Tag Archives: Washington Heights

Holyrood Church: Classical Guitar Virtuoso: Christopher Avilez Concert

Christopher Avilez is a classical guitarist with masters degree in Musical Interpretation from the FaM at the UNAM, the University of Alicante and the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). He has made academic stays in the Klagenfurt’s, Conservatory Austria with Marco Tamayo and the Frankfurt am Main’s Conservatory Germany with Thomas Bittermann. With a successful international career, Christopher has participated as a soloist with different orchestras, such as the Chamber Orchestra of Morelos, the Mexican Orchestra of the Arts, the “Carlos Chávez” Orchestra, the Simphony Orchestra of Cuenca and the Simphony Orchestra of Cusco, only to mention a few. In the international arena he has been presented in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovenia, Spain and United States.

His discography is comprised of five productions: XIII Sonatas for guitar and figured bass by Juan Antonio de Vargas y Guzmán (Veracruz, 1776); Imágenes… memoria. Contemporary mexican music for flute and guitar; Concerto for Classic Guitar & Jazz Piano Trio by Claude Bolling. Fisis Quartet; Sudamérica Seductora. Latin American music Douze Études by Villa-Lobos, La Catedral by Barrios Mangoré, Sonata Op. 47 by Ginastera and Terruño by Sinesi; “Al pie de volcán” Unreleased work for solo guitar by Pedro Ximenez Abril y Tirado (1784-1856).

Christopher has been awarded with more than 20 prizes in national and international contests of classical guitar interpretation, and he has also been granted national and international incentives and fellowships, such as the State Youth Award (2013), Programa de Estímulo a la Creación y Desarrollo Artístico (2008, 2018), Programa de Creadores Escénicos (2011) and Programa de Fomento a Proyectos y Coinversiones Culturales (2019) from the Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA).

United Palace: Twelfth Night

Date: Wednesday, October 23 | Time: 7–8:30pm | FREE
Twelfth Night

David Belkovski and Rachell Ellen Wong, directors

Nola Richardson, soprano
Roderick Williams, baritone
Ximenez & Handel

Twelfth Night presents a night of unforgettable music in a spectacular venue. Divided by an ocean and living more than a century apart, Pedro Ximenez and George Frideric Handel represent the two vibrant cultures of Peru and Italy. In spite of any differences, they eagerly drew on the artistic traditions buzzing around them. Ximenez’ music deftly weaves folk song around classical structures while Handel derived his inspiration from ancient Roman stories. Join Twelfth Night at the United Palace for this special night!

Based in NYC, Twelfth Night is an ensemble of historical performance specialists led by David Belkovski and Rachell Ellen Wong, formed with the firm belief that art is best explored as a meeting place of the past, present, and future. Twelfth Night projects and engagements range from small chamber music (2-5 musicians) to larger orchestral and operatic productions. Inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name, the ensemble strives to invoke a spirit of boundless revelry, celebration, and community in their programming. The two co-founders are regarded as key young representatives of early music: Rachell is the only baroque artist to receive an Avery Fisher Career Grant and David is the only recipient in the field of early music to receive the Levinson Arts Achievement Award.

 

This program is supported by the United Palace of Cultural Arts, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

United Palace: Little Women

Sunday, December 15 | Doors & Book Swap: 2:00pm | Pre-Show Caroling: 2:30pm | Screening: 3:00pm | $5 Tickets 

In 19th century Massachusetts, while the March sisters – Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth – enter the threshold of womanhood, they go through many ups and downs in life and endeavor to make important decisions that can affect their future.

We continue to honor our past as a vaudeville house with live entertainment before the main feature on the big screen. This holiday season screening of Little Women (2019) will include pre-show caroling on stage, led by the talented young performers of Statement Arts, and a medley of songs from the musical version of the story, performed by Ridgefield High School thespians who mounted the show earlier this year.

Also before the main feature, we will honor the literary roots of Little Women with a “book swap” in the Grand Foyer. In collaboration with Word Up Community Bookshop, we encourage you to contribute gently loved books and take home new reads. Please bring a book if you wish to participate.

 

DETAILS

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen. Directed by Greta Gerwig. Written by Greta Gerwig and Louisa May Alcott. The movie runtime is 2 hours and 15 minutes, Rated PG, and will be screened on DCP.

Little Women (2019) continues the Movies at the Palace Season of Friendship. We chose that theme after asking ourselves what we need most to get through 2024. Our supporters and fans helped us select the movies in the series, including Rebel Without a Cause, The Producers (1967), Duck Soup, Hidden Figures, Finding Nemo, Thelma & Louise, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Please note: The Season of Friendship is a different series than Movies at the Palace with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is not scheduled to be at this screening.

 

UNITED PALACE HISTORY 

The ornate United Palace opened in 1930 as the Loew’s 175th Street Theatre, a deluxe movie theatre and vaudeville house, the last of the five Wonder Theatres in New York City and New Jersey. Its first act as a movie theatre ended in April 1969 with a screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

With a groundswell of community support and our good friend, patron, and neighbor Lin-Manuel Miranda, movies returned to the United Palace in 2013. Since then we have screened over 100 feature films, from world premieres (“In the Heights” and “Halftime” as part of the Tribeca Festival) to all-time classics (“It’s A Wonderful Life”), to community favorites (the documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom” about local school children winning a citywide dance contest).

Our goal is to have the cinematic experience come alive for audiences too used to watching movies on their phones or TVs.

One of our highest compliments came from Robert DeNiro who, speaking before a 50th anniversary screening of “The Godfather,” described watching a movie at the United Palace as: “The moviegoing experience doesn’t get any better.”