Flushing Town Hall has announced their monthly series of Mini-Global Mashup concerts fusing Brazilian and Chinese culture. On April 16, Brazilian artists Rogério Boccato and Vitor Gonçalves will perform alongside the Chinese guzheng artist Wei Sun. Fans can enjoy the series at Northern Boulevard at Linden Place in Queens.
The Mini-Global Mashup was curated by acclaimed klezmer trumpeter Frank London. The concert series will showcase various types of cultural music and unexpected collaborations that create new and spontaneous sounds.
“Our mini–Global Mashups are unique every time – they bring together artists from different parts of the globe who have never played together before with an intimate experience for the audience.”
-Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall Executive & Artistic Director
Rogério Boccato has been featured on three Grammy-award-winning albums including Kurt Elling & Danilo Perez‘s “Secrets Are The Best Stories,” “The Thompson Fields,” with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, and Billy Childs’ “Rebirth.” He has also contributed to projects led by stellar jazz artists known as Maria Schneider, John Patitucci, Fred Hersch, Brian Blade, Kurt Elling, Danilo Perez, and Renee Rosnes. Boccato is a longtime member of the “Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo”and has played with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Hermeto Pascoal, Milton Nascimento, Egberto Gismonti, João Bosco, Joe Zawinul, etc. Apart from his spectacular performances, Boccato teaches Brazilian Music and Ritmica at the Manhattan School of Music, NYU, and the University of Hartford.
Vitor Gonçalves is a pianist, accordionist, and composer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2012, Gonçalves moved to New York City following a prominent career in Brazil, playing with such icons as Hermeto Pascoal, Maria Bethânia, Itiberê Zwarg, etc. Since his arrival to the city, Gonçalves has added more success to his resume by performing at Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard, the Jazz Gallery, the Newport Jazz Festival, NPR’s Jazz Night in America, and The New York Times. Gonçalves also frequently collaborated with members of New York’s jazz scene, such as Anat Cohen, Vinícius Cantuária, Anthony Wilson, Cyro Baptista, and Yotam Silberstein.
Wei Sun is a young guzheng artist who began her journey at the age of six in China. It was no surprise that Sun was quickly drawn to the music industry due to being born into a family of musicians. In China she was a certified senior teacher of guzheng and a member of the China National Instrumental Association and the International Guzheng Association. In 2016, Sun moved to the United States as a guzheng performer and teacher at the CBA Cultural and Arts Center. Sun is now the principal performer of guzheng of the Chinese National Orchestra in New York. She’s also performed at the Lincoln Center, United Nations, Columbia University, Flushing Town Hall, Queens College Art Center, and more. Sun has also cultivated success by cofounding the trio bands, StringsW and Miss, holding a concert at Carnegie Hall in 2017, and performing on the Broadway musical show “Noble Family” in 2022.
Flushing Town Hall presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens, New York. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, they are on a mission to inspire an appreciation for art and culture by supporting local, immigrant, national, and international artists. Flushing Town Hall is also a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG). The Town Hall celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz by showcasing the finest in jazz performances.
For the more information about Flushing Town Hall’s 2023 Spring events, visit here.
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