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12th Annual Summer Sundays in the Park Performance Series Kick off!

The Summer Sundays at the Park performance and concert series is back for another season of free outdoor music in Jackson Heights organized by The Jackson Heights Beautification Group. This volunteer-run organization has been bringing emerging and established artists to Travers Park and the adjacent 78th Street Play Street every summer Sunday afternoon for the past 12 years.

The concert series will take place on the 78th Street Play Street between 34th Avenue and Northern Boulevard alongside Travers Park. All concerts begin at 4:00 p.m. every Sunday from June 21st to August 30th. This year the Summer Sundays committee created a call for Queens-based musicians and performers, including dance groups to submit an application to participate.

“The Summer Concert series offers a platform for artists to showcase their musical roots in a very unique space. We have hosted local artists who bring sounds from all over the world,” said concert organizer Carlos Martinez. Previous artists include Grammy nominated artists Red Baraat, a Bhangra party band and Locos Por Juana, a bilingual Latin fusion band.

The 2015 summer schedule is as follows:

June 21stMake Music New York (only performance scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

June 28th – Una Via: Rock out to the beat of this Latin Fusion band that fuses traditional Colombian music, including vallenato and cumbia.

July 5th – Jackson Heights Orchestra: Enjoy the sounds of the light classics, jazz, and some fun patriotic music in this organization’s first outdoor concert.

July 12th – Issa Cabrera: From bossa nova to bolero, samba to jazz, Issa Cabrera wows audiences with lush vocals above infectious Latin rhythms.

July 19th – Calpulli Mexican Dance Company: Students from Calpulli’s Community programming show off their dance moves and musical notes turning this park into a stage.

July 26th – Pink Ride: Get your groove on with the sounds of this 3-piece psychedelic rock band.

August 2nd – Daisuke Abe and UoU: This acoustic jazz quintet formed in 2008 consists of all Japanese native musicians, featuring guitarist Daisuke Abe. UoU brings its unique sound inflected by Japanese lyricism and rhythm as part of the weekend-long Jackson Heights Jazz Festival.

August 9th – Bethany Wild: Come listen to singer-songwriter with a musical range that encompasses jazz standards, pop music and original compositions with effortless grace.

Band in a Box: This captivating, modern jazz duo will enchant your senses and take you away from the day-to-day buzz.

August 16th – Ayazamana: is an Ecuadorian dance group that performs folkloric dances to highlight the beauty and diversity that exists in Ecuador.

August 30th – Theater for a New City performing “Teach It Right! Or, Right to Teach!”: This theater group has been providing free operetta-for-the-streets to communities throughout New York City since the early 1970s.

“These concerts are a great opportunity to bring the people of Jackson Heights together, no matter their age, income or where they come from, to enjoy a wide range of performances – jazz, rock, Latin, dance and theater,” said Len Maniace, JHBG President and founder of Summer Sundays in the Park.

Summer Sundays in the Park is organized and made possible by the Jackson Heights Beautification Group with additional support from the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Summer Sundays in the Park Concert Committee: Beatriz Gil, Carlos Martinez, Edwin Westley, Nuala O’Doherty, Rodrigo Salazar and Vinny Mongeluzo. 

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