BY GABE HERMAN | The Third Street Music School Settlement is launching a series of concerts and special events to celebrate its 125th anniversary, starting with a community block party this Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m.
The “125th and Beyond Block Party” will be held in front of the East Village school, on East 11 Street between Second and Third Avenues. It’s open to the public and will include music- and dance-themed activities involving faculty and students, along with a recording booth for recording original songs and the iconic giant walking piano from the Tom Hanks movie “Big.” There will also be an outdoor café and carnival games, face painting and a photo booth.
The school is co-presenting the event with WNYC, the New York Theatre Workshop and the nearby Otterndorfer branch of the New York Public Library.
Other events in the coming year to celebrate the school’s 125th anniversary will include An Evening with Philip Glass; Chamber Music in Concert at Le Poisson Rouge; A Special String ‘Stravaganza; and a special concert tribute to CBGB.
“Bringing together students, parents, alumni and the community is the ideal way to start celebrating our 125-year history of providing unparalleled arts education in the Lower East Side,” said Valerie Lewis, the Anna-Maria Kellen Executive Director of Third Street. “We’re going to party like it’s 1894 with our Third Street community!”
The Third Street Music School Settlement was indeed founded in 1894, and is the country’s longest-running community music school. It has 2,000 students, who range in age from 3 to 93, and also teaches music and dance to over 3,500 NYC public school students through its Partners program.
Some of the school’s accomplished alumni include David Guy, trumpet player for the Roots; classical violinist Jessie Montgomery; and Bobby Lopez, who co-wrote the Broadway show “Avenue Q” and won an Oscar for writing the “Frozen” hit song “Let it Go.”
More information can be found at thirdstreetmusicschool.org.
