Harlem Stage Uptown Nights 2023-2024

Harlem Stage returns with its beloved music series, Uptown Nights, to present a dynamic set of artists across a wide range of genres throughout the anniversary year. From September to December 2023, the institution presents the Uptown Nights Latinx Music Series, an exciting lineup that celebrates music from the Latinx diaspora.

UPTOWN NIGHTS:
Ian Isiah + Kimberly Nichole
Friday, January 26, 2024 @ 7:30 PM
Raised in the heart of Brooklyn with a strong gospel stripe, Ian Isiah has grown into the forefront of both fashion and LGBTQ+ movements, first with Hood By Air and now Telfar. He has toured with and has been featured on numerous Blood Orange projects and appeared on records by Yves Tumor, Theophilus London and Mykki Blanco. 2018’s Shugga Sextape Vol. 1 took the music world by storm and, with his R&B and silky soul-infused AUNTIE, a collaborative EP with Chromeo, Ian has continued to break ground and prove himself to be a true rising star. Harlem Stage alum and punkSoul/Rock artist Kimberly Nichole (Kim Nicky) has a sound shaped by the groundbreaking grunge music of her hometown, Seattle, and the southern blues and gospel roots of her parents. Kimberly made a name for herself in New York City on the underground music scene and in nightlife by way of the late night club The Box. She has shared stages with Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Nancy Wilson (Heart), Slash (Guns N’ Roses) and Joe Walsh (The Eagles), as well as the likes of Nona Hendryx, Ledisi, Kehlani, Janelle Monae and Christina Aguilera (who served as her coach when she was a finalist on The Voice). Now based in London, Kimberly returns to the Gatehouse for a special set showcasing her distinctive style, soaring voice and edgy showmanship.

An Evening of Chamber Music presented with Sugar Hill Salon & Concert Artists Guild
Friday, February 23, 2024 @ 7:30 PM
As part of its Uptown Nights music series, Harlem Stage collaborates with Harlem-based Sugar Hill Salon—one of the first chamber music series and artistic collectives that centers on black and brown woodwind artistry in classical music—and Concert Artists Guild—which has, since 1951, launched the careers of hundreds of emerging classical artists and ensembles —to curate an evening of chamber music at the Gatehouse, featuring works by living composers of color, performed by musicians from each organization’s ranks, including Alexander Davis (bassoon), Adam W. Sadberry (flute), David Valbuena (clarinet) and Wynona Wang (piano).

UPTOWN NIGHTS LATIN MUSIC SERIES:
Pablo Mayor's Folklore Urbano Orchestra
Friday, September 22, 2023 @ 7 PM
Kicking off the series is Colombian-born, Pan-Latin pianist, composer and educator Pablo Mayor and his powerhouse 13-piece Folklore Urbano Orchestra. Upon arriving in New York City in 1999, Mayor began producing modern Latin American music inspired by his native Colombia, combining formal studies in jazz with a passion for folkloric Latin American rhythms. Mayor’s playing and arrangements have been featured in performances and on recordings by GRAMMY winners Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Colombian singer Totó la Momposina, Puerto Rican pioneers Los Pleneros de la 21 and the legendary Cuban Orquesta Broadway. In this spirited dance party featuring a range of styles including Colombian music, salsa and other music from across the Americas, Mayor and his vibrant band perform his mission of #GlobalMusictoUnify, lifting the roof off the historic Harlem Stage Gatehouse. Preceded by a dance class taught by choreographer, dancer and Harlem Stage commissioned artist, Daniel Fetecua, and followed by a salsa DJ dance party with music spun by DJ Franklin Ayala and co-hosted with Talia Castro-Pozo!

Dafnis Prieto—Cantar
Friday, October 27, 2023 @ 7 & 9 PM
Last seen at Harlem Stage’s Black Arts Movement Conference in May 2023 with Henry Threadgill and Craig Taborn, GRAMMY-winning Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto presents the New York debut of his heralded 2022 album, Cantar, featuring songs with music and lyrics by Prieto. Since arriving in the U.S. from Cuba in 1999, Prieto, “one of the most multidimensional artists working today” (JazzTimes), has honed his forward-looking musical vision across a range of styles and formats. In the process, he has become equally known for his composing brilliance and his electrifying drumming, comfortably exploring a wide spectrum of musical vocabular­ies.

Flor de Toloache
Friday, November 10, 2023 @ 7:30 PM
Latin GRAMMY winners Flor de Toloache, New York City’s first and only all-women mariachi group, make their Harlem Stage debut, presented in collaboration with Carnegie Hall. Founded in 2008, singers and founding members Mireya I. Ramos and Shae Fiol lead the four-piece band whose instrumentation includes vihuela, violin, trumpet and guitarrón. Hailing from diverse cultural backgrounds, the ensemble brings a contemporary flair to traditional Mexican music, casting a spell on audiences like the legendary Toloache flower still being used in Mexico as a love potion.

Yasser Tejeda & DJ Sabine Blaizin
Friday, December 1, 2023 @ 8:00 PM
In this special collaboration with World Music Institute and Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, rescheduled from June 2023, Harlem Stage presents Afro-Dominican bandleader and guitarist Yasser Tejeda performing a combination of traditional folkloric music, jazz, rock and Caribbean rhythms. Keeping us moving before and after the performance, DJ Sabine Blaizin (Oyasound) will spin Global House and Soul, Afrotech, Afrobeat and other diasporic Afro-Caribbean dance music with a nod to her Haitian roots.