In Friday’s (3/7) New York Times, Liz Robbins writes, “ In cafes and churches, in living rooms and waiting rooms, the Worldwide Play-In Weekend”—which took place on the first weekend of March—“welcomed all levels and all ages of classical musicians. Sponsored by ACMP—The Chamber Music Network, an organization for amateur players that helps them find compatible partners, the event was founded in 1986 … but after a few years, it petered out.… In 2012, ACMP’s chairwoman, Janet White” revived it. Last weekend, there were 100 or so known play-ins around the world— including in Brussels and Shanghai.” In the New York area alone, participants included a group of musicians organized by a surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital; the G-String Grannies, a quartet of grandmothers; and musicians from the Harlem School for the Arts. Musicians in two El Sistema-inspired initiatives took part: UpBeat NYC, at a Bronx apartment building, and Corona Youth Music Project, whose performers included 13-year-old Emilio Hernandez and 14-year-old Cesar Velasquez, “recently returned from an El Sistema symposium in Los Angeles, where their performances included a Tchaikovsky competition.”
Posted March 10, 2014
