. Slavic Soul Party! Nine-member Balkan funk band Slavic Soul Party! delivers “some of the most danceable Balkan-flavored pop this side of the Adriatic” (Global Rhythm). A fiery mix of Balkan brass, accordion, virtuosic jazz, and pulsing grooves, Slavic Soul Party! is influenced by its members’ Eastern European, Mexican, and Asian roots, as well as American jazz and soul. This concert will also feature new works written by young people in the Brooklyn community. The Itty Biddies With roots in jazz and cabaret, The Itty Biddies are known for their genre-defying sound and energetic live performances. The trio encourages listeners to sing and dance along to their soaring vocals and lively instrumentals that feature ukulele, piano, bass, and drums. This concert will also feature new works written by young mothers in the Staten Island community as part of the Lullaby Project. Sarah Elizabeth Charles Vocalist and composer Sarah Elizabeth Charles’s smooth, soulful voice has captured audiences worldwide, including performances at the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Her most recent album, Inner Dialogue, “is a work of confidence and maturity … and a hip blend of styles, suggestions, and sounds” (All About Jazz). This concert will also feature new works written by young people in the Manhattan community. Brown Rice Family Brooklyn-based world roots band Brown Rice Family is a high-energy, eight-member ensemble that combines an eclectic mix of musical influences encompassing reggae, hip-hop, Brazilian, Afrobeat, jazz, rock, Latin, and funk. With members hailing from all over the world, the Brown Rice Family draws on its diverse backgrounds to create a colorful, rhythm-driven, and highly danceable sound. This concert will also feature new works written by young people in the Queens community. Arts organizations and community groups across New York City will also join the conversation, inviting students, teens, and community members to respond to West Side Story’s timeless themes. Harnessing this creative energy across an array of artistic disciplines—including film, visual art, theater, dance, and music—a diverse body of creative work will be shared online and through events around the city in February and March 2016. Partners include: BRIC—A leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, BRIC hosts the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert by Slavic Soul Party! on February 19. (See above for details.) The Bronx Museum of the Arts—As part of The Somewhere Project, the Bronx Museum Teen Council will create a video that reimagines scenes from West Side Story. The video will be published as part of the museum’s MuseCast series. The museum also hosts the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert by Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band on February 5. (See above for details.) Brooklyn College Community Partnership—As part of The Somewhere Project students in BCCP@ Bushwick High School Campus are creating a play about opposition, taking inspiration from the conflict between the Sharks and the Jets in West Side Story. The final work will ultimately be produced and performed this spring. Other BCCP partners are exploring the themes of The Somewhere Project through video and photography. DreamYard—9th grade theater students at DY Prep High School are studying West Side Story and will be creating original performance pieces inspired by the themes and issues raised. The 12th grade vocal music majors at DY Prep are also singing music from the show, and are working on a bilingual version of “I Feel Pretty” called “I Feel Pretty/Soy Bonita.” Harlem Stage—The historic landmark Harlem Stage Gatehouse hosts the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert by Sarah Elizabeth Charles on February 24. (See above for details.) Hudson Guild—An exhibit showcases artwork and poetry inspired by and responding to the utopian vision of a city that’s a better place, as described in the classic lyrics of “Somewhere.” Works by participants of all ages from community centers that are part of United Neighborhood Houses—an umbrella organization of 38 New York City social service agencies—will be included. Event: The exhibit is on view March 17 to April 23: LaGuardia Performing Arts Center—Utilizing music and themes from the Brown Rice Family’s Neighborhood Concert, this original theater production engages millennials in a set of brief plays that focus on Black Lives Matter, the contemporary social justice movement. Crafted by LPAC Artistic Director Steven Hitt and the LaGuardia Community College Program Director of Theatre Stefanie Sertich, Unpacking American Identity utilizes volunteerism as the core mechanism, in addition to a variety of devised theater ideas, as part of an original set of playlets that look at social justice through the lens of performing arts. Event: LPAC will also host a Neighborhood Concert by Brown Rice Family on February 26 (see above for details). Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center—As part of The Somewhere Project, Mind-Builders presents Home Free: A Place To Be. This series of mini-performances utilizes original music, dance, and theater inspired by themes explored in The Somewhere Project. Original music and dance related to The Somewhere Project will also be performed at Mind-Builders’ spring recitals throughout April and May. Event: National Sawdust and El Puente Williamsburg Leadership Center—NYC-based Found Sound Nation and South Africa-based Hear Be Dragons will lead young people from El Puente Williamsburg Leadership Centre and Nyanga Yethu, Cape Town in a sound-based exploration of New York City. This final concert of original music and storytelling explores the common threads of gentrification, urbanization and neighborhood identity across two seemingly disparate communities, featuring New York-based musicians and the youth involved in the project. Event: The New York Public Library—The Somewhere Project will provide an opportunity and space for BridgeUp Scholars to embark on an inquiry-based exploration of the power and impact of “choice” in response to decisions that have been made for them, either by themselves or by others. The scholars will use various art forms to address this theme. Opportunity Music Project—Opportunity Music Project students will perform chamber works throughout New York City in alternative venues where audience members would not otherwise have access to live classical music as a way to connect to fellow New Yorkers and explore the city while giving back. Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s—3rd through 8th graders of the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s (YOSL) will create an original composition built around their interpretations of the concept of “Somewhere” as it relates to their home, New York City. The project, led by a group of teaching artists, includes elements of creative writing, songwriting, and improvisation. Park Avenue Armory—The Armory Youth Corps will create original graphics, visuals, tags, and more on optical white “Chuck Taylor” All Star shoes for each of the major characters in West Side Story as part of Visitors Forbidden—A Visual Art and Installation Project. These shoes will then be installed into a small space in the Knockdown Center depicting a scenographic “footprint” of iconic scenes from West Side Story. Renaissance Youth Center—Bronxside Story showcases songs written about our community—the South Bronx and New York City—addressing issues of homelessness, violence, and other community struggles, while also highlighting youth searching for a better life in a community that can come together to create a place of love, peace, and joy. Event: Snug Harbor Cultural Center—This vibrant, regional cultural destination for residents of Staten Island and surrounding communities hosts the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert by The Itty Biddies on February 21. (See above for details.) University Settlement—Dynamic and diverse artists creatively respond to the lyrics of “Somewhere” and offer visions of the New York they would like to build. This performance is part of the Share Series, a bimonthly salon honoring artists at all stages of development on one equal platform. Event: About Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute For more information on The Somewhere Project please visit: carnegiehall.org/WestSideStory MUSICAL CONNECTIONS: MUSIC PROJECT LED BY CHRIS WASHBURNE & SYOTOS Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. DeWitt Clinton High School 100 West Mosholu Pkwy South | Bronx Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: Free MUSICAL CONNECTIONS: MUSIC PROJECT LED BY SLAVIC SOUL PARTY! Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: Free THE SOMEWHERE PROJECT: A PUBLIC FORUM PART I West Side Story: The Issues Then and Now Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: $10 THE SOMEWHERE PROJECT: A PUBLIC FORUM PART II West Side Story: Social Transformation Through the Arts Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: $10 FOUND SOUND NATION AND HEAR BE DRAGONS Presented by National Sawdust Tickets: $25, nationalsawdust.org | 212-960-3795 NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: CHRIS WASHBURNE AND THE SYOTOS BAND Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: Free THE SHARE SERIES: SOMEWHERE A PLACE FOR US Presented by University Settlement universitysettlement.org | 212-453-4532 NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: SLAVIC SOUL PARTY! Presented by Carnegie Hall RSVP required: bricartsmedia.org/events | 718-683-5600 NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: THE ITTY BIDDIES Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: Free UNPACKING AMERICAN IDENTITY: BLACK LIVES MATTER Presented by LaGuardia Performing Arts Center RSVP required: laguardiaperformingarts.org | 718-482-5151 NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: SARAH ELIZABETH CHARLES Presented by Carnegie Hall RSVP: harlemstage.org/events | 212-281-9240, ext. 19 or 20 NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT: BROWN RICE FAMILY Presented by Carnegie Hall RSVP required: laguardiaperformingarts.org | 718-482-5151 HOME FREE: A PLACE TO BE Presented by Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center RSVP: 718-652-6256 WEST SIDE STORY Skylar Astin, Tony Marin Alsop, Musical Director and Conductor WEST SIDE STORY Book by ARTHUR LAURENTS Entire Original Production Directed and Originally Produced on Broadway by By Arrangement with Roger L. Stevens Presented by Carnegie Hall Tickets: $25–$65, carnegiehall.org | 212-247-7800 BRONXSIDE STORY Presented by Renaissance Youth Center RSVP: [email protected] THE SOMEWHERE PROJECT EXHIBIT: OPENING RECEPTION Presented by Hudson Guild [email protected] | 212-760-9800 The Somewhere Project is made possible, in part, by generous support from the Howard Gilman Foundation and Martha and Bob Lipp. Public support for The Somewhere Project is provided by Council Member Elizabeth Crowley. Public support for Neighborhood Concerts is provided by Council Member Helen Rosenthal. The Lullaby Project is part of Musical Connections, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. Lead support is provided by the Brooke Astor One-Year Fund for New York City Education. Major funding for Musical Connections is provided by the Hive Digital Media Learning Fund in the New York Community Trust, MetLife Foundation, the Heineman Foundation for Research, Education, Charitable, and Scientific Purposes, and United Airlines®. Additional support has been provided by Ameriprise Financial. Public support for Musical Connections is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Departments of Homeless Services and Probation, the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, and New York City Council Members Daniel Dromm and Annabel Palma. Workshops at Sing Sing Correctional Facility are supported, in part, by The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall. Image at top of release courtesy of Carnegie Hall. ### |