The Brooklyn Philharmonic Welcomes Erykah Badu as Artist-in-Residence for New Season

Quiz: Where's the hippest, most innovative, creative and talented orchestra in the nation?

Here's a hint: BROOKLYN!

Under the artistic direction of Alan Pierson, the Brooklyn Philharmonic not only is making orchestra music accessible and relevant to audiences of all stripes, but it also embraces and illuminates the cultural sensibilities of Brooklyn's diverse local communities while managing to stay true to its classical roots.

The Brooklyn Philharmonic recently announced its 2013 season lineup, presenting another season of cutting-edge programming.

The dynamic second season of the Brooklyn Phil takes off on Thursday, October 25, 8:00 p.m., at the World Financial Center Winter Garden, located at 220 Vesey Street (btw. West Street and North End Avenue).

This FREE teaser concert, hosted by WNYC's John Schaefer and performed by a chamber ensemble of Brooklyn Phil musicians, will introduce creative collaborations with Brooklyn artists and organizations for the 2012 - 2013 season.

These collaborations include new commissions by young Brooklyn composers Kendall Williams, Christopher Cerrone, Matt Marks, Tim Fite and Ted Hearne, and a joint performance with Brooklyn's renowned steel pan ensemble, Pan Sonatas Steel Orchestra. This free performance will be broadcast live on WNYC radio and online at Q2 Music.

The orchestra also continues its role as an artistic leader in the community with more local partnerships, featuring its wildly popular concert series in the neighborhoods of in Brighton Beach, Downtown Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy.

Brooklyn Phil will host host four different events in each neighborhood—an orchestra concert, chamber concert, family workshop and neighborhood tour—which are influenced by local culture and involve the participation of local artists, organizations, and businesses.  All events will demonstrate the orchestra’s ability to make music in a variety of styles and configurations.

"If music teaches the children of Brooklyn to become creators, America’s troubles will be over very quickly," said Richard Dare, Brooklyn Phil's managing director and CEO.

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This year's Bed-Stuy Series follows up on last year’s groundbreaking collaboration with Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), featuring new artist-in-residence Erykah Badu!

Badu will perform, along with Brooklyn Phil's musical tribute to Bed-Stuy’s own Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress. The tribute, by Ted Hearne (co-commission with the Los Angeles Philharmonic) will present new works in collaboration with the Pan Sonatas Steel Orchestra.

The groundbreaking concert, entitled, "You're Causing Quite a Disturbance," will take place Saturday, April 20, 2013, at 7:30 p.m., at Boys and Girls High School, located at 1700 Fulton Street. Tickets are $25.

"I’m thrilled to be deepening the roots we built last year in Brighton Beach, Downtown Brooklyn and Bed-Stuy," said Pierson of the 2012-2013 season. "There’s still so much to explore in Brooklyn’s extraordinarily rich and varied communities.”

Also as a part of the Bed-Stuy Series, on Sunday, April 7, 2013, 4:00 pm, at the S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture at the Brooklyn Public Library, located at 10 Grand Army Plaza, is a chamber concert entitled, "Strings and Slam Poets,"

Here, the Brooklyn Phil partners with Urban Word NYC to present a multi-faceted free concert that traces the legacy of the spoken word in the context of chamber music.  

Works by Schubert and Schumann for piano and narrator will be performed with updated texts by recent New York Youth Poet Laureates Justin Long-Moton and Ishmael Islam. Contemporary chamber music for string ensemble and speaker by Frederick Rzewski (Chains) and Brooklyn's own Randall Woolf (Blues for Black Hoodies) show how spoken word has become a powerful tool for composers today.

The performance will open with a slam poetry open mic and will be followed by a post-concert Q&A with poets and musicians.

To see Brooklyn Philharmonic's full 2012-2013 season lineup, fellowship opportunities, new initiatives (including the new, Brooklyn Phil Youth Orchestra), and/or to purchase tickets, visit its website.