Westfield World Trade Center has partnered with Sing for Hope to display a piano in the Oculus, painted by local artist Lance Johnson. The uniquely colorful piano, titled “Evolve” will be available for anyone and everyone to play, listen, interact with, and enjoy, from March 17 to March 27. At the conclusion of the piano’s public residency, it will be moved to a permanent home in a New York City school or community-based organization, where it will inspire lives for years to come.
In addition to the piano being open for the public to play, there will also be free and professional musical performances over the two weekends of its residency. Piano Soloist, Amir Farid, winner of the 2006 Australian National Piano Award, performs on March 19 and 26 from noon to 2:00 pm. The Sing for Hope Quintet will present performances of piano, violin, viola, and cello on March 20 and 27 from noon to 2:00 pm.
Local artist Lance Johnson poses with piano he painted, Evolve, as part of a project with Sing for Hope. Photo: Sing for Hope
The Sing for Hope Pianos program began in New York City in 2010. Today, it is one of the world’s largest annually recurring public arts programs, with more than 570 one-of-a-kind piano artworks in public spaces spanning from The Bronx to Beirut, and from Aspen to Athens. In addition to Westfield World Trade Center, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) will display pianos at Westfield UTC in San Diego, as well as Westfield Topanga and Westfield Century City in Los Angeles.
“New York City is one of our world’s most inspiring, resilient cities, and we’re thrilled to work with URW to share hope and healing through these beautiful community instruments,” said Monica Yunus, Sing for Hope Co-Founder. Continued Sing for Hope Co-Founder Camille Zamora, “Music and art bring people together, and as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic, the Sing for Hope Pianos continue to spread vital moments of joy, connection, and arts for all.” “We are so excited to host Sing for Hope at Westfield World Trade Center,” said Diana Grasso, Vice President, URW. “As we continue welcoming commuters, office workers, and local residents back to the Oculus, the power and joy of live music will further enhance our guests experience as they visit, shop, and dine with us.”
OCTOBER 23RD, 2021 MARKED THE FIRST EVER WAVY AWARDS SHOW, the name making a play on digital audio WAV files. The show is a celebration of “historically excluded talent,” including musicians that are women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and persons with disabilities. As each presenter took the stage at Abrons Arts Center, they leaned into the mic and described themselves — their hair color, outfit, or personal aesthetic — for blind audience members and nominees. The awards also featured two American Sign Language interpreters who took turns interpreting the speeches and performances. For the brainchild of Blonde Records Founder Rebecca Autumn Sansom, The Wavy Awards marked an ending, as well as a new beginning, in her career.
Sansom never intended to get into the music industry. She considers herself a “filmmaker trapped in an artist’s body.” She was at Stanford doing performance and theater when she met “M the Myth,” an artist, collaborator, and then undergrad. “I’m a filmmaker, so I’m drawn to captivating subjects. So really, I would just film these people. And then I realized after helping M with their music video campaign for ‘Let’s Get Drunk Anyway,’ that cheerleading artists, filming them, and encouraging their careers is a job called management.” She formed Blonde Artist Management in New York City, named after Marilyn Monroe, with whom she identifies and felt might have lived with different support and management.
For five years, Sansom ran Blonde Artist Management. This past year she also founded and ran Blonde Records and Blonde Music News, a weekly NYC music podcast. The Wavys were a big step for Blonde and its mission, but also for Sansom, who is the first to recognize her own privileges and those whose lack of privilege often leaves them out of the spotlight.
The Wavy Awards was always going to be a pivot point for Sansom. “The Wavys was going to be my last grand gesture,” says Sansom, “and then I was going to gather information and see what the next steps were for Blonde.”
Wavy Awards 2021. Photo by Stephanie Aguello.
The ball started rolling in December 2020, after a year of weekly Blonde Music News episodes. “I told (my team) about this idea and how we have enough people, enough artists to have a pretty robust pool to glean from.” There were eleven people at the first meeting. Then the team started expanding, with partnerships with organizations like Rampd (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), local news website Scenes from the Underground, and Shira Gans from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. By the time the event actually happened, Sansom and partners were staring down a full house.
The response was overwhelming. The Wavys have gone from a one-off event, into an annual awards show. It helped Sansom find a new direction; she will continue to support her coterie of artists, but the Wavy Awards has become her flagship effort. Blonde Music News, for example, has rebranded as Wavy Music News. “New York is the creative capital of the world and draws a lot of diversity,” says Sansom, “I think creating accessible spaces is the most important thing we can do right now, with the momentum that we have.”
In addition to the Wavys, Sansom has a film, Reckoning with the Primal Wound, coming out in 2022. It has already been accepted into seven film festivals.DT
For more information on The Wavy Awards, visit thewavys.org.
SHINE ON The PAC's translucent marble walls will light up from the inside at night.
SHINE ON The PAC’s translucent marble walls will light up from the inside at night. Photography by Luxigon.
The Perelman Performing Arts Center will bring beauty and closure to downtown.
IN THE WAKE OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH ATTACKS on the World Trade Center complex, great architectural minds gathered around the devastation to rebuild. Nearly 20 years later, their plan is coming to fruition. The Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center, or PAC, will mark the final construction effort in the decades- long project.
The building, a massive cube wrapped in translucent marble and laminated with insulated glass, will let in sunlight during the day and emit a visible glow from internal lights at night. The inside will feature three modular theater spaces and a rehearsal room, all with movable walls and seating, capable of 11 unique configurations to accommodate audiences of 99 – 1200 people. With the last steel beam placed this summer, the PAC is looking to host its first performance in 2023.
“I think it’s extraordinary,” says PAC Creative Director Bill Rauch, “that there was an impulse to include arts and culture as part of the rebuilding, and we kept that impulse alive and nurtured it.”
The PAC was a cornerstone piece of the original 2003 recovery plan. The project was designed by the Brooklyn-based firm REX, replacing the earlier choice of Frank Ghery, in collaboration with theater designer Charcoalblue and executive architect Davis Brody Bond. Rockwell Group is handling the design of the restaurant and lobby space. The planners hoped that it would be the cultural lynchpin of the World Trade Center, helping to redefine Lower Manhattan as a cultural destination.
“In the planning for the recovery and rebuilding of the World Trade Center,” says PAC president Leslie Koch, “[former] Mayor Bloomberg articulated the importance of integrating the arts into a vision for Lower Manhattan as a dynamic 24/7 neighborhood with workers, residents, and visitors.
“Now,” Koch continues, “18 years after the World Trade Center plan was adopted, Lower Manhattan is thriving, with tens of thousands of residents, media, and technology firms joining the financial anchors of New York City and literally millions of visitors. As the city emerges from the pandemic, the Performing Arts Center, with Mike Bloomberg as our chair, will again be both an icon and a catalyst of New York’s resurgence.”
The PAC is also dedicated to reaching out to the community, both locally and citywide. They hired Jenna Chrisphonte as their Director of Civic Alliances, charged with cultivating relationships with community-based organizations and groups, marginalized populations, and community officials across all five boroughs. They also hope that the building can be a resource to the local community. The first level will be accessible to the public, open until midnight every night. It will feature a cafe and bar, lobby area, dance podium, and performance art space, the latter two of which will periodically have free performances.
Rauch hopes that PAC will be a symbol of its surroundings and of human resilience.“Whether the art is tragic or joyful, all the work that we do is in celebration of humanity,” he says. “There’s a reason why [the PAC] glows from within.” DT
The exhibition Sound & Vision goes live at Morrison Gallery Jan. 22.
The work of visionary David Bowie is being celebrated at Morrison Hotel Gallery, with Sound & Vision, a web-exclusive Bowie retrospective as seen through the singular lens of Mick Rock. The exhibition goes live January 22nd at morrisonhotelgallery.comand select works from it will be on view at Morrison Hotel Gallery’s New York City location, at 116 Prince Street.
This online exhibition explores the enduring, collaborative masterworks of two prolific artists spanning more than 30 years. From Rock’s renowned imagery of a bombastic Bowie to rarely-seen moments of unmasked intimacy, Sound & Vision offers a captivating and comprehensive look into the proliferation of a beloved icon and the fundamental role photography plays in capturing the staying power of thin air.
Rock is often considered “The Man Who Shot the 1970s,” and the iconic lensmen had privileged access to Bowie. Rock met Bowie in 1972 and became his official photographer for a time, shooting some of the most defining images of Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust finery. Rock also produced and directed the music videos for Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” “Jean Genie” and “John, I’m Only Dancing.” Rock passed away on November 18, 2021, and this retrospective will unveil rare pictures and feature renowned works from the legendary British photographer’s archive.
Bombay Sapphire Window Displays in SoHo, will include codes where passerby can get codes for free cocktails at participating nearby bars, now through Dec. 19.
Fashion designerRomeo Hunte and visual artist Shavanteì Royster have unveiled the first ever Bombay Sapphire holiday window displays, celebrating New York creatives and ‘turning the lights back on’ for storefronts in lower Manhattan, where almost one third of small business have closed during the pandemic. The Art, Fashion, and Design windows come to life with performances (think live Charlie Chaplin-esque nutcracker dances, holiday fashion shows and painting demos in the windows). Times are 4-9pm daily for passersby + free cocktails at nearby bars (Dante West Village, Gelso & Grand, Lil Frankie’s and AMA West Village) when you show the window QR codes).
NYE- The Greens on The Rooftop at Pier 17
Spend New Year’s Eve by The Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17. Photo: J. Kratochivl.
For an intimate venue to toast to the New Year, visit The Greens on The Rooftop at Pier 17, New York City’s seasonally rotating dining concept. Take over your own winter cabin with up to 8 guests and indulge in buckets of bubbly, craft cocktails, and a delicious cuisine specific menu while soaking in the stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.
There are five reservation slots throughout the day–11am-12:30pm, 12:45-2:30pm, 3-5pm, 6-8pm, or 9pm-1am–each with various food & beverage packages to choose from. For more information about the packages and to make a reservation, visit The Greens website.
New Year’s Eve Champagne Pairing Cruises
Friday, December 31st 2021 @ 10pm – Saturday, January 1st 2022 @ 12:30am. Celebrate New Year’s Eve safe and comfortable on Classic Harbor line. Enjoy, Champagne, Cheese & Dessert Pairing With Harbor Fireworks & Live Music. This is still our number one choice for NYE. Take in all the beauty the New York City skyline has to offer while cozying up and staying warm. Fully decorated for the holidays and plenty of space and partitioning to feel at ease while you take in the sights. Bundle up, as it can be quite cold as you step out on the outer deck to take in the sites. It’s a night and NYE you will never forget. Book now.
NYE-Masquerade Ball at Pearl Alley
Don’t miss Pearl Alley’s NYE celebration.
This New Year’s Eve, Dante’s Winter House Masquerade Ball is taking place inside Pearl Alley at Pier 17, NYC’s luxurious new waterfront venue. The newly opened space will be offering a 4-hour premium open bar with festive signature cocktails made by Dante’s award-winning bar team alongside delicious bites severed throughout the night. Hidden under your Masquerade Mask, dance the night away with live performances by DJ Chachi, DJ Tre and Saxophonist. There will be party favors, surprises, and to top it all off, the best views in New York City. Toast to 2022 with bubbles in hand and an unforgettable night at the Seaport’s most exciting new venue. Get your tickets here.
NYE at The Fulton
On New Year’s Eve, The Fulton by Jean-Georges will be offering its menu à la carte from 5 pm -7:30 pm, in addition to a $298 five course prix fixe menu 8 pm -10 pm, including delicious dishes such as Sashimi with Spicy White Ponzu, Char Grilled Octopus and a Truffle Course with a choice of Fresh Tagliatelle with Black Winter Truffle or Truffle Meyer Lemon-Parmesan Risotto. Please note: the pre-fixe menu is $84 for children under 10 years old. The full menu can be found here. Reserve a table here.
NYE & New Year’s Day at Malibu Farm
Enjoy NYE and New Year’s Day specials at Malibu Farm.
In celebration of New Year’s Eve, Malibu Farm will be offering delicious new specials to toast the new year, in addition to their all-day menu on Friday, December 31st, and Saturday, January 1st. Specials include Peekytoe Crab Risotto, Grilled Lobster, House-made Carrot Ricotta Gnocchi, and more. The full menu can be found here. New Year’s Eve hours, 12 pm – 1 am; Happy Hour from 10 pm – 12 am. New Year’s Day hours, 11:30 am – 8 pm. Reserve your table here.
GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL/HOLIDAY MAGIC AT EVERY TURN
The holidays are just around the corner and Grand Central Terminal has all your readers’ gifting needs covered. The Terminal is thrilled to present Holiday Pop-Up Shops in Vanderbilt Hall. Featuring crafty creations, artisanal elegance, and handmade delights, the collection of six vendors provides customers with even more unique and thoughtful last-minute holiday gift choices.
The Grand Central Holiday Pop-Up Shops are open from 10 am–7 pm on December 17th – 24th (closed at 3 pm on Christmas Eve). Please find the selection of artisans below:
ekologic: Singular pieces of eco-fashion and accessories, made sustainably by a women-owned collective
Magnolia Bakery (open December 21st – 24th): From beautifully iced cupcakes and cakes to iconic banana pudding
In addition to the Holiday Pop-Up Shops, Grand Central’s 55 plus shops and restaurants offer holiday magic at every turn, from gift shopping at the likes of Apple, Diptyque, and TUMI to dining at Cipriani Dolci, the Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant, and many more.
To top off the shopping experience, GCT is offering complimentary wrapping for gifts purchased at shops inside Grand Central Terminal. The Holiday Wrap-Up will be available from December 18 and 20–24 near the New York Transit Museum on the Upper Level. Bring up to five-holiday gifts purchased in the Terminal, and their receipts, and GCT’s gift-wrappers will then wrap your gifts in luxurious celestial ceiling paper.
Kris Bowers performs at Steinway & Sons' first SPIRIOCAST.
Photo: Chronicle Media Lab/Monic Félix
Steinway & Sons recently made history with its first public SPIRIOCAST. During the launch, Steinway artist and Oscar®- Emmy®- and Grammy®- nominated composer Kris Bowers performed a short set at theirBeverly Hills location, and his performance was enjoyed remotely, in real-time, in the recital room at Steinway Hall New York City, along with dozens of other locations around the country.
Photo: Erin Clendenin
This “live” cross-country performance signaled the next step in the evolution of the piano with Steinway & Sons’ SPIRIOCAST, high resolution, live broadcast from one SPIRIO | r, the world’s finest high-resolution player piano, to another.
Following the SPIRIOCAST premiere, Kris Bowers said, “I am delighted by the possibilities that SPIRIOCAST offers me both as a pianist and as a composer for moving my music forward.”
“Steinway & Sons has always represented the high note in craftsmanship and the Spirio line of player pianos are just a continuation of the brand’s history of excellence,” says Deb Martin, Editor in Chief, Downtown Magazine. “The new iteration, SpirioCast, is brilliant because besides being an acoustically perfect instrument, it also brings concert-level performances right into your home. What could be better than that? It’s exciting to think that a vast catalog of musical performances is literally at your fingertips.”
