Summer weather is on the way, and for New Rochelle commuters the forecast is warm with a chance of music. People passing through the train station on Thursday evenings can expect free pop up performances between 5:30 and 7 pm from June through September. The New Rochelle Council on the Arts (NRCA) is partnering with Nissan of New Rochelle to sponsor the “Arts Encounters.”
NRCA inaugurated its series of monthly Arts Encounters -- pop-up performances in unexpected public spaces -- last year. “The idea is to remind everybody how the arts enrich our daily lives by bringing art to people where they live,” explains NRCA President Theresa Kump Leghorn. Last year’s Arts Encounters ran the gamut from live music performances at the Metro North train station to a Shakespeare Sonnet Slam at Starbucks in Wykagyl and interactive screen printing on Library Green. For 2016 the Arts Encounters will include “Dance En Plein Air” – dance performances at Ruby Dee Park on Library Green every Saturday during the Farmers’ Market – and the train station series, which will begin June 9th.
The lineup includes:
June 9th: Illuminuhm
Known for their playful brand of rock and funk, Illuminuhm features Jorge Delrio on bass, Scott Kaplan on drums, Evan Molho on lead guitar and Monica Uhm on guitar and vocals.
June 16th : The Jacob Harelick Groove
A compact group with a full-bodied sound, featuring some of the most talented young musicians from Westchester County, Manhattanville College, SUNY Purchase and the Berklee College of Music.
June 23rd: Gentle Ben’s Trio
Featuring jazz trombonist Ben Barnett, from SUNY Purchases Jazz program, with Malik McLaurine on bass and Faron Tillson on drums.
June 30th: The Brian Carter Trio
Brian Carter is the founder of the New Rochelle Jazz Festival.
July 7th: JazzFest preview with the Brian Carter Trio
Get a preview of the New Rochelle Jazz Festival (July 14-17) with the Brian Carter Trio featuring visiting jazz artist Nico Morelli.
July 14th” Gentle Ben’s Trio
Featuring jazz trombonist Ben Barnett, Malik McLaurine on bass and Faron Tillson on drums.
July 21st: Eric Katz and Dylan LaGamma
Bassist Dylan La Gamma and vibraphonist Eric Katz perform a mix of original compositions and newly arranged standards from the American song book.
July 28th: Garry Novikoff
Garry Novikoff is a multi-faceted artist and singer/songwriter; a unique folk story-teller, a composer of loveably ironic pop songs and haunting, heartbreaking ballads, an exceptionally clever musical theater wordsmith, an irreverent rocker, and an ASCAP award-winning children’s songwriter.
August 4th: Eric Katz and Dylan LaGamma
Bassist Dylan La Gamma and vibraphonist Eric Katz perform a mix of original compositions and newly arranged standards from the American song book.
August 11th: Glenwood
An acoustic trio playing an eclectic mix of music with an ear towards reinterpreting classic arrangements of songs from the 60’s to today. Glenwood features Roland Rogers on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jonathan Ellinghaus on cajon, percussion and vocals, and Lloyd Fricker on electric guitar and bass, blending vocal harmonies with precise guitar work.
August 18th: Pronoia
Get a preview of the Friday Night Live concert featuring emerging bands (Friday, August 21st at Hudson Park at 7:30 pm) with Pronoia, performing music on the alternative side.
August 25th: Garry Novikoff/ The Lovers
Garry Novikoff and Peter Morris Dixon join voices as The Lovers, a vocal duo that brings updated harmonies to songs from the 1950s through the 1980s, including doo-wop, girl-group, folk, British invasion, and pop hits and rarities, with original material added to the mix.
The New Rochelle Council on the Arts was created by the New Rochelle City Council in 1975 to stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts; for 40 years NRCA has worked to fulfill that mission by sponsoring art exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance recitals, film screenings, lectures, and concert series. In addition, NRCA has sponsored public art -- like the popular Fleur-de-Lis sculptures downtown -- and created ArtsFest, while helping to build relationships between the arts, the business community and city government.