Elsewhere Ensemble: Haydn and The Happy Prince
Come celebrate the start of Spring with an enchanting program intertwining music, story and poetry. Colin Pip Dixon’s “The Happy Prince” based on the beloved Oscar Wilde tale, has enchanted audiences around the globe. Paired with a delightful Haydn Quartet and Samuel Lord Kalcheim’s original work based on the poetry of John Keats and Countee Cullen. The ensemble is joined by Barbara Podgurski (piano) and Katie Kresek (violin). Learn more
A Fairy Tale
How can a story inspire a composer to create a musical version of it? How does having a narrator affect the way we listen to a musical story? Come hear excerpts from “The Happy Prince” by composer, Colin Pip Dixon, who will be there to share the backstory.
This concert is part of our series Community Concerts for Kids which is a concert series created with our youngest audience members in mind. All concerts are interactive, 60 minutes in length, and are FREE to all who attend. All ages are welcome!
African American Composers: An Evening of Jazz, Spirituals and More
Members of the Metropolitan Opera and Jazz at Lincoln Center visit Queens for an evening of jazz, opera, spirituals and more. A peaceful and enlightening evening of music, stories and friendship for the mind and soul featuring Denisha Ballew (vocals), Alphonso Horne (trumpet) and Jon Thomas (piano). Learn more
A Celebration of Jazz, Spirituals & More!
If you attended any previous Musica Reginae February kid's concerts, you know you’re in for a real treat when Alphonso, Denisha and Jon return to make music together, improvising and performing works by African-American composers.
This concert is part of our series Community Concerts for Kids which is a concert series created with our youngest audience members in mind. All concerts are interactive, 60 minutes in length, and are FREE to all who attend. All ages are welcome!
Hypercube: Thinking Outside of the Box
NYC-based quartet of saxophone, guitar, piano/accordion and percussion pushes the boundaries of classical chamber music in a cutting-edge mixing of electric and acoustic worlds of sound. The artists of Hypercube are Erin Rogers (saxophones), Jay Sorce (electric guitar), Chris Graham(percussion) and Andrea Lodge (piano and accordion). Learn more
Plugged or Unplugged
What are the differences between electric and acoustic instruments? What happens when you mix together a quartet of instruments, both plugged and unplugged? Come find out and listen to these cool combinations of sound!
This concert is part of our series Community Concerts for Kids which is a concert series created with our youngest audience members in mind. All concerts are interactive, 60 minutes in length, and are FREE to all who attend. All ages are welcome!
The Four Seasons: North Meets South
A unique concert for string quartet and piano exploring works that were inspired by the four seasons in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, including the music of Antonio Vivaldi, Astor Piazzola and Queens-based French composer Clarisse Valbon. Pianist and MRP Artistic Director Barbara Podgurski will be joined by Sarah Pratt Parsamian and Mia Laity (violins), Will Hakim (viola) and Robert Burkhart (cello). Learn more
Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall…
How have the 4 seasons inspired composers like Vivaldi and others to write musical works? We will take a listen to excerpts from these pieces for piano and strings.
This concert is part of our series Community Concerts for Kids which is a concert series created with our youngest audience members in mind. All concerts are interactive, 60 minutes in length, and are FREE to all who attend. All ages are welcome!
Jazz Night and Party—Season Finale
Season Finale - JAZZ ITALIANO — a special concert by the PAUL JOSEPH TRIO
The final night of MRP’s 25th concert season will feature an evening of jazz with special guests. Great music, stories and fun extras with a reception to follow.
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A Celebration of Black Culture in America
Learn about the musical gems of the jazz, opera and African American Spiritual genres, tracing the rich tradition of black music, art and culture in America. An interactive performance that is fun for the whole family.
Kaoru Watanabe - BUNPUKU!—A Celebration of Asian American Heritage Month
Acclaimed composer and musician brings the aesthetics and sensibilities of Japanese traditional music through a distinctly contemporary American lens. The music ranges from meditative contemplation to percussive festival music, performed in a way that blurs the lines between in-the-moment improvisations and intricately structured compositions. A singular musician, Watanabe has collaborated with iconic figures such as Wes Anderson, Yo-Yo Ma, Jason Moran, Laurie Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Rhiannon Giddens.
Celebrating Asian American Music and Culture
Learn about the different influences that our beloved Asian cultures here in Queens have gifted to us as we listen to music by Asian composers and artists. Learn about the different instruments and sounds of the East and see how they influenced the music of the West and can become interwoven into something new and beautiful.
Unsung Heroines....Her Story Untold — Celebrating Women's History Month
A quartet of women perform works for piano and strings by a diverse group of female composers to include Florence Price, Amy Beach, Rebecca Clarke, Vitezslava Kaprálová, Teresa Carreño, Maria Theresia von Paradis, Louise Lincoln Kerr, Fanny Mendelssohn and Dora Pejačević.
Wonderful Women
What stories can music tell? Come listen to music for piano and strings and learn about amazing women from all over the world who tell their stories through the music they write.
Exceptional Women and Outrageous Puppets
A concert of works for piano four-hands performed by Forest Hills-based husband and wife team Stephanie Ho and Saar Ahuvia. This award-winning duo will perform works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Haruna Miyake, Clara Schumann, Juri Seo and will end the evening with Stravinsky’s Petrouchka.
Dynamic Duo
What happens when you have four hands on a piano instead of just two hands? What happens when two people share the same seat and the same instrument? Come learn about the time-honored tradition of making music together at the piano.
Postcards from New York
An evening of chamber music for piano and strings featuring original members of MRP’s roster of performers as well as some new friends. The program is about visiting New York and includes works by those who would “come and go” through NY for both work and play. The witty and beautiful Postcards from NY will be performed as well as works by Colin Pip Dixon, Rolando Garza Rodríguez and Dvorak’s Piano Quintet.
Making Music with Friends
How do instruments “talk” to one another? How can we express our personal stories through music? Come hear how this group of friends who make music together communicate without using their words but instead by using the voices of their instruments.
Pitcairn & Podgurski In Concert
Come join us as we kick off our 25th concert season with internationally acclaimed virtuoso violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn who will perform on the famed "Red Mendelssohn" Stradivarius of 1720 - said to have inspired the Academy-award winning film, The Red Violin! She will be joined by Artistic Director Barbara Podgurski.
The concert features traditional works that have been the foundation of MRP from its very beginnings as well as modern gems of the classical repertoire.
Photo: ©Joy Strotz
The Vibrant Violin
Why is the violin such a beloved instrument? Learn about the history of the violin and other stringed instruments. Come hear beautiful music by composers who played the violin and wrote for the versatile and highly valued instrument.
Marimba Extraordinaire Makoto Nakura at 60 — A Retrospective
Makoto started building his distinctive career as a marimbist as soon as he arrived in NYC from Japan 30 years ago. This concert shows his journey through the works which he has commissioned along the way. These works from today’s leading composers showcase the expressive possibilities of the marimba…expressive possibilities that keep expanding under Makoto’s ever-growing collection of mallets! You are sure to have a great time not only hearing extraordinary music, but also meeting this extraordinary artist and human being who always gives his audience an incredible show. Don’t forget to wish him a happy 60th birthday if you attend!
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Making Music With Makoto - Marimba Magic
Back by popular demand….join marimba extraordinaire and Forest Hills resident Makoto Nakura as he shares how he makes music on this beautiful instrument that originated in Africa. There will be an opportunity to play child-size versions of this instrument at the end of the show. Makoto will play a sampling of his evening program and there will be lively demonstrations and Q&A throughout the show.
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Sedalia to Harlem — A Celebration of Black Culture in America
Back by popular demand after performing to a sold-out crowd last season, join MRP founder Maestro David Close as he returns to host and guide you through musical gems of jazz, opera and African American Spirituals, tracing the rich tradition of black music, art and culture in America.
Performers:
David Close, piano and host
Jay Aubrey Jones, vocals
Imani Rousselle, vocals
Alphonso Horne, trumpet
Rossano Sportiello, piano
Tickets
Sedalia to Harlem – A Celebration of Black Culture in America
Learn about the musical gems of the jazz, opera and African American Spiritual genres, tracing the rich tradition of black music, art and culture in America. Meet some of the artists who will be performing that evening and learn about how their experiences, particularly as African American musicians growing up in the United States, shaped their lives and careers as adults in the arts and music industry.
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A Baroque Celebration — Vivaldi Four Seasons and Bach D Minor Keyboard Concerto
A mid-winter treat featuring Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons - Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, as well as the most famous of all Baroque keyboard concertos, Bach’s D Minor Concerto for keyboard and string orchestra. This concert features scoring for string orchestra, harpsichord and piano.
Performers:
Sunyoung Graves, violin
Sarah Pratt Parsamian, violin
Mia Laity, violin
William Hakim, viola
Robert Burkhart, cello
Barbara Podgurski, harpsichord and piano
Tickets
The Keyboard Travelling Through Time
Have you ever heard or seen a harpsichord in person? Get to see a harpsichord up close and learn how the piano was created from its earliest keyboard form. Listen to and talk about works for both harpsichord and piano in this interactive event.
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An Evening of Chamber Music
Come join us as we kick off our 24th concert season with an evening of time-honored favorites for piano and strings. Listen to works of Mozart and Dvorak, as well as new Piano Quartets by award-winning Queens-based composers Gilbert Galindo and Beata Moon.
Performers:
Sarah Pratt Parsamian, violin
William Hakim, viola
Robert Burkhart, cello
Barbara Podgurski, piano
Tickets
Making Music with Friends
Do you ever make music with your friends? Come find out how artistic director/pianist Barbara Podgurski and her friends, violinist Sarah Pratt Parsamian, violist Will Hakim, and cellist Robert Burkhart play together! Learn about how instruments can communicate together and talk to each other through the people who play them.
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Sari-Sari Storybooks with Music
These magical children's books take the reader on a journey through the Philippines, from Batanes to Cebu, Leyte to Zamboanga City. "Melo the Umang-Boy: an Ivatan Tale" tells the story of a painfully shy little boy living with his grandmother and uncle. One day he visits a magical, busy city on the bottom of the ocean, filled with talking sea creatures. Disaster strikes the city, and he must overcome his shyness to help the sea creatures rebuild. "Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik: a Cebuano Tale" shows us how friendship can overcome differences and create happiness for everyone. Daydreaming comes easily to Kalipay, but she doesn’t know how to make bullies leave her alone. One day, she makes an unusual new friend in Gamay, who tells the school bully, Juan, to stop teasing Kalipay. Other children are afraid of Gamay—her strange tongue, split body, and bat wings—but Kalipay is fascinated by the things that make her new friend different. "Amina and the City of Flowers: a Chavacano Tale" Tells the tale of Amina, a young Yakan weaver, who is homesick for Basilan; but she finds inspiration for her loom in the diversity and color of her new home, Zamboanga City.
Signed books will be available for purchase at the event through Kew & Willow.
Sari-Sari Storybooks with Music
These magical children's books take the reader on a journey through the Philippines, from Batanes to Cebu, Leyte to Zamboanga City. "Melo the Umang-Boy: an Ivatan Tale" tells the story of a painfully shy little boy living with his grandmother and uncle. One day he visits a magical, busy city on the bottom of the ocean, filled with talking sea creatures. Disaster strikes the city, and he must overcome his shyness to help the sea creatures rebuild. "Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik: a Cebuano Tale" shows us how friendship can overcome differences and create happiness for everyone. Daydreaming comes easily to Kalipay, but she doesn’t know how to make bullies leave her alone. One day, she makes an unusual new friend in Gamay, who tells the school bully, Juan, to stop teasing Kalipay. Other children are afraid of Gamay—her strange tongue, split body, and bat wings—but Kalipay is fascinated by the things that make her new friend different. "Amina and the City of Flowers: a Chavacano Tale" Tells the tale of Amina, a young Yakan weaver, who is homesick for Basilan; but she finds inspiration for her loom in the diversity and color of her new home, Zamboanga City.
Signed books will be available for purchase at the event through Kew & Willow.