![]() ![]() 14, 2021 It's a busy start to the day for Mary O'Halloran. “Working for Bronx River Alliance has given me something to feel proud about and I’ve given to my kids and they can give to their kids.”īrown recommends New Yorkers find a quiet spot along the river where they can just sit and get lost, a little escape from the city. HUMAN INTEREST Closed Pub Manages to Bring a Taste of Ireland to the East Village By Roger Clark Manhattan PUBLISHED 6:00 AM ET Jan. Penny Brown says things are a lot better than when she started at the alliance in 2003 and helping the river has enriched her life as well. The work combats years of pollution in the city’s only fresh water river, which runs 23 miles from Westchester County near White Plains into the East River. “I think it’s really awesome that the Bronx River Alliance is doing an ecological restoration and working to restore the native species, and wildlife,” said Estrada. She is volunteering as part of The Hope Program’s Intervine Training for Green Jobs, which focuses on the environment, sustainability and curtailing the impact of climate change. “What happens in an urban forest when there’s a gap is all the invasive plants want to rush in and so what we are doing out here today is planting a bunch of native trees that will grow quickly and will overshadow those invasive plants,” said Maggie Greenfield, Executive Director of the Bronx River Alliance and Bronx River Administrator for NYC Parks.Īndrea Estrada of Queens is hoping to take a similar path as Penny Brown. The storm washed away plantings and brought down two large willow trees. “It was kind of a like a cycle, I was kind of happy that I was able to really be involved in something every day and wondering what it was so now I have my hands in it,” said Brown, who trained with another organization Sustainable South Bronx before she was hired by the alliance in 2003.īrown was there as staff and volunteers planted 250 trees and shrubs along the river, a portion damaged by Hurricane Ida in early September. ![]() She confesses she didn’t know much about growing up in Hunts Point, despite crossing it daily to get to High School. More on the Bronx Arts Ensemble can be found here.Brown is a Conservation Crew Leader with the Bronx River Alliance, an organization she’s been part of for nearly all of its 20 years protecting, improving and restoring the Bronx River. in 1967 to continue her musical studies.įor a full schedule of concerts at Van Cortlandt Park, head to the park's website. “Whatever the composers are writing today, it doesn’t matter what genre of music it is, they are actually a living testament of the sound of this century,” said León, who was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. The "Dialogues" event features music and a talk led by León to encourage meaningful exchanges of ideas among composers, performers and audiences. “Each composer is unique, and then to feature composers that are in the area that are in the neighborhood that live there is very important, because this is the type of person that you are going to find in the supermarket,” León said. The founder and artistic director is renowned composer and Kennedy Center honoree and Pulitzer Prize winner Tania León, who notes the event will celebrate four composers with ties to the Bronx. “We present music that is of various genres, particularly culturally responsive to black and brown people from the Bronx, that range from Western European classical music, jazz, pop,” said Insell, who also noted that they often feature folk music from around the world.Īmong the presentations on Saturday is a presentation called "Dialogues." It’s from Composers Now, an organization which seeks to empower living composers and celebrate the diversity of their voices. Insell says it’s their way of presenting music in different neighborhoods around the borough, as opposed to having a central venue of their own. “We have all of our concerts free for residents of the Bronx, and anybody who wants to come from the other boroughs or Westchester,” said Judith Insell, executive director of the organization and a well-known violist. ![]() The more than 50-year-old organization brings arts education programs and free concerts to the Bronx and New York area. (NY1/Roger Clark) Music in the park: Picnic performances at Bryant Park. This Saturday afternoon will feature "Dialogues" from Composers Now, a combination of musical performances, and artist roundtable, hosted by renowned composer Tania León.There is a diverse variety of music, from classical to jazz, soul, funk, West African and gospel.The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance partners with cultural institutions like the Bronx Arts Ensemble, which produce the performances. ![]() ”Music in the Park” is a series of free summer concerts at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. ![]()
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