Tag Archives: UpTownNYC

Isham Park: Inwood Pumpkin Pageant

Inwood Pumpkin Pageant – 5-8 pm – Isham Park. Don’t throw out that old jack-o-lantern, bring it to the 10th Annual Pumpkin Pageant! Whether fresh or gently rotted, drop off your ghoulish gourd along the paths of Isham Park before or during the event for a grand community display. Free tickets will be handed out to vote for your favorite designs, and the judges will award the Blue Ribbons at 7 pm. After the event all pumpkins will be smashed up and binned for composting at NYRP and Riverside Park. (Volunteers still needed, please email inwoodpumpkin@gmail.com if you can help!!)

Jazz WaHi Festival: Meg Okura Septet

There’s a secret I’ve been grappling with: In the past year, I started hearing whispers, and I’ve started questioning everything, especially the choices that may have caused discomfort or resentment in those I love. This revelation brought a deep sadness and an undercurrent of anger.
For a while, I found harmony in my identities: being a Jew by choice, an ex-Christian from Japan, and a Japanese immigrant married to a Black man, raising our Black daughter, a classical violinist and a jazz composer. But today, I struggle with the feeling of isolation in existing alone in my identity category—navigating a reality where the various parts of me seem at odds with each other. It’s an isolating experience that few, if any, can fully relate to. And sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if I should have made different choices.
One thing I find beautiful about jazz is its ability to unite musicians who are each unique and come from different cultures or beliefs, all driven by a common goal—to create moments of captivation, cohesion, and connection. My latest composition, Re-harmonizing Identity: Shifting Prisms of a Shattered Glass Ceiling”, explores my inner conflict through “vertical and horizontal harmony,” reflecting my attempts to reconcile conflicting truths and find coherence in my complex identity. Winning this year’s Washington Heights Jazz Festival Composition Award wasn’t just an achievement—it was a forced confrontation with my deepest inner thoughts.
I invite you to the world premiere of Re-harmonizing Identity on November 2nd at Le Cheile in Washington Heights during the Wa-hi Jazz Festi

WHCO – Echoes: A Celebration of Musical Heritage

Join the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra as we present Echoes and discover how music that tells the stories of our past affects our present and future.

Program:

  • Valerie Coleman: Tzigane
  • Emmy Wegener: Suite for String Trio
  • Bohuslav Martinů: Nonet
  • Antonin Dvorak: String Quintet No. 2, op. 77

The stories that we make and share echo throughout time; our past affects our present and future. Our exploration of musical heritage continues with Echoes, where we look at chamber music by composers past and present from around the world.

The past and present interweave with Washington Heights composer Valerie Coleman’s Tzigane for woodwind quintet. Inspired by the work by Maurice Ravel of the same name, Coleman’s Tzigane is a present-day showpiece full of virtuosity and passion for the wind players of the WHCO. Moving back to the early twentieth century, Dutch composer Emmy Wegener’s Suite for String Trio is a rarely heard work, lush and sparkling as a set of miniatures. We continue our look to the past with Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů’s Nonet. Combining both string and wind players, the Nonet is a vibrant celebration of life in three movements. We conclude the program with Dvorak’s String Quintet No. 2, Op. 77. Written for a competition in Prague with the dedication “to my nation,” he weaves his Bohemian nationalism throughout the work.

Prior to the concert, at 2:15pm, bring the whole family to our “Meet the Instruments” petting zoo where even our youngest listeners can get up close and personal with their favorite instruments before seeing them come alive onstage. This event will take place (weather permitting) in the beautiful setting of the Fort Washington Green, the community garden space at FWCC.

And finally, join the musicians of WHCO after the concert for a reception!