Bargemusic

Bargemusic created community and enhanced the cultural life of New York by presenting frequent, accessible chamber music concerts and addressing today's most pressing issues by especially welcoming traditionally underrepresented artists and audiences, including BIPOC, LGBTQ, and PWD. With over 45 years of experience serving the community, Bargemusic continued to be the place where experiments were tried, emerging artists were first heard, and new audiences were won. With 4 concert series and holiday concerts, new and continuing partnerships, mentorships, and collaborations with artists and institutions, its loyal audience base, global reputation and renowned openness, Bargemusic was again well positioned to familiarize the public with music's new directions. Bargemusic presented close to 200 performances, featuring new and established collaborations and partnerships with artists, institutions and audiences. Concerts took place on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays year-round. Amadi Azikiwe guest curated a weeklong festival centering on the achievements of his mother, African-American classical pianist Armenta Adams Dumisani. Bargemusic partnered with Tania Leon's "Composers Now" to program BIPOC composers in its 4 main series. THE ECLECTIC SERIES featured underrepresented artists and works and novel approaches and instrumentation. Highlights included partnerships with Kyo-Shin-An Eastern Light, the Harlem Chamber Players, the Atlantic Collective, and concerts featuring diverse artists/composers Jessie Montgomery, Florence Price, Stephen Lias, Lori Laitman, Ryota Ishikawa, Jennifer Jolley, Chystian Dozza, Albeniz, F. Moreno Torroba, de Falla, Jobim, Julia Adophe, Fanny Mendelssohn, Joseph Summer, Wayne Smith, Sphinx Competition laureate Thomas Mesa, Kika Wright, Kyle Walker, Dara Hankins, Sirius Quartet with Richie Beirach, Talla Rouge Viola Duo, and more. The HERE & NOW new music concerts and Labor Day Festival featured women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ composers and artists. The Winter Festival centered on New York Women Composers including CRUX (with Lisa Moore). Highlights included works of Andrea Cassarrubios, Carlos Simon, Quenton Blache, Stephanie Ann Boyd, Andres Soto, Juri Seo, DonovanStokes, Blair McMillen. The MASTERWORKS series featured core works together with works deserving a wider audience. Women, BIPOC, and LBGTQ were featured as masterwork composers and performers. Highlights were: Sarah Davis Buechner's 2-week residency performing the complete Beethoven piano & violin sonatas (with Mark Peskanov) and reflecting on her journey as a transgender musician; works by Hailstork, Bach, Jessie Montgomery, Beethoven, Tania Leon, Haydn, Higdon, Brahms, del Tredici, Chopin, Frederic Tillis, Mendelssohn, William Grant Still, Franck, Clarence Cameron, Rebecca Clarke, Shostakovich, Handel, Gabriela Lena Frank, and more. THE ADMISSION FREE CONCERTS drew from the other series and featured a Q&A. DFF-ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS: Bargemusic launched a partnership with FDMG Music School for the vision impaired and continued to partner with SelfHelp to livestream free concerts to homebound Holocaust survivors in NYC. We continued to partner with the Brooklyn Music Teachers Guild to support young artists' development.