Archives for concert

An Afternoon with Wilfredo Ortiz

We invite you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the music of Wilfredo Ortiz on Sunday, September 19th at 2:00 p.m. on the Library Plaza. Enjoy the music of Wilfredo Ortiz, a musician and composer from the Dominican Republic. Don’t miss it! Rain Date: September 26th
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Categories: Library News.

Family Fun Friday – August 14: Imagine Land

Family Fun Fridays concludes this week on Friday, August 14, with a concert from Will Parker. Will Parker puts on a fun, interactive show for the whole family! Accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, he plays original songs for kids “ages 1-100.” Throughout the Imagine Land show, the audience engages through singing-along, dancing, high-fiving, imaginative play and they even help Will create an improvised song through their suggestions! To attend the show at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 14, click here to get the Zoom link! Note:  All youth-focused programs now require a registered Zoom account.  It is free and
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Categories: Library News.

17th Annual Clarice Wilson Memorial Concert

Join us for the 17th annual Clarice Wilson Memorial Concert, presented by White Plains Library Foundation. On Sunday, April 17 at 2:00 p.m., violinist Alejandro Mendoza and pianist Adam Kent present an afternoon of sonatas for violin and piano by several of Clarice Wilson's most beloved composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, and Cesar Franck. We welcome your donations to the Clarice Wilson Memorial Fund of the White Plains Library Foundation, in memory of Clarice Wilson, Music Specialist at the Library from 1974-1999. Mrs. Wilson supported gifted, young musicians at the start of their performance careers.
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Categories: Events.

Adam Kent to Perform at 16th Annual Clarice Wilson Memorial Concert

Please join us on Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 PM to hear accomplished local pianist Adam Kent. On the program are works by composers especially esteemed by the Library's former music specialist Clarice Wilson, as well as classics of the Spanish repertory and George Gershwin’s ever-popular “Rhapsody in Blue.” Come enjoy works by Schubert, Mozart, Bach/Busoni, Gershwin, and others. A reception will follow. The White Plains Library Foundation welcomes your donations to the Clarice Wilson Memorial Fund, in memory of Clarice Wilson, Music Specialist at the Library from 1974-1999. Mrs. Wilson supported gifted, young musicians at the start of their
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Categories: Events and Homepage.

Klezmer on a Sunday Afternoon

Bring the whole family and enjoy a delightful program of spirited klezmer music on Sunday, January 25 at 2 p.m. The Westchester Klezmer Program is an intergenerational klezmer band program in Westchester County, New York. It is among the largest programs of its kind in the country, if not the world! Westchester Klezmer Program musicians participate by learning and rehearsing klezmer music and then performing at various community based events. Westchester Klezmer Program last played White Plains Library in 2010. Come enjoy their music again. This concert is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the White Plains Library.
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Categories: Events, Homepage, and Library News.

New Westchester Symphony performs Seasonal Favorites Sunday, Dec. 14, 3 p.m.

Join New Westchester Symphony Orchestra in a free concert of seasonal favorites including Anderson's “Sleigh Ride,” Tchaikovsky's “Waltz of the Flowers,” Williams' “Greensleeves,” a Hanukkah sing-along and Handel's Hallelujah chorus.  White Plains resident Raphael Forte, tenor, and conductor Benjamin Niemczyk, baritone, will perform Bizet's opera duet “Au Fond du Temple Saint.” More information at www.newsymphony.org. Refreshments following the concert. This program is free but seating is limited. To ensure the comfort and safety of patrons, tickets will be given out 30 minutes before the program starts. Sponsored by the White Plains Library Foundation, 914-422-1495. The New Westchester Symphony Orchestra (NewWSO) offers amateur
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Categories: Events and Homepage.

Julia and the "Duke"

The White Plains Jazz Festival is coming to town September 6, 7 and 8! Our contribution to this celebration of excellent music and food is to bring back Julia Breanetta Simpson, who performed her acclaimed one-woman show “Harlem On My Mind” here in February 2011. The auditorium was packed! It's best to arrive early to ensure a seat – and entrance to the concert, we have fire codes to adhere to! Please join us for another amazing show, this time featuring the music of Edward “Duke” Ellington, on Saturday, September 7 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Like
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Honoring the Incomparable Ethel Waters

Jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe (shown at left) joins us on Sunday, May 19 at 2:00 p.m. to perform a one-woman show featuring 12 songs made famous by America's first black superstar, Ethel Waters. Seasoned with stories drawn from Ms. Waters' autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow, this show celebrates the music and life of Ethel Waters. The show features several of Ms. Waters' signature songs and innovative arrangements such as: “Throw the Dirt,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “Am I Blue,” and “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue.” Scott Albin of JazzTimes.com said, “…you are immediately struck by
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Pianist Brian Lam to Perform at the 14th Annual Clarice Wilson Memorial Concert

Even if you didn't know Clarice Wilson (music specialist at the Library from 1974-1999) the annual concerts held in her memory are worth attending. Mrs. Wilson supported gifted young artists at the beginning of their careers and this year's performance continues in that spirit by featuring a very talented young pianist, Brian Lam. A native of Hong Kong, Fung Yuen (Brian) Lam started playing the piano at age four. He is presently a scholarship piano performance major at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, City University of New York, where he studies with Adam Kent. In 2006, he became the youngest
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

This Sunday: Brian Carter Quartet

Kicking off our 2013 jazz series is New Rochelle native Brian Carter and his renowned jazz quartet on Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m. The quartet will play traditional and fusion jazz, a delight for all ages. You may have seen Brian Carter Quartet previously at the White Plains International Food & Jazz Festival (September 2012) or White Plains summer lunch hour concert series (August 2012) – come enjoy their music again. Coming up in the series is Ladies' Day on Sunday, March 10 and “The Incomparable Ethel Waters” featuring jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe on Sunday, May 19. (Both sponsored
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Jazz in February: The Brian Carter Quartet

Kicking off our 2013 jazz series is New Rochelle native Brian Carter and his renowned jazz quartet on Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m. The quartet will play traditional and fusion jazz, a delight for all ages. You may have seen Brian Carter Quartet previously at the White Plains International Food & Jazz Festival (September 2012) or White Plains summer lunch hour concert series (August 2012) – come enjoy their music again. Coming up in the series is Ladies' Day on Sunday, March 10 and “The Incomparable Ethel Waters” featuring jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe on Sunday, May 19. (Both sponsored
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

Holiday Concert with New Westchester Symphony Orchestra

Join us Sunday, December 16, at 3 pm for a delightful holiday concert. The New Westchester Symphony Orchestra, a community-based ensemble of amateur musicians who gather weekly to make music, will perform at this free program. Refreshments will be served. Sponsored by the White Plains Library Foundation.
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

An Afternoon of Klezmer

Join us on Sunday, December 9 for our annual klezmer concert. Enjoy a lively & nostalgic musical journey, featuring Old World traditions & New World voices with Kapelye, “The First Ambassadors of Klezmer.” Eric Berman, tuba/bass; Ken Maltz, clarinet; and Peter Sokolow, keyboard/vocals. Two seatings from 1:30-2:30 p.m., repeated 3:30-4:30 p.m. Wikipedia explains:  “Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations.” This concert is brought to you by the Friends of White Plains
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.

The Rock 'n' Roll Show

I've been booking concerts for the Library for nearly five years now. When I started, the tradition was to have popular music (in other words, “Great American Songbook”) in the fall and jazz in the spring. While this has always been popular, I started thinking about the audiences we get for these shows. Many attendees are seniors and I'm sure the American songbook concerts have touched upon some old favorites of theirs and introduced younger attendees to classic music. However, time marches on and my own parents are seniors now. While they know many American songbook songs, they grew up
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Categories: Events, Featured, Homepage, and Library News.