Music lovers can rejoice as the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) will be hosting their third annual “Open Stages” festival in Park Slope, featuring a litany of local musicians and artists that will transform the neighborhood streets into a dance floor.
The May 13 festival will spread out over 15 separate stage locations, and will feature performances of over 150 up-and-coming artists with performances taking place on local stoops, parks, cafes and schoolyards with the highly anticipated finale concert being held in the heart of the neighborhood, at P.S. 321 located on 7th Avenue.
Visitors can meander through the stage areas to watch performances by local musicians like queer anti-folk band PrettyPretty, brass group Brownstone Brass, singer and BKCM teacher Alexis Hightower and more.
The BKCM, a non-profit music education organization, is also celebrating the institution’s 125th anniversary of its inception with “Open Stages” serving as part of that celebration.
Each of the 15 stages will have several acts throughout the day starting at 3 p.m. and ending with a spectacular final concert on P.S. 321’s main stage starting at 7 p.m.
There will be performances for every and any attendee, with a dedicated children’s zone that features family-oriented performances, and other stages dedicated to a wide array of musical tastes stages featuring all sorts of different genres of music for patrons to revisit old favorites or discover new acts.
While the “Open Stages” event is free to the public, there is also a fundraising component to help patrons support the historic school to continue its mission to teach music and provide credentialled music-based therapy to the nearly 7,000 New Yorkers that BKCM serves throughout the city.
Ticket-buyers will be able to enjoy a more exclusive or intimate experience at “Open Stages” as well as enjoy delicious food, beverages and more. All funds will be donated to the BKCM, which also pays all the performing artists.
“Our goal and our mission is to make music education and music therapy accessible,” said BKCM Director of Marketing and Development Rose Crichton-White. “Music has always been a connector, it has always been something that can get people through so much in their lives as individuals […] and to look at a concert full of people and look at an audience at that moment, there is this thing that everyone is having the same feeling or moment together and that’s part of building the community.”
Supporting the community is a huge aspect and driving force of BKCM, whose mission is to “envision a world where every New Yorker regardless of age, income or level of ability has access to high-quality music instruction and music therapy.”
BKCM hopes that with this third year of “Open Stages”, they can continue to support existing students, but also encourage even more New Yorkers to seek out music education and therapy.
“We want to make sure people know how to play instruments as a skill, but it’s also about enforcing that love of music and what music can do for you in terms of just as a person and adding to who you are,” said Crichton-White.
To learn more about “Open Stages” or to buy tickets for the event, visit the BKCM event website here.