Classical Pianist, Lara Downes has curated a free concert, Rhapsody for This Land: The American Odyssey in Music at the Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 27 at 6 p.m.
Rhapsody for This Land is an innovative new take on George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue. The new piece was composed by a young Puerto Rican artist, Edmar Colón. The concert will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s most famous piece.
Listeners don’t need to leave their home to experience the concert as WNYC, New York’s public radio, will broadcast the concert as part of their own 100th anniversary celebration. The event brings many different artists and organizations together to provide free entertainment to the city.
Headcount is a nonpartisan organization that will be at the concert, getting New Yorkers registered to vote. Rhapsody for This Land is only possible with The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust, a foundation that supports the arts. Brooklyn Bridge Park, WNYC and St. Ann’s Warehouse are all collaboratively hosting the event. St. Ann’s Warehouse is an avant-garde Brooklyn venue that presents plays, dance and music performances and visual arts.
The celebration involves many decorated musicians including Downes who is not only a pianist, but is the host of NPR’s Amplify with Lara Downes as well as another nationally syndicated radio program, Classical Americana. Her 2023 album, Love at Last, reached #1 on the Billboard Classical Chart.
Grammy award winning artists like Rosanne Cash, Christian McBride, Arturo O’Farrill and string trio, Time for Three, will perform the compositions. Aram Demirjian will conduct the ensemble of young NYC musicians, Orchestra Elena.
The concert will also feature music from other legendary artists like Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, Nina Simone.
To listen to the concert, you can visit the WNYC website here.
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