Brooklyn has its own certifiable mini-Carnegie Hall, and you have Simone Dinnerstein to thank.
Since 2009, the Park Slope-based pianist has been bringing first-class talent to PS 321 with her semi-regular classical concert series, Neighborhood Classics.
“I wanted to start a concert series that would bring families together to listen to classical music, and doing this in my own neighborhood seemed like a good place to begin,” said Dinnerstein, who donates all proceeds from the concert series to her old school. “We can all look just outside our front doors for opportunities like this.”
Dinnerstein is used to making opportunities happen — she self-released her 2007 album, a recording of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” and saw it quickly shoot to the top of the Billboard Classical Chart. Her follow-up, “The Berlin Concert,” did the same. Another all-Bach disc, “Bach: A Strange Beauty,” comes out on Jan. 19, this time on Sony Classical.
When the concerts series kicks off its third year on Jan. 9, though, all eyes — and ears — will be on Bridget Kibbey. The award-winning, genre-bending harpist will perform an international program that includes Benjamin Briten’s “Suite for Harp,” Andre Caplet’s “A L’espanol,” Kati Agocs’s “Every Lover is a Warrior,” and an arrangement of Celtic reels.
Neighborhood Classics at PS 321 [180 Seventh Ave. between First and Second streets in Park Slope, (718) 499-2412], Jan. 9 at 2 pm. Tickets $15. For info, visit www.neighborhoodclassics.com.