Schimmel Center Blog

Last week I brought you a blog about the Brooklyn Bridge but now I would like to take you to a different borough, Staten Island.  Did you know that there is a free, hour long cruise waiting for you every day of the week right here in Downtown Manhattan?  That’s right, for the reasonable price of zero U.S. dollars you can have your very own cruise in the New York Harbor, complete with breath taking views of Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty and the new Freedom Tower!

A view of one of the Ferry vessels from another ferry vessel, taken from this blogger’s iphone!

The Staten Island Ferry wasn’t always the free trip it is today.  In 1871, a trip across the harbor would have cost you 25 cents. Over the course of the twentieth century the price had been as low as 5 cents and as high as 50 cents.  In 1997, the fare was abolished completely, making the ferry ride New York’s only free mode of transportation. There is nothing like being on a boat in the middle of the New York Harbor on a hot, sunny day; the feel of the sea breeze, the salty spray of cool mist, the panoramic views all around you. While one could certainly enjoy the ride as a pleasure cruise, many use this as their only means of transportation to and from Manhattan. The system carries over 60,000 passengers a day making 109 trips every day of the week.  The trip, one way, is 5 miles and 25 minutes long.

 Even if you don’t want to spend a day on the small island borough, there will be another ferry waiting to take you back to Manhattan as soon as you arrive. The Ferry is actually an entire fleet of nine vessels which ensures that the system is kept running every half hour on the dot. If you should miss the next ferry out, there is a variety of lunch options right in the St. James terminal.

For the first time voyager, the excursion to the Manhattan Ferry terminal may seem a bit daunting. Be sure to follow these tips:

• ·         Don’t look for a ticket booth, just get settled on the line forming at the large doors in the rear of the terminal
• ·         Don’t worry about being on the front of the line, there is plenty of room on board the vessel.
• ·         When the doors open make your way to the right side of the boat for your clear views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
• ·         When coming back, be sure to make your way to the left side for another view of the Statue of Liberty.
• ·         Manny of the vessels have a third level deck. Do take advantage of this tier to get the best vantage point possible.
• ·         Do bring a camera to take pictures of the stunning views.
• ·         Be sure to check out the beautiful aquarium style fish tanks at the St James Terminal (Staten Island)
• ·         Do not make your voyage during rush hour on a week day.
  

  A View of the Statue of Liberty taken from the Ferry on this blogger’s iphone!

The Manhattan terminal’s close proximity to the Schimmel Center makes it another perfect activity to take advantage of before attending one of our performances. Just make sure you give yourself at least an hour and a half before our doors open to avoid missing the performance.  The Manhattan Whitehall Terminal can be found at the southern tip of Manhattan on Whitehall Street. You can take the R or the 1 train and exit at South Ferry Station. It is my sincerest hope that you do take advantage of this unique Metropolitan offering.

See You at the Schimmel!                                     

Michael Torbet

Pace Presents 2013-14 Blogger

Imagine the Jetsons taking their yearly trip to Miami, lounging around the art deco inspired pool while Rosie the robot wheels on by to deliver a tropical mai tai complete with a tiny paper parasol. If you close your eyes, this is exactly the image that is conjured up while listening to the quirky, space age pop music played by Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica. Comprised of 22 musicians and featuring a quartet of singers, steel guitar, mallet and hand percussion and a B3 organ, the “Orchestrotica” is dedicated to presenting the arrangements of Juan Garcia Esquivel who was once considered the “king of space age bachelor pad arrangements”. The studio orchestra arranger was popular during Hollywood’s golden era for his “use of blistering brass, boisterous Latin percussion, wordless vocals, and mid-century Hollywood sound.”

Juan Garcia Esquivel was considered the “king of space-age pop music”.

Esquivel’s arrangements had all been lost decades ago until the group’s conductor, Mr. Ho (otherwise known as Brian O’Neill), used his unique gifts of perfect pitch and transcription to recapture each and every note off of old recordings made by Esquivel’s own orchestra. The “Orchestrotica” made its original concert debut with 17 musicians in 2005 at a Boston venue. This marked the first time that Esquivel’s studio arrangements had ever been played by an orchestra to a live audience. In 2008, the group garnered international interest and played several sold-out concerts in Esquivel’s native Mexico.

Since their debut, the group has recorded two separate albums entitled The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel and The River Rangoon, both released in 2010. The Huffington Post proclaimed both entries, “two of the top ten recordings of 2011”. You may have heard one of their delightful tracks and not known. In May of 2011, the group’s first recording played in over 10,000 Starbucks coffee shops nationwide. These recordings keep Esquivel’s tradition alive by allowing his music to be heard in any setting.

As I searched for the records on Spotify, I wasn’t sure what to expect. As soon as I played the first track, I was instantly brought to a place of romance, relaxation….. and robots. Sounds like an odd combination, I know, but Esquivel’s music is really something to be heard and experienced! The music transcends cultures. Tropical steel guitars and kettle drums are heard playing in collaboration with Chinese bells and Italian tambourines. The musicians themselves come from countries all across the globe like Albania, Brazil and Japan. The vocals are never actual words but rather delightful, nonsensical sounds. It takes one back to the mid- 20^th century space age aesthetics while still managing to seem cutting-edge. This is a must hear event for any Jazz enthusiast, big band music aficionado or admirer of world music.

While listening to the band’s albums is an experience in itself, one would not want to miss out on the exciting experience of seeing the group perform live. With its menagerie of exotic instruments, precocious singers as well as the exuberant conducting of O’Neill, Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica must be seen as well as heard to be believed! There is truly nothing like the thrill of seeing a big band in person.

Pace Presents is excited to have Mr. Ho and his “Orchestrotica” on hand to open up our 2013-14 season on September 21! The event also coincides with the Celebrate Mexico Now Festival, a city wide event that celebrates contemporary Mexican art and culture. The festival is produced by CN Management.

For tickets, visit schimmel.pace.edu or contact the box office directly at (212) 346-1715

 See you at The Schimmel!

Michael Torbet

Pace Presents 2013-14 Blogger

The “Orchestrotica” performs the works of “Esquivel” in a big band setting.

Here at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, we strive to bring you a wide variety of affordable, educational and quality entertainment. One of the many reasons we do this is because we care about the vitality and growth of our community in Downtown Manhattan.  It is one of this blog’s new goals to get the word out about how truly rich and vibrant this part of the city is. We will be featuring a series of posts about the many sites, attractions and restaurants in the downtown area.

This post will feature one of New York’s greatest landmarks, The Brooklyn Bridge! The walking entrance to the famed bridge is just feet away from the Schimmel Center, which makes walking the bridge the perfect activity to engage in before coming to one of our performances. Officially opened on May 24^th, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first steel suspension bridge of its kind and boasted the longest span of any bridge up to that time. It is so named because it connects the borough of Manhattan to its neighbor, Brooklyn, over the East River.

 The famed wooden, pedestrian walk way has been a staple feature of the bridge since its opening day.  Traveling the walk way has become one of the quintessential New York pastimes. Thanks to being featured in numerous movies such as It Happened in Brooklyn, Kate and Leopold and Enchanted, as well as a popular Geico advertisement

An idea of what the walkway looked like after it had opened in 1883.

, it is perhaps the best known pedestrian walkway in the world. Possibly the best reasons for its popularity are the stunning, breathtaking views it offers of the two boroughs.

Walking across the wooden planks, one certainly gets a sense of the hustle and bustle of the traffic below. Vehicles whizz by beneath your feet completely unaware of the magical place above, a place where pedestrians and bicyclists alike smile and acknowledge one another.  Above your head is an intricate web-like pattern of cables crossing each other and forming the bridge’s strong structural integrity, coming to a peak atop Neo-Gothic towers. A slight breeze from the river comes over you. In the distance, the iconic Manhattan skyline glimmers back at you in all its illustrious glory. There is no better place to truly take in this enchanting city and there is no better way to spend a crisp autumn afternoon than on the fabled walk-way. Be sure to bring the camera (or iPhone) with you because the photo opportunities (or Kodak moments as we used to say) will be endless!

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Lower Manhattan side entrance to the walkway is located at Park Row and City Hall. You can take the 4/5/6 and exit at the City Hall stop and you will be right there. The pedestrian walkway is accessible from Brooklyn at Tillary/Adams Streets or a staircase on Prospect St between Cadman Plaza East and West.

This exciting, free attraction would be the perfect activity for the family before coming to hear the space age pop music of our season-opening act, SONORAMA: The Lost Space Age Pop Music of Esquivel performed by Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica on Saturday September 21! Look for more information about this exciting guest in our next blog post! The autumnal equinox will be the optimal time for taking in the joys the bridge has to offer you.

For more on what Downtown Manhattan has to offer, check back at our blog regularly. It is my sincerest hope that you do take advantage of this world-famous landmark.  Whatever you do though, don’t let anyone try to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge!

 See you at the Schimmel!

Michael Torbet

Pace Presents 2013-14 Blogger

While the long hot days of summer are in full swing, the staff here at The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts is busy preparing for our exciting third season of Pace Presents. We are excited to offer, once again, one of the most eclectic and engrossing collection of musicians, dancers, performance artists and lecturers that the metropolitan area has to offer. The Schimmel is also proud to be building a reputation as one of Downtown Manhattan’s premier spots for culture and entertainment. Highlights of the season include Edith on November  1^st and 2^nd , an evening of the songs made famous by Edith Piaf sung by Jil Aigrot who provided the singing voice for Marion Cotillard in the feature film La Vie En Rose;  Recuerdo Tango on October 17^th -19^th , a pulsating evening of intense, sensual rhythms and dance as well as The RUBBERBANDance Group on March 20^th– 22^nd , this exciting group is recognized internationally for its unique ability to fuse breakdancing, ballet and modern dance into a spectacular showcase. We are excited to be welcoming back Fred Barton and his big band style orchestra for their exciting American Showstoppers series featuring Broadway singers performing the standards of Richard Rodgers and Jerry Herman. Dr.Janetta Benton will also be back this year to offer two lecture series entitled France’s Fascinating Art and The Great Masters which will take place in October and March respectively.

This year, our blog will be launching some exciting new series of posts. In addition to the descriptions and videos of our performances, we will also be featuring insightful interviews with performers as well as conversations with the professional and student staff that work here at the center. We also plan to feature a series of blog posts about the abundance of activities and institutions that also play a huge role in the integrity of the Downtown Manhattan community. Our hope is that this series will better help you plan your visit and give us an opportunity to better represent the beautiful, diverse community that is Downtown Manhattan. Please check back regularly for these exciting new features.

In addition to our Blog, we have several exciting ways to stay connected to us throughout the 2013-14 season. You can like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or even check out pictures from our events on our new Flickr account. Staying connected with us through our various social media outlets is a great way to ensure that you aren’t missing a moment of what our series has to offer! As always, you have the opportunity to join our Friends of Pace Email Club. Friends receive our monthly e-newsletter, special discounted rates, first notice of additional shows added and a special discounted pre-announcement rate for our upcoming season. And the best part? You are entered into our monthly drawing to receive two tickets to any Pace Presents show you choose.

With the start of the new season, we are introducing some new discount ticketing procedures!

·        Student Tickets

$5 student balcony tickets are available for advance purchase in person at the box office. Student rush orchestra tickets (subject to availability) are available for purchase at the box office on the day of the performance (subject to availability). Any student with a photo ID is eligible. All student ticket sales are cash only.

·        Discounts for Pace University Faculty and Staff

Pace Faculty and Staff receive $15 tickets to all Pace Presents shows. These must be purchased through the box office phone or in person with your Pace ID. A limit of two tickets per performance applies.

·        Discounts for Pace University Alumni

Pace Alumni receive 20% off all Pace Presents shows. These must be purchased through the box office phone or in person with proper ID. A limit of two tickets per performance applies.

·        Discounts for Groups

Groups of 10 or more receive 25% off! Contact the box office to purchase tickets.

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE

Remember that the best way to save on seats this season is to call us at our box office directly and create your own subscription package with one of our friendly and helpful box office staff members. Creating a subscription is easy and affordable.

·         Save 10% off when purchasing tickets to any 3 performances!

·         Save 20% off when purchasing tickets to any 5 performances!

·         Save 30% off when purchasing tickets to any 7 performances!

Subscribers enjoy the benefit of free exchanges, priority seating, 10% off on all additional tickets as well as saving over 30% in handling fees. Subscriptions can only be made when you contact our box office directly at 212.346.1715. The box office opens July 15 and will be open Monday-Friday, 1p-6p.

See you at the Schimmel!

Michael Torbet

Pace Presents’ 2013-14 Blogger

The Pace Presents 2012-2013 series has officially come to an end. We would like to extend our sincerest thank you’s to all of our supporters and we hope you enjoyed this year’s events. Stay tuned on this blog, or our Facebook and Twitter pages, for announcements regarding next year’s Pace Presents series!