Playhouse Centennial Celebration

Monday, April 27th at 6:00 pm

Thank you to our guests and sponsors of our
Playhouse Centennial Celebration!

The Playhouse Centennial Celebration was a smashing success, all thanks to our incredible guests, sponsors, student performers, and acclaimed artists. Guests toured our building and witnessed BMS talent of all ages, including youth string and wind ensembles, rock bands, and our adult jazz band. It was our privilege to honor Dr. Sofya Genis with the Excellence in Arts Education Award, as well as 651 Arts & Toya Lillard with the Excellence in Community Impact Award. Terrance McKnight led an incredible show of performers and artists, all shining on the Playhouse stage. Brooklyn Music School was honored to receive proclamations from both New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson and from the office of Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, acknowledging the Playhouse’s 100 years of service to our community. Second line brass band, Dark Tide, led guests to our after-party at BRIC, where the celebration continued with music from DJ Logic.

Check out our calendar to view all upcoming events, as we continue to celebrate 100 years of the Brooklyn Music School Playhouse.

Thank you to all of our generous community members and supporters. It’s not too late to join the Playhouse Centennial Celebration campaign - donate to our mission here.

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History of our Playhouse

Once the founders of The Brooklyn Music School Settlement had secured the purchase of our current home, their focus shifted to a campaign to build a theater in the backyard of the brownstones. From the records we have, this campaign began in 1919 and brought together people from all walks of life. Without the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce taking the lead, the theater would never have been built.

The community banded together, raised the funds needed to finalize the campaign, and broke ground. An article from 1925 describes the new theater as “a small, intimate Theatre equipped with all the modern devices of the stage and concert hall.” When the theater was completed in 1926, the opening was a tremendous moment for our humble school.

Over the last century, the school has hosted performances by our students and by some of the biggest names in music and dance. We cannot wait to have you join us for an incredible evening celebrating this beloved playhouse.

Honoring Dr. Sofya Genis

Dr. Genis has been a faculty member at Brooklyn Music School since 1996. A graduate of the Moscow Gnessin Academy of Music, she holds a Doctor of Music Arts Degree. She studied piano with renowned professors Alexander Yoheles, Yakov Milstein, and Yakov Zak, and has received critical acclaim as a chamber musician in Russia. She is a former Assistant Professor of Chamber Music at the Almaty Conservatory in Kazakhstan and at the Gnessin Academy of Music. In 1994, Dr. Genis came to the United States and began teaching piano. Several of her students have won competitions, including The Piano Teacher’s Congress of New York, the New York State Music Teachers’ Association, and the International Concert Alliance. Her students have performed in venues such as Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Peter Norton Symphony Space, Christ and St. Stephen's Church, Donnell Library Center, and Yamaha Music School. For the past 7 years, Dr. Genis has served as the chairwoman of the International Competition of American Protégé.

Honoring 651 Arts

651 ARTS is a 38-year-old visionary organization dedicated to celebrating and amplifying Black arts and culture with a mission rooted in inclusivity, cultural preservation, and artistic excellence. We create spaces for transformative experiences, community engagement, and meaningful dialogue. Through a range of programming from thought-provoking conversations and immersive theater experiences to community-centered events and collaborations, 651 ARTS amplifies the voices and contributions of Black artists, fostering a stronger and more vibrant artistic landscape.

Guided by a commitment to partnerships and collaboration, our organization forges connections with like-minded organizations and artists, combining resources to maximize impact and create innovative artistic experiences. As a catalyst for creativity and cultural expression, 651 ARTS inspires audiences, engages communities, and celebrates the rich tapestry of Black arts and culture in Brooklyn and beyond.

Terrance McKnight

Host

Terrance McKnight is a commentator, curator, writer, pianist, storyteller, actor and the weekday afternoon and evening host for Radio Station WQXR in New York. With every engagement, it is his commitment to music and community building, combined with his respect for his subject matter, that audiences find riveting and memory-making.

In February 2026, McKnight premieres Madame Selika - 1878: Songbird in the White House, his re-creation of the singer Marie Selika Williams' historic concert, as the first free person of color to perform there at the recommendation of Frederick Douglass and for President and Mrs. Rutherford Hayes. In May, he hosts a program at the Schomburg Center for Black Research in Harlem to celebrate the anniversary of Arturo Schomburg’s collection and donation to the library. In the same month, McKnight curates an evening of music, dance and poetry at the Cleveland Museum of Art to coincide with its exhibition of works by 20th Century visual artist Martin Puryear.

Recent notable projects were Handel: Made in America, which McKnight co-created and performed in at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2024, and Langston & Beethoven: Black & Proud, a live show he created and performed in that combined the poetry of Langston Hughes, traditional and contemporary chamber music works, and storytelling reflective of McKnight's upbringing and current events. This show toured and was presented at Lincoln Center's Sidewalk Studio, and Every Voice, his 2023 podcast series for WQXR that investigated representations of Blackness in opera. Prior audio documentaries McKnight voiced and produced for WQXR featured Langston Hughes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Hazel Scott, Florence Price, Leonard Bernstein, Harry Belafonte and All Ears with Terrance McKnight which received an ASCAP Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award.

McKnight has hosted concerts for the Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony and the New York Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts, gave a keynote address at the 2022 Music Teachers National Association Conference and participated in the Bang on a Can Summer Festival Journalism Symposium in 2022 and 2023. In association with the 2019 exhibition Charles White: A Retrospective at Museum of Modern Art, he curated a series of concerts and audio tours.

Terrance McKnight currently serves on the board of MacDowell, is the Artistic Advisor to the Harlem Chamber Players and is a former member of the Artistic Council for The Hermitage Artist Retreat.

Concert Performances

Louis Cato

Multi-instrumentalist, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Louis Cato’s path to becoming bandleader of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert began long before he set foot in the Ed Sullivan Theater—starting at age two, when he first took to playing the drums. Immersed in gospel and contemporary Christian music, he honed his craft from a small town in his native North Carolina all the way to the Berklee College of Music, where his deep musicality and versatility would begin to set him apart, and eventually land him in New York City. Since then, Cato has built a reputation as a Grammy-nominated, internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter, celebrated for his rare ability to shape sound into timeless work. He has collaborated with an eclectic range of artists, including Bobby McFerrin, James Taylor, Q-Tip, Jon Batiste, and St. Vincent, among others.

Mona Miari

Vocalist

Based in New York City, Mona Miari is celebrated for her profound artistry, pioneering projects, and unwavering dedication to elevating Arabic music on the global stage. Renowned for her captivating stage presence and distinct vocal style, she has graced leading venues including Lincoln Center, BAM, Opera America, Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn Museum, and many others. Mona’s creative work extends far beyond performance. With profound dedication and vision, she serves as the Artistic Director and leader of the first-ever Arab Chorus in New York City (NYAC). A recipient of prestigious residencies - including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Artist Residency at The Pocantico Center and La Maison de Beaumont in Southern France—Mona continues to explore new musical and poetic dimensions.

Lara Downes

Pianist

Recently honored as Classical Woman of the Year by NPR’s Performance Today, American pianist Lara Downes has been called “a musical ray of hope” by NBC News, and “a trailblazing pianist who combines exquisite musicality with an acute awareness of how an artist can make a positive and lasting social impact” by Piano Magazine. She seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family, and collective memory, creating performances and recording projects that serve as gathering spaces for her listeners to find common ground and shared experience. Besides her visibility as a performer and Billboard chart-topping recording artist, Downes is the creator and host of the popular NPR show AMPLIFY with Lara Downes and boasts 100,000-plus weekly listeners to her nationally syndicated radio programs. In the words of American conductor JoAnn Falletta, “Lara Downes is a perfect artist for our time, a champion of new and neglected music, an extraordinary communicator, a passionate advocate for our art form.”

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham has, for nearly two decades, been at the forefront of contemporary dance, becoming one of the most acclaimed touring companies in the world. Celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout 2026, the company exemplifies “lush movement, infectious music and magnetic dancers..." as noted by The New York Times. The company is described as a “postmodern gumbo” with an ardent voice and artistic process informed by robust conversations with people from diverse perspectives. A.I.M performs works by Abraham as well as new and existing works by choreographers who have influenced Abraham’s artistry. A.I.M is based in New York City.

Contemporary Dance

Old Jewish Men of New York is a renowned internet comedy group spearheaded by Noah Rinksy. The trio encompasses the humor of Bob Terry, Dave Roffee, and Aaron Cohen. Their quirky, satirical humor is a hit with audiences young and old, making content that resonates with all New Yorkers. Whether they’re hilariously connecting with crowds at the Gramercy Theater or finding fun with new friends in Washington Square Park, the gang ensures laughs about their shared heritage and the ever-changing city.

Comedy Trio

Old Jewish Men of NY

Vernon Reid

Guitarist, Living Color

Vernon Reid was born in London, England but grew up in New York City, USA. Reid first came to prominence in the 1980s in the band of drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson. 1984's Smash & Scatteration was a duo record with guitarist Bill Frisell. In 1985, Reid co-founded the Black Rock Coalition with journalist Greg Tate and producer Konda Mason. Through the BRC, Reid hoped to counter the pigeonholing and marginalization of black musicians. Vernon Reid is probably best known for leading Living Colour. Among the highlights: a double platinum-selling debut album Vivid, released in 1988; its gold-certified successor, Time's Up, released 1990; two consecutive Grammy Awards in the category of Best Hard Rock Performance; opening for the Rolling Stones' 1989 "Steel Wheels" tour; and appearing on the first Lollapalooza tour in the summer of 1991. Living Colour released Collideøscope in October of 2003 on Sanctuary Records.