VIDEO: Yasiin Bey, the Brooklyn Phil and Magic at Restoration Plaza

The Brooklyn Philharmonic on Saturday wrapped its season and also concluded its Bed-Stuy series, a year-long creative partnership with , with a dedication to the music of the legendary singer, actress and Bed-Stuy native Lena Horne.

Thousands crowded into the plaza at Restoration Corporation to witness what was truly a unique collaboration between Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), vocalist Leslie Uggams, the Brooklyn Phil and the young string players of the .

Under the artistic direction of Alan Pierson, the evening’s players remixed the aggressive energy and charged lyrics of hip hop with the classic ballads of the Ms. Horne, along with the peerless voice of Ms. Ugamms and the revolutionary music of Beethoven.

On a balmy Saturday evening in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the best of so many different artistic genres, influences and cultures came together to create magic. The weather was perfect, as the free-flowing breezes kissed everyone with the sounds strings, woodwind, percussions and horns.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic fittingly called the performance “a Bed-Stuy tradition,” and Restoration called it “phenomenal.”

More than anything, however, the evening was a reminder for all of those fortunate enough to experience it, that when it comes to culture, resourcefulness and creativity, Bed-Stuy will always do. And never die.