Neighborhood Music School has a whole world of creativity under one roof, from adult ballet to steel pan to guitar classes.
Of course, there’s also a lot of creativity out there in – well - the rest the world, too. And their newest program is all about exploring the arts in New Haven and beyond.
With the Neighborhood Spotlight Series, featuring expert speakers who work locally and internationally in music, dance and drama, NMS will bring unique artistic perspectives right to our front door (or more specifically, to their first floor performance space, but you get the picture).
The first three lectures will cover a diverse group of topics: African music and art; the hip hop experience and theatre; and jazz. These creative leaders will speak about their own projects and artistic process, and what inspires them. They will share their own unique perspective of both past and upcoming projects using visual tools, including video, to illustrate their experience, as well as host Q&A sessions.
And it gets better. All lectures are completely free of charge.
Can’t wait? No problem. The first lecture is scheduled for next Thursday evening, February 25 at 6:30 pm, with Akisa Omulepu presenting a discussion on “Black Enterprise and Music from the African Diaspora.”
Akisa – who just finished a semester collaborating with leaders from around the globe as part of the Yale World Fellows program – has lived in Kenya for the past seven years, where she produces groundbreaking television programs and manages Just A Band, a music and art collective.
Akisa is also the founder and CEO of Emerge Omnimedia, an organization that works towards creating opportunities for African artists expressing diverse views through media, music and art; her lecture will focus on the vibrant arts scene unfolding throughout Africa.
When asked her talk she answered “I’ll be talking a little bit about the Yale World Fellows, and about music and art and the changing landscape on the African continent. People underestimate how vast it actually is,” she says of her upcoming presentation. “There’s some incredible work happening around the continent.
Visit NMS webpage for specific information about the upcoming Spotlight Series and be sure to mark your calendars for February 25. All lectures take place in the NMS Recital Hall at 6:30 p.m. and they’re free and open to the public. This new talk series is sponsored by Yale New Haven Health System.
