Live Music is Back! ArtsWestchester Announces Ten Concerts as part of its Westchester Roots Series
Live Music is Back! ArtsWestchester Announces Ten Concerts as part of its Westchester Roots Series
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (June 14, 2021) – This summer ArtsWestchester will present a series of ten free outdoor music and dance programs called Westchester Roots.
Westchester Roots will run from July 15 to August 31 in partnership with the City of White Plains, the City of Mount Vernon, the Village of Sleepy Hollow and the Bethany Arts Community. The free events include concerts in parks, staged performances on city streets and an outdoor cultural festival.
“Our 2021 Westchester Roots summer concerts feature a diverse array of artists, representing music and dance traditions of our region’s Beninese, Black/African American, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Indian, Irish, Gambian, Jamaican, Korean, and Mexican communities,” said Janet T. Langsam, CEO of ArtsWestchester. “Through the pandemic, there has been an increased demand for public art, use of public parks and an increased appetite to experience live music.”
This summer series celebrates Westchester County’s diversity.
“Westchester Roots programs aim to build cross-cultural understanding, public awareness and unity—helping neighbors to break down barriers and learn to appreciate one another’s knowledge, history, and rich cultural heritage,” said Aaron Paige, ArtsWestchester’s folklorist.
The events are sponsored by Con Edison, New York State Council on the Arts and Etain, New York’s only family-run, women owned and operated medical marijuana company.
The 2021 Calendar of Westchester Roots Free events follow:
WESTCHESTER ROOTS
CITY OF WHITE PLAINS: NIGHT IN THE PARK feat. ITAL RAIN REGGAE BAND
DATE: Thursday, July 15, 2021
TIME: 7-8:15pm
WHERE: Court Street (between Main St. and Martine Ave.) | White Plains, NY
A high-energy reggae band that plays everything from Bob Marley, Vybz Kartel, Beres Hammond, Gregory Isaacs, UB-40, Marcia Griffiths, original songs, and many others.
Co-presented by the City of White Plains and ArtsWestchester
Sponsored by Con Edison and Etain.
CITY OF MOUNT VERNON: WESTCHESTER ROOTS feat. NATYA ANUBHAVA AND THE NEW YORK KOREAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
DATE: Tuesday, July 27, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: City Hall Plaza | 1 Roosevelt Square North | Mount Vernon, NY
Experience the power and beauty of South Indian and Korean dance by some of New York’s finest tradition bearers.
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and the City of Mount Vernon
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain, New York State Council on the Arts
CITY OF WHITE PLAINS: NIGHT IN THE PARK feat. MCLEAN AVENUE BAND
DATE: Thursday, July 29, 2021
TIME: 7-8:15pm
WHERE: Court Street (between Main St. and Martine Ave.) | White Plains, NY
Taking the Irish American music scene by storm, McLean Avenue Band masterfully combines traditional Irish tunes and ballads with elements of rock, pop and R&B.
Co-presented by The City of White Plains and ArtsWestchester
Sponsors: Con Edison and Etain
CITY OF MOUNT VERNON: WESTCHESTER ROOTS feat. THE PTAH-SHABAZZ WISDRUM ORCHESTRA
DATE: Tuesday, August 10, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: City Hall Plaza | 1 Roosevelt Square North | Mount Vernon, NY
This illustrious family ensemble presents an evening of traditional West African dance and drumming.
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and the City of Mount Vernon
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain, New York State Council on the Arts
CITY OF WHITE PLAINS: NIGHT IN THE PARK feat. BASE CAMP R&B
DATE: Thursday, August 12, 2021
TIME: 7-8:15pm
WHERE: Court Street (between Main St. and Martine Ave.) | White Plains, NY
This R&B band performs soul-filled classics, from Luther Vandross and Sade to Mary J. Blige and The Isley Brothers, plus more!
Co-presented by The City of White Plains and ArtsWestchester
Sponsors: Con Edison and Etain
DIA DE CULTURA ECUATORIANA / DAY OF ECUADORIAN CULTURE
DATE: Saturday, August 14, 2021
TIME: 3-8pm
WHERE: Barnhart Park | Sleepy Hollow, NY
Join us for an afternoon of Ecuadorian music, dance, food and craft, along with family-friendly presentations on traditional Ecuadorian costumes and the indigenous Kitchwa language.
Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket!
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and the Village of Sleepy Hollow
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain and New York State Council on the Arts
CITY OF MOUNT VERNON: WESTCHESTER ROOTS feat. JOMION & THE UKLOS
DATE: Tuesday, August 17, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: City Hall Plaza | 1 Roosevelt Square North | Mount Vernon, NY
Jomion & the Uklos, a family band from Benin, West Africa, combines traditional rhythms and songs from Vodoun culture with reggae, salsa and jazz to create vibrant and joyful music that will get you on your feet.
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and the City of Mount Vernon in conjunction with the “Mt. Vernon Summer Breeze Series”
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain and New York State Council on the Arts
PERFORMING FAMILIES feat. THE MAYOR FOUR AND THE PTAH-SHABAZZ WISDRUM ORCHESTRA
DATE: Thursday, August 19, 2021
TIME: 6-7:30pm
WHERE: Horan’s Landing | Sleepy Hollow, NY
Celebrate the bonds of music and dance with two family ensembles as they explore the connections between kinship, tradition and the arts. This program brings together Columbian jazz pianist Pablo Mayor and his family band, as well as the Ptah-Shabazz Wisdrum Orchestra, a West African dance and drumming ensemble of extended-family.
Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket!
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and Village of Sleepy Hollow
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain and New York State Council on the Arts
PERFORMING FAMILIES feat. INTI ANDINO AND MARIACHI SOL MIXTECO
**This event was rescheduled from its initial August 21 date**
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 2021
TIME: 6:30-8:00pm
WHERE: Bethany Arts Community |40 Somerstown Rd | Ossining, NY
Celebrate the bonds of music and dance with two family ensembles as they explore the connections between kinship, tradition and the arts. This program brings together the Ecuadorian family band Inti Andino and the Mexican family band Mariachi Sol Mixteco.
Bring your lawn chair or picnic blanket!
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and Bethany Arts Community
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain and New York State Council on the Arts
CITY OF MOUNT VERNON: WESTCHESTER ROOTS feat. THE JALIYA KAFO ENSEMBLE W/ SALIEU SUSO & EBRIMA JASSEY
DATE: Tuesday, August 24, 2021
TIME: 6:30pm
WHERE: City Hall Plaza | 1 Roosevelt Square North | Mount Vernon, NY
Jaliya Kafo performs traditional Gambian kora (harp) and balafon music from West Africa. The family ensemble is led by Salieu Suso, a master musician born into a family of farmers, griots, traditional musicians and historians in Gambia, West Africa.
Co-presented by ArtsWestchester and the City of Mount Vernon
Sponsors: Con Edison, Etain and New York State Council on the Arts
About ArtsWestchester: For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to create an equitable, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life.
ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building in downtown White Plains. To learn more about ArtsWestchester visit: www.artswestchester.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ernie Garcia, 914-762-1900
ernie@thompson-bender.com
About ArtsWestchester
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.
For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue.