NEW YORK CITY COMMUNITY CHORUS presents “NICE WORK, IRA! — A TRIBUTE TO IRA GERSHWIN”
Everything old is new again, when the non-sectarian New York City Community Chorus celebrates its 20th Anniversary by returning to the scene of their very first concert: Chelsea’s Church of the Holy Apostles. “Twenty years ago,” recalls chorus director and co-founder Jack Eppler, “I had this idea that anyone could sing. So we started a no-audition chorus that turns no one away. We grew organically — learning the ‘business of arts’ and how to keep ourselves going. While it can be a struggle, here we are today, in a vastly different Chelsea, and our mission of restoring singing to the community still resonates.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is the door policy: come one, come all, and pay what you can. This anniversary concert, a tribute to the work of quintessential New York personality Ira Gershwin, features jazz artist Jeannine Otis as the guest soloist and chorus selections including “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” “Slap That Bass” and an audience sing-along to “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”
Sun., June 14, 4 p.m. at Church of the Holy Apostles (296 Ninth Ave. at 28th St.). Suggested donation: $12. For more info, visit nycccha.org.
PANEL on PUBLIC PARKS & PRIVATE MONEY
The Chelsea Reform Democratic Club’s June general meeting, open to the public, will feature a panel on the role of private funding in the creation, and maintenance, of our parks. Discussing the issue, and taking your questions, will be Mark Levine (Chair, NYC Council Committee on Parks), Deborah Marton (Exec. Director, NY Restoration Project), Noreen Doyle (Exec. VP, Hudson River Park Trust) and Susan Lerner (Exec. Dir. Common Cause NY).
Free. Thurs., June 18, 7 p.m. at the Hudson Guild’s Elliott Center (441 W. 26th St., near 10th Ave.). More info at crdcnyc.org.
KIDS DANCE AT THE JOYCE
Ranging in ages from nine to 14, over three dozen students from Ballet Tech (NYC’s tuition-free public school for dance) return to The Joyce Theater for their annual program of ensemble work choreographed by Brooklyn-born Eliot Feld. This year’s selections include the premiere of the drum and bugle fanfare “A Yankee Doodle,” along with a standout from the 2014 program: “KYDZNY” (with music by the Raya Brass Band). Also featured, the daffy “Dotty Polkas,” whose moves are set to the works of Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss.
Thurs.–Sat., June 11–13 at 7 p.m. Sat./Sun., June 13–14 at 2 p.m. At the Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.). For tickets ($10-$39), call 212-242-0800 or visit joyce.org. Also visit ballettech.org.
–By Scott Stiffler
