Arts & Ideas & New Haven Symphony Announce Labor Day Programming

New Haven CT

22 August, 2021

3:57 PM

Description

ARTS & IDEAS INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE WORKERS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW HAVEN SYMPHONY IN "ARTS FOR LABOR" SUITE OF WEEKEND PROGRAMMING FEATURING BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, HAROLYN BLACKWELL, DURAND BERNARR, PACO GODOY, THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION AND MORE Return of full orchestra heralds a salute to frontline workers featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell, Harolyn Blackwell; Sunday Concert uplifts New Haven talent including poetry, dance, and song International Festival of Arts & Ideas unveils a suite of Labor Day programs on the New Haven Green. September 4 features a concert with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra highlighting soprano Harolyn Blackwell and Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the September 5th Sunday Vibe series will be five hours of concerts featuring Connecticut artists Josh Brown, Darlene Kascak, Team Leggoo, and Mulan Dance Ensemble. The concert will also feature Paco Godoy, the Kennedy Administration, and Durand Bernarr. Executive Director of the Festival Shelley Quiala is thrilled to continue programming after the usual June Festival. "We are excited to celebrate joy, imagination and reconnection as we enter into the 2021-2022 academic season." She is particularly excited to uplift the workers who carried our communities through the pandemic. "We are partnering with NHSO and their tremendous guest artists to take a moment to acknowledge and honor that labor, both over the last year and every year. And we can't wait to welcome artists and audiences - from Connecticut and beyond - back to the Green." Saturday, September 4 • 6pm Graduation Ceremony • 7pm Concert Presented in partnership with the NHSO, this evening concert will feature music director Alasdair Neale conducting the orchestra's first full appearance since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Broadway powerhouse Brian Stokes Mitchell, and renowned soprano Harolyn Blackwell will be featured on songs including The Impossible Dream, Feelin' Good, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, "Somewhere" from West Side Story, "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime, and "It Ain't Necessarily So" from Porgy & Bess. Other concert highlights will include excerpts from Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, and Valerie Coleman's Fanfare for Uncommon Times. The program will include guest performances by cellist Johnathan Moore and other guest instrumentalists to be announced. The concert will end with an all-city performance of Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing with the entire audience as well as special guest vocal ensembles and soloists. The evening will begin with a graduation ceremony for the students who completed the 2021 Arts & Ideas Fellowship program and Arts & Ideas Summer Intensive, honoring their hard work and achievements throughout the spring and summer. The Festival will also be participating in the Black Lives Matter New Haven annual backpack drive to further support teachers & students for the 2021-2022 academic year. Sunday, September 5 • 4 PM Sunday Vibe, a five-hour concert featuring up and coming artists from near and far, will be hosted by New Haven's entrepreneur-cum-salsera Alisa Bowens-Mercado and Omaha-based spoken word poet WithLove,Felicia, confirmed Connecticut & New Haven artists so far for the event include poets Darlene Kascak and Josh Brown, dance groups Team Leggoo and Mulan Dance Ensemble. Coming from further away, genre-bending singer Durand Bernarr, R&B group the Kennedy Administration, and Ecuadorian accordionist, pianist and composer Paco Godoy and his band will finish the evening. Festival Director of Programming and Community Impact Malakhi Eason stresses the celebratory nature of the weekend. "We wanted to find a way to give back to the community outside of our normal June programming and especially honor populations that have been underserved and working throughout the pandemic. Essential workers are everywhere, from schools to grocery stores to hospitals to restaurants and more. We're paying tribute to them through art, music, dance, and poetry."