I’ve often wondered what it must be like to live one’s entire life in a small town, surrounded by the same sights and sounds, day after day. And now I realize that my ancestors, living in the crowded and congested tenements of lower Manhattan, shared a parallel existence with those who have done that. “A bell for birth, a bell for marriage, a bell for death.” I had never considered the universality of their experience.
Click here for the article about my great grandmother, Margaret Horrigan, as it recently appeared in Irish Central.
“Performing at Artists Without Walls is a deep privilege and a pleasure. To appear as part of a lineup of such talented artists is simultaneously thrilling and humbling. I always leave AWoW with a soaring spirit, full of gratitude for the gifts of my fellow artists, and newly energized and encouraged in my own work. Mille Grazie to Charles Hale and Niamh Hyland for creating this warm, welcoming community.” Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, poet/author
A witty and humorous beginning to the evening as Giovanni Villari, Janine Hegarty, and Paul Eisemann entered the stage to perform a scene from David Loughlin’s play, “Millennial Discourse.” Soon, ripples of laughter were coming from the audience as David’s comedic look at contemporary relationships began to unwind. Commitment-phobe Emma (Janine) feels as if she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place when her cat-loving work-partner, Anthony, (Giovanni) asks her to marry him. And when the grouchy, eaves-dropping Old Guy (Paul) tells her his tale of commitment-phobe woe, she’s left to contemplate the possibility of moving to Alaska and spending the rest of her life with Anthony. Is this what she wants? Whoever thought an afternoon ride on the New Jersey Transit could tell us so much about how we think and feel?
Singer/songwriter Janet Burgan brought three of her newest songs to the Showcase. With her Guild guitar glinting in the lights, she sang about love…all aspects of love. In “Snow Moon,” she told the story of a love that “freezes my soul in endless gloom.” She followed that with a song only a few weeks old, “So Why Am I Crying?,” a funny, in your face song about the end of a relationship. She closed her performance with a screening of her music video, “Seize The Day,” the first single from her new album, Nothing But Love Songs, which you can view by clicking here. High energy, precise and talented, Burgan is the real deal. Go see her the first Tuesday of the month at Bar Chord, 1008 Cortelyou Street in Brooklyn at 9:30PM. Click here for Janet’s complete performance schedule. Don’t miss her!
Eliana Gonzalez captivated the audience with a touching rendition of the song “She Used to be Mine”, by Sara Bareilles. Her sensitivity and grace shone through her performance. The joy was palpable during “Andar Conmigo”, the song we all tried to sing along to in Spanish. Martin Fuks, acclaimed producer and composer, skillfully accompanied this singer and actress with a flawless domain of the acoustic guitar. These two Argentinian-born performers are, no doubt, a perfect blend.
The cast from Peter Welch’s Autumn Stage performed an excerpt from scene two of the first act, and was enthusiastically received by the audience. The playwright and actors Mary Tierney and Larry Fleischman received dozens of compliments about the work afterward. A number of Artists Without Walls’ folks immediately bought tickets to see the show, which will premiere in two weeks, running from September 4th to September 11th at Theater for the New City’s Dream Up Festival. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
Anana Kaye and Irakli Gabriel were joined at the end of the evening by the world renowned violin virtuoso Deni Bonet and captivated the audience with passionate original compositions – a beautiful ballad “Broken”, funky rocker ” Ain’t Dead Yet” and a particularly poignant “American Smile”, the last two co-written with the acclaimed songwriter Freddie Stevenson. Anana and Irakli, who are originally from Republic of Georgia, are not only first rate songwriters and performers, they are also talented photographers and videographers. They recently released a beautifully crafted an EP “Sentient,” which contains five original songs and is accompanied by music videos which they directed, filmed and edited themselves. You can click here to see them.
Zhana Roiya,….is one of the newest additions to Artists Without Walls. When actor Sedly Bloomfield asked her to be part of an emotional excerpt from the the Play “Fences” by August Wilson, she jumped at the chance, an opportunity to home her skill in a more intimate setting. This exerpt of the play, takes us on a journey of betrayal, trust and lust, taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster of torment, pain agony defeat and surrender. The passion felt by these two dynamic actors was riveting, an electric clash of two titans….each expressing themselves in ways that left the audience wanting to see more.
Artists Without Walls next event will be a performance as part of Origin Theatre Company’s 1stIrish Fest, called “New York City: A Shining Mosaic.” The performance will take place at Pier A, Harbor House, Battery Place in Manhattan. For further info click here. For tickets, which are $15 in advance with a small convenience fee, click here.
Mitch Traphagen’s photos from Artists Without Walls’ August Showcase at The Cell Theatre, August 23, 2016.
We told you AWoW events were fun: Janine Hegarty and Giovanni VillariGripping performance: Zhana Rioya and Sedly Bloomfield“America Smile”…beautiful message and performance: Anana Kaye and Irakli GabrielD…E…N…I…!!!Everything about this is perfect! Larry Fleischman, Peter Welch and Mary TierneyTalented beauty Janet Burgan and groupieTom Myles: AWoW supporter non-pareilExquisite: Martin Fuks and Eliana Gonzalez ScannellTalent Galore
Great line up on tap for Tuesday’s Artists Without Walls’ Showcase at The Cell Theatre.
Walter Parks
Over the past three decades, Walter Parks has forged a distinctive international career as the lead guitarist for Woodstock legend Richie Havens, half of the folk-duo The Nudes, and guitarist and leader of the swamp/blues-outfit Swamp Cabbage. His original music is inspired by the swampy gospel blues that wails from storefront churches and roadhouses in and around the southeast Georgia low country. We’re looking forward to Walter’s return to an Artists Without Walls’ Showcase.
Playwright Derek Murphy and actors Karin de la Penha and Kimberly Kelly Adams will be making their Artists Without Walls’ debut when they present a scene from a new play Derek is currently writing, a dark comedy set in NY and Dublin, titled “Dyin’ For It.”
Derek Murphy, Kimberly Kelly Adams and Karin de la Penha
Jenna Nicholls
Would you like to hear a great singer who has performed all over the world and has toured and performed with artists such as Oscar winner Glen Hansard, Amanda Palmer, Angela McClusky (Telepop), Rob Moose, Thomas Bartlett (BonIver /Doveman), Nouvelle Vague and many others? Then you’ll want to come and hear Jenna Nicholls on Tuesday evening. Jenna’s music has been featured in film and television. She’s toured and released two full albums: “Curled Up Toes in Red Mary Janes” and “The Blooming Hour” Her third release is scheduled for 2016.
Richard Deane
Richard Deane’s last appearance on an Artists Without Walls’ stage featured an emotionally provocative reading of the opening scene from his novel in progress, “When Yesterday Comes.” His use of poignant atmospherics and straight to the heart exposition pulled the audience into the midst of the dramatic conflict between his vividly constructed characters. Richard’s unabashed exploration into an uncomfortable subject was both captivating and moving.
Annette Homann and Alexaner A. Wu
Pianist and arranger Alexander A. Wu and violinist and composer Annette Homann recently presented “Strings n Keys – Three Centuries of Global Music,” celebrating the popular collaborative tradition of piano and violin. Alexander and Annette will be performing a variety of musical styles from their show including works of Ástor Piazzolla, Leonard Bernstein and more.
Kathleen Bennett Bastis
Kathleen Bennett Bastis has written prose and poetry all her life and, as a former producer for talk radio, she wrote hundreds of short descriptive “rip and read” segments about neighborhoods, restaurants, product alerts or shopping experiences in the New York tri-state area. She’s had two observations published in The New York Times Metropolitan Diary, and last year she performed her piece on Cyber Dating at an Artists Without Walls’ Showcase. Kathleen is also an accomplished artist whose work is inspired by the hue, shape and texture of salvaged materials she finds on the river, street and scrap yards. She reinterprets the history of these “found objects” by constructing them into a contemporary visual narrative.
The Cell Theatre is located at 338 W23rd St in Manhattan. The show will be hosted by Artists Without Walls’ artistic directors Niamh J. Hyland and Charles R. Hale. The doors and the bar open at 6:45. Presentations begin at 7:30.
Join Artists Without Walls’ artistic directors and cohosts, Niamh Hyland and Charles R. Hale for its June Showcase at The Cell Theatre, Tuesday, June 28th. The doors and the bar open at 6:45 and presentations begin at 7:30. The Cell Theatre is located at 338 W23rd St. NYC.
David Raleigh
Pianist/vocalist David J Raleigh was last scene at The Cell in April when he and his quartet performed in Charles R. Hale’s “Jazz and the City: The New York Connection.” David, whose heartfelt music crosses musical boundaries and transport listeners to a timeless era of music and passion, will be returning to The Cell Tuesday night, 6/28 to perform a few songs from the show. Lauded by Time Out Magazine as the ‘Nat King Cole’ for a new generation, David has the ‘old soul’ songwriting sensibilities of some of the greatest performers of our time.
Sam Adelman
Film editor Sam Adelman has worked on over 70 feature films and documentaries including “Easy Money,” “Desperately Seeking Susan,” “Donnie Branco ” “Pollock,” “Sweet Lorraine,” “Changing Lanes,” “Screen Door Jesus,” and the soon to be released “Hometown Hero” with Eric Roberts. Partially inspired by the recent passing of Muhammad Ali, Sam will be reading a piece from his coming-up-on-retirement project “Getting Out of Show Business.”
Almeria Campbell
Making her debut appearance at an Artists Without Walls’ Showcase will be actor/singer Yvonne Almeria Campbell. Almeria, from Tyler, TX is a Resident Artist at The Cell Theatre. She attended Texas Christian University ( receiving her B.F.A.) and then Rutgers University, Mason Gross school of the arts (receiving her M.F.A.). Her TV acting credits include “Law and Order,” “Person of Interest” and “Guiding Light.” Her theatre credits include the lead role of Nelly in “Hard Times” at The Cell, as well as Yolanda in “10 Minutes Deep,” also at The Cell.Almeria will be performing a scene about love, loss and winning. You can check out her upcoming webisodes at almeriacampbell.com.
Mark Donnelly
Come meet and hear Artists Without Wall’s charter member Mark Donnelly, who will be performing “Cowboy Time,” a short, humorous monologue based on his boyhood dream of becoming a cowboy. Mark is a playwright, poet and short story writer, who teaches English at St. Francis College and Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Joel Cruz
Joel Cruz, a regular AWoW attendee, will be making his initial performance appearance at Tuesday’s Showcase. Joel is a saxophonist, artist instructor, and writer, who music incorporates all genres. His team is most important to him and each show features a different instrumentation and the use of different styles according to the team on-hand. Every event in his life goes into his writing. Every emotion in the stories goes into his performance. Every moment on stage goes his teaching.
Charles R. Hale
Charles R. Hale, one of Artists Without Walls’ cofounders and a Resident Artist at The Cell Theatre, will be premiering his short film “Jazz and the City: The New York Connection,” at this Tuesday’s Showcase. The film is a companion piece to his show of the same name, which debuted at The Cell in April.
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From the best of times to the worst of times, songwriters have captured every corner of New York City through music. Weaving story, sidebars, images and the music of the Gershwins, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn and others, Charles connects New York City through the songs of the composers and performers who lived in the city, through the venues in which the songs were popularized and through his own recollection of New York and song.
“Artists Without Walls has has gotten off to a fantastic start this year. I’m so very thankful for the artistic, cultural and social benefits I have reaped from this organization. Thanks, Charles and Niamh. Thanks everyone for your support.” Mark Donnelly
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Rick Cashman
We’ve got a great evening of diverse entertainment planned for Artists Without Walls’ April Showcase at The Cell Theatre, Tuesday, April 26. One of the group’s newest members, songwriter Rick Cashman, will be making his first AWoW appearance. Joining Rick will be jazz pianist John Ambrosini and saxophonist Premik Russell Tubbs, who has performed with Lady Gaga, Sting, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. Rick is also the creator, writer and producer of a weekly comedy podcast called “The Hickory Bench Playhouse”
Gina Costigan
Actress Gina Costigan will be performing a scene from Honor Molloy’s short play, “And in My Heart. ” The play is a young woman’s account of love and revolution during the 1916 Easter Rising, which is drawn from Honor’s Great Aunt Florence Kane’s eye witness account of the week when Ireland changed, changed utterly.
Mala Waldron
Mala Waldron, a New York City native, balances local performances with regular tours in Europe and Asia. Currently, the songstress is excited about her upcoming solo release, “Deep Resonance.” The project is an intimate, unplugged, personal glimpse into the heart of the artist, featuring her lush vocals and piano accompaniment. Mala’s recordings include her CD debut, “Lullaby,” a tribute to her godmother, Billie Holiday and a duo project with her father, pianist/composer Mal Waldron, “He’s My Father” and “Always There,” which, in addition to being her first U.S. release, was also licensed by Columbia Records (Japan) and voted one of the Top 20 Jazz CDs of 2006 by JazzUSA.
Jenai Huff
Jenai Huff, NYC based singer/songwriter composes songs that address life with its nuances, contradictions, and challenges. Working with acclaimed cinematographer and cameraman, Arthur Jafa (Selma, Crooklyn, Seven Songs for Malcolm, Beyonce, Lauren Hill), has put two of her songs to film, which she will be showing at Tuesday’s Showcase. One of the songs, “Just Like Me,” subtly addresses racism and how we really are all mostly a like.
Michelle Macau
Michelle Macau will be presenting a reading of selected poems from “The Surrender Tree” by Margarita Engle about Cuba’s struggle for freedom, experimenting with percussive sounds to enhance the story. Joining Michelle will be Al Foote III, Celeste Muniz, Paul Roberson and Kabuki Kozuru.
Jim Hawkins
Storyteller Jim Hawkins will pay tribute to the men and women of 1916 Ireland, with passages from Sean O’Casey’s writings and the song, “The Foggy Dew.” Jim has spent decades telling stories, with a sly, folksy understated humor, like the seanchaís of old, whom Hawkins emulates. Jim tells the stories of nearly vanished Irish folkways to audiences far and wide, in public libraries, pubs, churches, universities, in Ireland and here in the United States. “I wish to be a vehicle that carries the history, culture and traditions of the Irish people, and to share the stories, songs and poetry of this great culture with the world. It will be my contribution to keeping this wonderful art-form alive and well.”
Artists Without Walls’ Artistic Directors Niamh Hyland and Charles R. Hale will be hosting and emceeing the event. The Cell Theatre is located at 338 W23rd. St., NYC. The doors and bar open at 6:45. The Showcase begins at 7:30. For more information about the event click here.
This past Thursday, Lehman College: The City and Humanities Program and the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies sponsored a performance of Charles R. Hale’s “Musical History of the Lower East Side,” celebrating the music of a neighborhood from which many of our nation’s ethnic groups can trace their origins.
In the 1840s, almost half of America’s immigrants were from Ireland. Often leaving behind famine and poverty, the Irish would often sing ballads steeped in nostalgia and self-pity, and despite the troubles they’d left, singing the praises of their native soil. The Irish also brought Celtic music. Melodies common to fiddlers throughout Scotland and Ireland were transferred nearly intact to the American fiddle tradition. Deni Bonet performed one such tune that has remained a bluegrass fiddler favorite, “Red Haired Boy.”
Stephen Foster, who’s often referred to as “the father of American music,” moved to the Bowery in 1860. Foster was primarily known for his parlor music and minstrel music. Niamh Hyland, with accompaniment from Deni and Noah Hoffeld, sang two popular Foster tunes, “Hard Times Come Again No More,” 1854, and “Slumber My Darling,” 1862.
Niamh Hyland
A steady stream of Italian immigrants began arriving in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Italians from Naples and Southern Italy brought with them a traditional form of singing called Neapolitan music. In New York City, Italian tenors Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli popularized such songs as “O Sole Mio,” “Funiculi Funicular” and “Non ti Scordar di me,” which was performed by soprano Ashley Bell. Italian immigrants also helped popularize the Metropolitan Opera, which debuted a number of Italian operas, including Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi in 1918. Ashley performed the opera’s most popular aria “O Mio Bambino Caro.”
Ashley Bell
The Lower East Side is especially remembered as a place of Jewish beginnings in America. Between 1880 and the start of World War I in 1914, about 2 million Yiddish speaking Jews left Eastern Europe and Russia where pogroms and persecution made life unbearable. While Jewish composers, many of whom lived on the Lower East Side, were influential in creating the American Songbook, they also brought a great deal of European music with them as well. Basya Schechter and Noah Hoffeld captured the spirit of the past with two Yiddish songs, “Oyfn Pripetchik” and “Shnirele Perele”
Basya Schechter and Noah Hoffeld
George and Ira Gershwin were composers who were raised on the Lower East Side. George’s classical music such as Rhapsody in Blue, his opera Porgy and Bess and his many show tunes remain popular today, but he also teamed up with brother Ira to write “I Got Rhythm,” “The Man I Love” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” which was performed by jazz pianist and vocalist Mala Waldron with accompaniment from fiddler Deni.
In the mid 1950s many artists and musicians were drawn to the neighborhood around the Bowery by cheaper rents. The Five Spot Café, a jazz club located between 4th and 5th Streets, staged jam sessions with some of the giants of jazz: Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, and Lower East Side resident, Charlie Parker. Waldron, accompanied once again by Deni, performed a Parker favorite “Embraceable You.”
Mala Waldron
In the 1940s and 50s Latin Jazz began to take hold in New York City. At the same time, there was the first great migration of Puerto Ricans entering the country. Shortly, Dominicans and other Spanish groups followed. Latin jazz musicians, guitarist Yuri Juarez and percussionist Jhair Sala, performed a tune that was popular in the Latin community, now known by its Spanglish name, Loisaida, in the 1940s and 50s, “Night in Tunisia,” written by jazz great Dizzie Gillespie.
The music of the Lower East Side has continued to evolve from garage band to punk to alternative rock and yet, each year, the Loisaida Festival continues to evoke the spirit of its immigrant past, as did Yuri and Jhair with the last song on the program, “La Bikina.”
Jhair Sala and Yuri Juarez
A big thank you to all the artists who participated in the “Musical History of the Lower East” and to Lehman College: The City and Humanities Program and the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies for sponsoring the event.
Mitch Traphagen’s photos from Charles R. Hale’s “Musical History of the Lower East Side,” at Lehman College. The event was sponsored by “Lehman College: The City and Humanities Program and the CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies.
Well, if you’d been at Rockwood Music Hall last year for Charles R. Hale’s “The Musical History of the Lower East Side,” you would have seen and heard Noah Hoffeld and Basya Schechter perform Shnirele Perele and you would agree: Yiddish music rocks. If you can get up to the Bronx tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, April 7th, 12:30 pm, you’ll see what we mean.
Join us as Noah and Basya, and a brilliant cast of musicians, perform some of the tunes that comprise the “Musical History of the Lower East Side.” The event will take place at Lehman College’s Studio Theatre, 250 Bedford Park Blvd W, Bronx, NY. This is a free event which is being sponsored by Lehman College: The City and Humanities Program and the CUNY Institute of Irish Studies. Click here for directions.
Artists Without Walls’ member, soprano Ashley Bell, will be performing a number of Italian songs as part of Charles R. Hale’s “Musical History of the Lower East Side,” at Lehman College, Thursday, April 7, 12:30pm.
Many of our nation’s ethnic communities trace their roots to the Lower East Side, historically, a working class neighborhood, ethnically diverse and poor. A steady stream of Italian immigrants began arriving in America in the late 19th and early 20th century, including, Italians from Naples and Southern Italy who brought with them a traditional form of singing known as Neapolitan music. In New York City, Italian tenors such as Enrico Caruso and Beniamino Gigli popularized such songs as O Sole Mio, Funiculi Funicula, and Non ti Scordar di me. The steady stream of Italian immigrants also helped popularize the Metropolitan Opera, which debuted a number of Italian operas, including Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi in 1918. The most popular aria from that opera remains “O Mil Bambino Caro.”
Ashley Bell has been performing from an early age, starting at age 9 as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus and making her Off-Broadway debut at sixteen in the world premiere of the musical The Golden Touch. Ashley has since performed as a soloist in the United States, Italy, Spain, France and Russia. Recent performances have included Fiordiligi in Cosi Fan Tutte and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni in the Narni Festival in Italy with the Orchestra Filarmonica di Roma, Norina in Don Pasquale in Logroño, Spain, Violetta in La Traviata at the Bay Street Theatre, Isabella Colbran in the premiere of Discovering Mrs. Rossini at the new Sheen Center in NYC, and Musetta at the National Opera Center.
The performance will be in the Studio Theatre, Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd W, Bronx, NY, Thursday, April 7, 12:30pm. This is a free event which is being sponsored by Lehman College: The City and Humanities Program and the CUNY Institute of Irish Studies. Click here for directions.
