BMS Jazz Night
Are you ready to get your jazz on? Look no further than Brooklyn Music School's Jazz Night! You might just sense the influence of some of the most famous jazz musicians who have called this community and Fort Greene home.
Join Us For Jazz Night!
Friday, May 19, 2023, 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
126 St Felix St, Brooklyn, NY 11217
We're deep into jazz. You dig?
Are you ready to get your jazz on? Look no further than Brooklyn Music School's Jazz Night! You might just sense the influence of some of the most famous jazz musicians who have called this community and Fort Greene home. Back in the 80s and 90s, Fort Greene was a cultural hub for experimental musicians and artists to collaborate and gain inspiration from one another. Jazz clubs were aplenty during that time, providing a platform for artists to perfect their craft.
Today, we continue this tradition with the new BMS event Jazz Night, which features performances that pay tribute to Fort Greene's rich jazz history.
You'll be in good company because some of the greats lived right here on St. Felix Street. Iconic musicians such as Betty Carter, a jazz vocalist recognized for her unique vocal style, used to live across the street from the school and had long supported BMS. Gary Bartz, a two-time Grammy Award-winning musician, used to live on St Felix's next block. Bill Lee, a jazz bassist who composed music for films such as She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing, still lives in the greater Fort Greene neighborhood. Cecil Taylor, a pioneer of "free jazz," lived around the corner on Fort Greene Place until his death in 2018. He was always in the neighborhood, ready to talk music. And, Henry Threadgill, similarly pushed the boundaries of the genre, incorporating everything from avant-garde classical music to African and Indian rhythms, was also once a resident.
We take great pride in our small corner of Brooklyn and so if you’re looking for some great jazz, we promise Jazz Night will not disappoint. Prepare to tap your feet and move along to BMS student ensembles of all ages; this is one night you won't want to miss.
BMS Musical Theatre Presents: Super Happy Awesome News!
Join the BMS Musical Theatre department for the premiere performance of Super Happy Awesome News, presented through special arrangement with Beat by Beat Press (www.bbbpress.com) at 5:00pm on Feb 6, and stream the event until Feb 9 at 11:45pm!
Two siblings launch rival good news networks and find themselves competing for the title of happiest news show. Soon, their correspondents are in a whirlwind of ecstatic musical reporting – from joyful weather forecasts, to cheerful cooking segments and blissful political updates! But, when vulnerability starts peeking through the euphoric facade, they’re left wondering: is there room for raw honesty on a super happy broadcast? This new virtual musical (designed specifically to be rehearsed and performed remotely), incorporates real stories from kids age 7-14, offering a positive outlet for them to express their emotions.
Purchase tickets here: https:bmsmusicaltheatre.anywhereseat.com
The 2021 Winter String Recital
Get ready to be amazed by our incredible Orchestra students led by BMS String Department Chair Michael Vannoni! Tune in on our Instagram page to catch the event and be sure to follow us to stay in the know on all things BMS!
The SPOOK-tacular Musical MASK-erade is here! 🎃
Get ready for a musically Spook-tacular Halloween – at a distance! Join us at BMS for an afternoon of music, fun and candy at the Musical MASK-erade! Catch performances by our special musical guests - Arkai Music, BMS Orchestras, Jazz Bands, the So & So's, Rock Rage, the Hip Hop Dance Team, and many more!
DUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS, THIS EVENT IS FOR BMS STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ONLY.
This is a socially distanced event. Each person in attendance will need to fill out a questionnaire and as well as a waiver linked here before attending. Attendees will have their temperatures taken prior to entry and be given hand sanitizer. MASKS ARE REQUIRED. The floor will be marked with 6ft between spaces to ensure adequate spacing between guests. Seating will be assigned based off of ticket sales.
*Note: Tickets must be purchased for everyone above the age of 3.
We cannot wait to see you there!
The Show Must Go Online!
BMS 2020 Virtual Gala
Streaming November 24th @ 7pm on FB Live
We are beyond excited to announce our 2020 virtual gala, "The Show Must Go Online!" Honoring Mark Kelley of Tonight's Show's The Roots, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, and George Porter Jr. of The Meters! Featuring special guest Nels Cline of Wilco and performances from BMS students and Ensembles!
“The Show Must Go Online!” is a virtual event free and open to people around the world, but we are looking for donors to help us meet our financial goal of $50,000! Funding from the event will provide music and arts access to those in need as our community recovers from the impact of COVID-19.
We will be streaming our gala video for the first time on November 24th @ 7pm on Facebook Live for our amazing BMS community and beyond.
We have many levels of support, and they are all 100% tax deductible! You can support this year's gala by visiting our gala page or texting BMS to "44321". Everyone who gives over $50 will receive a custom facemask and over $75 a limited edition BMS T-shirt!
We encourage you to make a gift and support the next generation of music makers and leaders!
For more information on how to give or if you want to get involved, please contact our Development Director, David Portalatin @ dportalatin@brooklynmusicschool.org.
Click below to see our exclusive "The Show Must Go Online" trailer
Interview: Danielle Carroll, Playwright
Danielle Carroll is one of the playwrights for “To Dream a World”, and we spoke with her about what makes this show unique, the process behind it, and why you should attend the show …
by Rachel Wilson
On Saturday, June 23, the Brooklyn Music School’s Musical Theatre Program will present the performance of “To Dream a World”. This unique performance features an original, fictional tale of a young William Shakespeare and how he imagined the characters for his works. As a boy, his dreams take him to four magical worlds, which are represented by the four seasons. In these worlds, he meets the characters who will eventually end up in his famous plays.
Danielle Carroll is an actor, writer, and producer who has worked on original shows with BMS in the past. I spoke with Danielle, one of the playwrights for “To Dream a World”, and spoke with her about what makes this show unique, the process behind it, and why people should attend it.
Q: What do you think makes this production unique?
A: I think that this production is unique in that it incorporates Shakespeare’s greatest and lesser-known plays and sonnets into a cohesive tale. It is a fun look into the imagination of one of our greatest playwrights.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the show/music?
A: I remember being little and having this little pile of dirt right outside my bedroom window. I kept imagining a flower growing out of this pile. I would go to sleep looking out the window and imagine this beautiful flower. And I remember waking up one day and actually seeing a flower growing from this pile, almost as if I had willed it to happen. I still don’t know if I made it up or it was part of my dream. This image returns to me time and time again, and when we began exploring Shakespeare’s plays, I remembered this flower. I thought it would be a fun and imaginative way into Shakespeare’s worlds. The rest grew from that image.
Q: Why do you believe people should attend this show?
A: Shakespeare remains the greatest playwright because the themes he explores are timeless and his characters reflect human nature in its many forms. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is especially relevant in today’s climate, and to see something like this allows us to examine ourselves. I think we could all use the theater to guide us into worlds not so unlike our own. Sometimes our imaginations are more powerful than we know.
Q: What is the overall process for putting together a show like this?
A: Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. It always starts with a small seed. The more you work with others, the more a concept grows and changes. Each layer adds something new to the story, and before you know it, the story has turned into something you could never have imagined. Working with Deborah on the text and her deep knowledge and love for Shakespeare was so essential in boiling down the key themes and creating this world. It comes from passion, and when you get so many talented people together who all bring something different to the table, magic can happen.
Q: What is it like working with the students?
A: Getting a group of 5-13-year-olds working on the same production is not an easy feat, but it is amazing to see the excitement and interest that they have and how they work together. Having the opportunity to introduce Shakespeare to a young group of students is so exciting and important, and these students really stepped up to take on the challenge. The language in the play isn’t easy, as a lot of it is taken straight from Shakespeare’s works, and they have done an excellent job of bringing that language to life.
Q: What was your favorite part of working on this production?
A: Seeing the students discover Shakespeare and these new worlds for the first time reminded me why I love the theater. I’m from a small town and the summer stock theater saved my life. I couldn’t believe that all of these different worlds could exist right down the street from me. This is why I moved to New York and continue to do what I do.
Q: Do you have any final thoughts or anything else you would like to add about the show?
A: I hope you enjoy it!
May 6: Struttin' with some BBQ
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents an afternoon of Burnin’ Jazz and Hot Barbecue, Struttin’ With Some Barbecue, a fundraiser for the BMS Jazz Department, on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 3pm
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents an afternoon of Burnin’ Jazz and Hot Barbecue, Struttin’ With Some Barbecue, a fundraiser for the BMS Jazz Department, on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 3pm at the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse, 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY. Tickets are $30 ($75 for family tickets)
Titled after a composition by Louis Armstrong and Lilian Hardin, Struttin’ With Some Barbecue will help support the rapidly blossoming Brooklyn Music School (BMS) Jazz Department. It’s a chance to enjoy the down-home feel of southern food, swinging music, and jazz community that will make anyone think they’ve been transported straight to New Orleans, all the while helping support Jazz at BMS.
The afternoon will feature performances by all three of the BMS Student Jazz Ensembles, the BMS Jazz Faculty Ensemble, and an appearance by the world-renowned jazz drummer and BMS Artistic Advisory Board Member Dr. Victor Lewis. Victor’s dynamic drumming style and musical personality have supported influential bandleaders from Dexter Gordon and Woody Shaw to David Sanborn. He co-leads the groundbreaking band “Horizon” with Bobby Watson and has been on faculty at Rutgers University Mason School of the Arts for over 14 years.
Like those New Orleans “Magnolias in bloom,” the BMS Jazz Department has undergone incredible growth over the last five years. Having added two student Jazz Ensembles and recently completed our fifth annual BMS Middle School Jazz Festival, we are looking forward to our third BMS Summer Jazz Workshop, our third FAB/BMS Fall Jazz Faculty series, and will include a Jazz Intensive as part of this year’s BMS Summer Institute.
Contributions will help the BMS Jazz Department by providing support for our Summer Jazz Workshop, the Middle School Jazz Festival, as well as scholarships for deserving students who would otherwise not be able to participate in our programs.
With influential musicians like Eric Dolphy and Gary Bartz once living down the street the Brooklyn Music School has long been surrounded by the sound of jazz in its location in the heart of Fort Greene. The great vocalist Betty Carter lived across the street and pianist Cecil Taylor is still living around the corner. Over the years BMS has been graced with their music as well as performances by saxophonists Jimmy Heath (an NEA Jazz Master), Dewey Redman, and Sherman Irby - trombonist Robin Eubanks, and most recently trumpeter Ingrid Jensen.
Don’t miss this wondrous opportunity to help support the BMS Jazz Community while having a HOT TIME! with a great meal. GUARANTEED!
February 10: Songs Full of Heart
Come join us in celebration of love and music at our annual Valentine’s Day Concert.
Come join us in celebration of love and music!
February 10th @ 5:00 p.m. at the Brooklyn Music School | 126 St. Felix Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
The Brooklyn Music School is proud to present the 5th annual Valentine's Day concert entitled "Songs full of Heart". Produced by the Vocal Department, the concert will feature our talented BMS vocalists and ensembles performing songs that speak of the power of love and human connections. Beyond words, the program will feature tunes that melt hearts and inspire bonds.
Jan 13: MLK Jr. Tribute ft. Lester Lynch
Brooklyn Music School is honored to present the 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute concert hosted by renowned baritone and BMS advisory board member Lester Lynch.
Brooklyn Music School presents
Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute: Spirit of Hope
Featuring Lester Lynch
Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 5 p.m.
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute: Spirit of Hope on January 13th, 2018 at 5pm. BMS is located at 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn.
"Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of Hope" – Dr. King
Brooklyn Music School is honored to present the 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute concert hosted by renowned baritone and BMS advisory board member Lester Lynch. Inspired by Dr. King's legacy and message, the program will feature selections from Mr. Lynch's recent recording On My Journey Now: Spirituals & Hymns as well as performances by BMS faculty and students.
LESTER LYNCH, an established dramatic baritone, is making his mark in some of the world’s leading opera houses. Known for his charismatic portrayals and commanding voice, he is receiving rave reviews as he masters some of the most important baritone roles from Scarpia to Rigoletto to Count di Luna. Opera Today recently enthused, “It was booming baritone Lester Lynch who served notice that he is now in consideration for admittance to the Scarpia Preferred Pantheon - when he needed to pour it on he had the Puccinian fire power and the dramatic heat to raise the hair on the back of your neck.” The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote, “Lester Lynch made a superb Macbeth, delivering an authoritative performance with a firm, powerful voice and wonderfully communicating both tragedy and madness.”
His most recent performances include Lescaut in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle with the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Crown in Porgy and Bess with the Opéra de Montréal, as Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida with Pittsburgh Opera, as Carbon in Cyrano de Begerac with San Francisco Opera, as Herald in Lohengrin with Lyric Opera of Chicago, as Gérald in Andrea Chénier with the Bregenzer Festspiele, as Nottingham in Roberto Devereaux and Count Di Luna in Il Trovatore with Minnesota Opera. His latest debuts include a back-to-back engagement with the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Portugal where he was featured as Iago in Verdi’s Otello and in the title role of Verdi’s Falstaff.
Upcoming performances include Nabucco with the Welsh National Opera, Amonasro with the Bergen National Opera in Norway, and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice with the Warsaw National Opera. Upcoming recordings include Iago in Verdi’s Otello, Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and a Verissimo French Aria CD to be recorded by Pentatone Classics.
Mr. Lynch has worked with some of the world’s most renowned conductors and directors. Under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic, he has sung the role of Crown in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and the Bauer in Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. He has also appeared with conductors Sir Andrew Davis, Placido Domingo, Larry Foster, Ulf Schirmer, and John DeMain, and performed under eminent directors Sir Richard Eyre, Christopher Alden and Francesca Zambello.
His performance of Crown with San Francisco Opera ‘s production of Porgy and Bess was recently released on DVD. Pentatone Classics has released his recordings of two operas by the contemporary composer Gordon Getty – the title role in Plumpjack, and Cauchon in Joan and the Bells. Another important release is a recording of Mahler’s Symphony No.8 conducted by JoAnn Falletta.
Mr. Lynch’s regular repertoire includes Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, Marcello in Puccini’s La Boheme, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, Count DiLuna in Trovatore, the tile role of Rigoletto, Iago in Otello, the tile role in Verdi’s Falstaff, Guglielmo in Puccini’s Le Villi, Paolo in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Flint in Britten’s Billy Budd, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Tonio in I Pagliacci, Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca and the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth.
An accomplished concert artist, Mr. Lynch has performed a wide and varied repertoire with orchestras across the world, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and the American Symphony Orchestra. His recent Carnegie Hall solo debut of Karl A. Hartmann’s Gesangsszene with the American Symphony Orchestra received rave reviews.
Mr. Lynch has received many distinguished awards, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the George London Vocal Competition, and the Sullivan Awards. His work with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis earned him the Richard Gaddes Award.
His recent volunteer work includes two engagements with the Harare International Festival of Art in Zimbabwe in 2012 and 2013 where he produced a night of arias and ensembles with a group of his colleagues.
DECEMBER 15: Little Red Riding Hood
Presented by young musical theater performers, this imaginative production will feature the classic and original characters highlighting Little Red’s journey through the unfamiliar woods and her encounter with the clever trickster wolf.
Brooklyn Music School’s
Musical Theater Performance of
Little Red Riding Hood
Friday, December 15, 2017 at 7 p.m.
Tickets FREE for children ages 11 and under, $20 for adults
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents a Musical Theater Performance of Little Red Riding Hood on Friday, December 15, 2017 at 7 p.m. Tickets are FREE for children ages 11 and under, and $20 for adults ($10 for BMS students).
The classic transformative tale of Little Red Riding Hood will come alive in BMS Playhouse on December 15, 2017. Presented by young musical theater performers, this imaginative production will feature the classic and original characters highlighting Little Red’s journey through the unfamiliar woods and her encounter with the clever trickster wolf. As our young performers enact the evocative story and narrate the powerful lessons learned through their characters’ passage, audiences are reminded of the value of trust, kindness and the importance of community/family in times of hostility. In this exciting production, the creatures of the forest and trees come alive as the Mother's song echoes through the entire journey. Don't miss this original musical written and produced by the BMS faculty, proudly featuring the school’s youngest talent in music and theater.
Music and lyrics by Pamela Martinez, book by Danielle Carroll, stage direction and choreography by Marie Zvosec, costumes by Deborah Wright-Houston, lights and set design Ed Morrill.
BMS Presents: Lead Belly, Brooklyn!
Join us for a Community Celebration of Lead Belly’s Legacy at Brooklyn Music School. This unique event will feature Dan Zanes, Claudia Eliaza, and Pauline Jean performing a selection of Lead Belly’s music with the students of the Brooklyn Music School.
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents Lead Belly, Brooklyn!, an All-Ages Sensory-Friendly Event featuring Dan Zanes, Claudia Eliaza, Pauline Jean and students from BMS on Friday, November 17, 2017 at 7 p.m. BMS is located at 126 Saint Felix Street, Brooklyn. Tickets are $5-15.
Join us for a Community Celebration of Lead Belly’s Legacy at Brooklyn Music School. This unique event will feature Dan Zanes, Claudia Eliaza, and Pauline Jean performing a selection of Lead Belly’s music with the students of the Brooklyn Music School.
“Lead Belly's music made me want to play as a 7-year-old, and I've been doing that ever since,” said Zanes. “Lead Belly was the reason I started making music, and Lead Belly was the template for everything I've done in family music. I consider him to be the father of modern family music.”
At the end of the event, audience members will also have the opportunity to participate in a music video with Dan Zanes for the song "Rock Island Line" from his most recent album: "Lead Belly, Baby!,” produced with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and the event will also be filmed for a future documentary on the legacy of Lead Belly.
Grammy Award-winner Dan Zanes occupies a unique place in American music where sea shanties, folk music, the spirit of early rock 'n' roll, and soulful originals collide. For over 15 years he has performed everywhere from thrift shop basements to Carnegie Hall, from Brooklyn to Bahrain and beyond, meanwhile releasing over a dozen children's albums and several DVDs reconnecting people to forgotten songs. Referred to as "the family-music genre's most outspoken and eloquent advocate" by TIME magazine, his widely acclaimed music has all been featured on Sesame Street, Playhouse Disney, Nickelodeon, HBO Family, and Sprout. Zanes recently finished “ Lead Belly, Baby!,” an album released on the Smithsonian/Folkways label celebrating the children's music of his main inspiration, Lead Belly (1889–1949), known as the King of the 12-String Guitar. Routinely performing with a large roster of friends, Zanes will be joined by Haitian-American jazz vocalists Claudia Eliaza and Pauline Jean, and other special guests.
The show will be sensory friendly. Zanes and his fiancée, Claudia Eliaza, are pioneers in the sensory-friendly performance movement. The Kennedy Center recently commissioned the two to create the first sensory-friendly folk opera, Night Train 57. “For me, the folk experience is about inclusion and participation -- welcoming people in,” Zanes said. “The spirit of Lead Belly's music that affected me as a 7-year-old drives me to want to create and present in a sensory-friendly atmosphere today.”
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Dan Zanes discovered Lead Belly's music on the day he got his first library card. On “Lead Belly, Baby!”, the GRAMMY-winning family music performer presents a fresh vision of Lead Belly's music for a new generation with a little help from his friends. Along with guests including Chuck D., Billy Bragg, Aloe Blacc, and Valerie June, Zanes brings the music of this American icon back full circle to its original home on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
For more information about the album, visit https://folkways.si.edu/dan-zanes-and-friends/lead-belly-baby.
Musical Haunted House
The 5th Annual Musical Haunted House at Brooklyn Music School is fun for the whole family!
Brooklyn Music School (BMS) presents a Musical Haunted House on Sunday, October 29, 2017 from 3-6pm.
The 5th Annual Musical Haunted House at Brooklyn Music School is fun for the whole family!
The event will begin with the world premiere of “Dead Zeppelin” and there is a rumor that this might be the final appearance of “Helvis”! A costume contest will take place during the concert, and raffle prizes will be awarded. Following the show, participants are invited to take part in a haunted tour, with a “Schtick or Treat” through the century-old schoolhouse, fantastically decked out in Halloween décor, with performances by students and teachers in costume.
“The Musical Haunted House is a fun time for the community to visit BMS,” said Piruz Partow, executive director of BMS. “ We are thrilled to have everyone join us again to sample our offerings in such a fun, unique way. This year we will be incorporating dance, world music, jazz and even more rock bands.”