Inwood Art Works On Air

This is our On Air 2021 Live N’ Local Seasonal Sampler - Volume 2. We’re going to share with you one live selection from each local musical artist we presented in the second half of 2021.   This is less of a greatest hits, and more of a critic’s pick - a mix-tape, if you will, curated by hosts Aaron Simms and Jonathan Bell, with the hope that if you like what you hear, it will prompt you to check out more from these amazing local artists. Or at the very least, go check out their On Air episode!2021 LIVE N LOCAL SEASONAL SAMPLER - VOL. 2 Rich Shemaria – The Invisible Bridge Jerome Kitzke – The Green Automobile Eri Yamamoto – Improvisation Asher Ben-Or – Untitled Guitar Instrumental Manuel Valera – Expectativas Atom Fellows – Space Girls Will Save Us Eli Yamin - Me and Lulu On Air is created and produced by Inwood Art Works. You can support this program by making a tax-deductible donation at www.inwoodartworks.nyc/donate.

Raun Ruffin has performed on and off Broadway in such productions as The Civil War and The York Theater Company’s Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope. Regional Theater credits include five separate productions of Five Guys Named Moe, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Faust, Some Enchanted Evening, and Dreamgirls. Tours include the European leg of “Sophisticated Ladies” and the North American tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

Inwood Art Works On Air is a free podcast produced by Inwood Art Works. If you would like to support this podcast by setting up a $2 to $20 monthly tax-deductible donation to Inwood Art Works please visit www.inwoodartworks.nyc/support/donate-now. If you would like to feature your small business and support Inwood Art Works by sponsoring an episode, contact us! Corporate and neighborhood small business sponsorships are available. Email info@inwooodartworks.nyc for more information.    

An award-winning writer, producer and actor, Adam Elliott’s short films and web series have screened all over the US and internationally. He served as a staff writer on the web series ‘The Age of Insecurity’ (Winner, LA Comedy Festival) and ‘Little Italy, Los Angeles’ (Winner, HollyShorts). His short documentary about his father, ‘Harv’ won the 2017 Greenwich Village Film Festival and 2018 Inwood Film Festival. The film also launched the Harv Toback Fund for the Arts (harvtobackfund.org), which raises money for Art Therapy Programs for Hospitals and Medical Facilities. He won Best Actor at the 2020 New York City Short Comedy Film Festival for his portrayal of The Agent in ‘Adam Adamson, Licensed Realtor,’ which premiered at the IFC Center. His latest short film ‘A Best Man’ is a grant recipient of the inaugural Inwood Art Works Filmmaker Fund Award and is currently making its rounds on the festival circuit. On the theatre side, Adam’s plays and staged readings have been produced in New York City and Los Angeles. Adam currently lives with himself in New York City. For more, visit Adam's production company at cminusproductions.com 

Samuel D. Hunter’s plays include The Whale (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play, GLAAD Media Award, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Play), A Bright New Boise (Obie Award, Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), The Few, A Great Wilderness, Rest, Pocatello, Lewiston, Clarkston, and most recently, The Healing and The Harvest. He is the recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, a 2012 Whiting Writers Award, the 2013 Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, the 2011 Sky Cooper Prize, the 2008 PONY/Lark Fellowship, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Idaho. His plays have been produced in New York at Playwrights Horizons, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Clubbed Thumb and Page 73, and around the country at such theaters as Seattle Rep, South Coast Rep, Victory Gardens, Williamstown Theater Festival, The Old Globe, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Denver Center Theatre Company, Marin Theater Company, and elsewhere. Samuel's work has been developed at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, the Ojai Playwrights Conference, Seven Devils, and PlayPenn. A published anthology of his work, including The Whale and A Bright New Boise, is available from TCG books. He is a member of New Dramatists, an Ensemble Playwright at Victory Gardens, a member of Partial Comfort Productions, and was a 2013 Resident Playwright at Arena Stage. A native of northern Idaho, Sam lives in Inwood, NYC. He holds degrees in playwriting from NYU, The Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and Juilliard. Watch for new Inwood Art Works On Air episodes! Live N' Local episodes drop the first Thursday of each month, and Artist Spotlight episodes drop two weeks later. Subscribe so you don't miss a thing! And please, show local artists (and us!) some love by leaving some stars and a review on Apple Podcasts. Inwood Art Works On Air is produced by Inwood Art Works. If you would like to support this this podcast by setting up a $2 to $20 monthly tax-deductible donation to Inwood Art Works please visit www.inwoodartworks.nyc/support/donate-now. If you would like to feature your small business and support Inwood Art Works On Air by sponsoring an episode, contact us. Corporate and neighborhood small business sponsorships are available; email info@inwooodartworks.nyc for more info.

Samantha Echo is a singing, songwriting fairy/abomination who was allegedly called into existence as the bastard child of an acid-induced one-night-stand between Leonard Cohen and one of the Disney Princesses (it probably happened at the Chelsea Hotel). She and her music have been described as "somewhere between dangerous and whimsy" (Jack Murray, Unknown Nobodies), meaning that she has fairy wings and a non-threatening babyface but she sings about horrible things; "Dark Fairy Rock" (Jamie Ignao), "Comic Con's Kate Bush" (Janna Pelle), meaning that she has a very high, girly soprano voice and is almost too nerdy to function; and a female incarnation of Morrissey (Siv Disa), meaning that her lyrics will depress you but in a good way. For more information visit: www.samanthaecho.com Watch for new Inwood Art Works On Air episodes! Live N' Local episodes drop the first Thursday of each month, and Artist Spotlight episodes drop two weeks later. Subscribe so you don't miss a thing! And please, show local artists (and us!) some love by leaving some stars and a review on Apple Podcasts. Inwood Art Works On Air is produced by Inwood Art Works. If you would like to support this this podcast by setting up a $2 to $20 monthly tax-deductible donation to Inwood Art Works please visit www.inwoodartworks.nyc/support/donate-now. If you would like to feature your small business and support Inwood Art Works On Air by sponsoring an episode, contact us. Corporate and neighborhood small business sponsorships are available; email info@inwooodartworks.nyc for more info.

Jamie Reynolds is a Canadian pianist, keyboardist and composer who has lived in New York City since 2005. He graduated with honors from the University of Toronto in 2004, where he studied with David Braid, Mike Murley, Phil Nimmons, and many others. Jamie moved to New York in 2005 when he was awarded multiple Canada Council grants to study privately with Fred Hersch and Craig Taborn. He has also received professional development grants for touring in 2012 and for recording his album Counterpart in 2013. Jamie has performed at New York's top jazz clubs and has toured extensively in Canada, the U.S., and Europe, including a performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. For more information visit www.jamiereynoldspiano.com. Be on the lookout for new Inwood Art Works On Air programming released monthly! Subscribe to this podcast or the Inwood Art Works YouTube channel to make sure you don't miss an episode. And please show us some love by reviewing this podcast on iTunes. Inwood Art Works On Air is a free podcast produced by Inwood Art Works. If you would like to support this monthly program by setting up a $2 to $20 monthly tax-deductible donation to Inwood Art Works please visit www.inwoodartworks.nyc/support/donate-now. If you would like to feature your small business and support Inwood Art Works by sponsoring an episode, contact us! Corporate and neighborhood small business sponsorships are available. Email info@inwooodartworks.nyc for more information.

Founded in 2005, NYC-based Double Entendre Music Ensemble is a collective of like-minded musicians devoted to adventurous exploration of the double reed repertoire. Noted for its first-rate musicianship and creativity, the Ensemble illuminates classics, revives neglected music, and commissions new works for these soulful instruments. Led by Kathryn Englehardt, the ensemble performs everywhere from concert halls to beer halls, in churches and bookstores, schools and parks, Double Entendre reaches a diverse audience wherever engaged listeners are found. For more information visit www.doubleentendre.org Watch for new Inwood Art Works On Air episodes! Live N' Local episodes drop the first Thursday of each month, and Artist Spotlight episodes drop two weeks later. Subscribe so you don't miss a thing! And please, show local artists (and us!) some love by leaving some stars and a review on Apple Podcasts. Inwood Art Works On Air is produced by Inwood Art Works. If you would like to support this this podcast by setting up a $2 to $20 monthly tax-deductible donation to Inwood Art Works please visit www.inwoodartworks.nyc/support/donate-now. If you would like to feature your small business and support Inwood Art Works On Air by sponsoring an episode, contact us. Corporate and neighborhood small business sponsorships are available; email info@inwooodartworks.nyc for more info.

You may not know it, but you’ve seen Jeannine Jones’ work as a prop designer on Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, and Late Night With Seth Myers, not to mention Monty Python’s Spamalot, Mel Brooks’ The Producers, and Jersey Boys. She’s also an accomplished playwright, screenwriter, director, and a founding member of Dora Mae Productions. Watch for new Inwood Art Works On Air episodes! Live N' Local episodes drop the first Thursday of each month, and Artist Spotlight episodes drop two weeks later. Subscribe so you don't miss a thing! And please, show local artists (and us!) some love by leaving some stars and a review on Apple Podcasts. Inwood Art Works On Air is produced by Inwood Art Works. If you would like to support this this podcast by setting up a $2 to $20 monthly tax-deductible donation to Inwood Art Works please visit www.inwoodartworks.nyc/support/donate-now. If you would like to feature your small business and support Inwood Art Works On Air by sponsoring an episode, contact us. Corporate and neighborhood small business sponsorships are available; email info@inwooodartworks.nyc for more info. Inwood Art Works On Air is made possible with funds from the NYSCA Electronic Media and Film Grant Program, in partnership with Wave Farm: Media Arts Assistance Fund, and the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Kevin Delaney is a veteran of New York's post-punk and singer-songwriter scenes, but these days he writes and records, as he puts it, “on a solitary iMac in the wilds of northern Manhattan.” Kevin sings, and he plays acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, bass, and harmonica. He even fakes it on keyboards. He’s recorded two albums, Pause for Effect and Himalayan Moon, which Smother Magazine called "excellent, stirring, a must-have, and compelling.''

Desiree Abeyta wrote, directed, and produced An Invitation To Tea, a recipient of this year's inaugural Inwood Art Works Filmmaker Fund Award. Her work reflects a love of magical realism, and she’s one of very few filmmakers setting out to explore that rich literary tradition from a feminine perspective. Follow Desiree on Instagram at @chatonjolie.

This episode of Inwood Art Works On Air Live N’ Local welcomes Inwood's Kirsten and Keith Chambers. Kirsten is a soprano who joined the Metropolitan Opera first as a cover of Isolde in Tristan und Isolde and then, this past season, for Die Walküre. Kirsten is known especially for her portrayal of the title role of Salome, which she’s sung not only at the Metropolitan Opera but at the Opera Hong Kong and the Florida Grand Opera as well. Keith Chambers is the founder, artistic director, and principal conductor of New Amsterdam Opera. He has conducted hundreds of performances of nearly fifty operas, for dozens of companies throughout North America and Europe, and he conducts himself daily as Kirsten’s husband. You can find out more about Kirsten and Keith at www.kirsten-chambers.com and www.keith-chambers.com.

Many New Yorkers know painter and illustrator Elissa Gore from her paintings depicting the natural beauty of Inwood (viewable on her blog at www.elissagore.net) or from the many plein air sessions she has led in Inwood Hill Park. Elissa has been painting professionally for over twenty-five years, and today her work hangs in many private homes and over seventy public collections. In this episode of Inwood Art Works On Air, Aaron joins Elissa at the Amore Cafe and Juice Bar in Inwood to talk about her work, her background in medical and botanical illustration, architecture, and much more!

This week Inwood Art Works On Air Live N' Local welcomes opera singers Lori Phillips and Mary Phillips. Soprano Lori Phillips debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer in 2010, which was also the year she appeared (in a role debut) as Brünnhilde in Die Walküre with the Hawaii Opera Theater. Since then she’s performed to tremendous accolades throughout North America and Europe. Mezzo-soprano Mary Phillips has performed most of the mezzo roles in Wagner’s Ring cycle, including Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde for Dallas Opera and Schwertleite in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Die Walküre. In 2012 she received a Grammy for her solo work in the Met’s recording of Wagner’s Der Ring Des Niebelungen. Mary has sung throughout North America and Europe, including Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and the Library of Congress. Incidentally, Lori and Mary are not just sisters, but identical twins. For this episode Aaron is joined by Gordon Ostrowski, recently retired stage director and assistant dean at the Manhattan School of Music.

David Anzuelo is a professional actor, director, martial artist and fight director. He's also a member of Labyrinth Theater Company and Rising Phoenix Repertory, and he’s the founder of Unkle Dave’s Fight House, a collective of fight and intimacy directors working to bring a unique approach to fight-choreography and sexual stage violence. Aaron talks to David about all of that and much more! Learn more about David at davidanzuelo.com and unkledaves.com. If you're interested in Origen of Alexandria and the historical roots of white supremacy, you can find the article David mentions here.

In this Artist Spotlight episode, Aaron talks to actor-dancer Ximena Salgado. Ximena is a multifaceted artist from Peru, where she appeared in a number of dramatic and musical theater roles at a young age. She’s danced with the Balmir Latin Dance Company throughout the United States, and in 2015 she was crowned the National Salsa Champion of Peru (soloist category), one of her many accolades. Here in New York City she co-founded (and is the artistic director of) Rumbamena, a professional dance company that celebrates and honors “Latin Rhythms and values such as joy, freedom, empathy and resilience." Earlier this year, Rumbamena were crowned World Samba Champions at the World Salsa Summit. For information about eating disorders visit NEDA.

Jamie Ignao hails from Greenock, Scotland, but his musical career began at Walt Disney World, in Florida, where his tenor voice got him noticed by a member of the Central Florida Lyric Opera. Two years later, in 2013, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall in The Remarkable Theater Brigade’s production, “Opera Shorts.” Since then he’s sung Arturo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Le Remendado from Bizet's Carmen, and Ralph Rackstraw in Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore, among other roles. Beyond that, Jamie is an accomplished guitarist and rock vocalist well-known to uptown music fans for his bear-hug embrace of musical genres, from pop to metal. That love is at the center of “Ashley and Jamie’s Acoustic Show,” the Facebook live show Jamie and Ashleigh present every Saturday evening from 8-11 EST. Be sure to check out Jamie's other bands as well: Hey Buddy, Coyote Love, and Dance Floor.

On this episode, Inwood Art Works On Air welcomes Calliope Brass, five of New York City’s most accomplished--and busiest--horn players. Calliope Brass is dedicated to creating evocative, story-driven musical experiences for every audience. Listeners may recognize them from “What’s Your Story?,” the interactive cross-curricular workshop they’ve presented at over a dozen schools in and around New York; their concert premiere of a 5-movement work by Faye-Ellen Silverman; or the many videos they've produced in recent months. They've just released their very first album, Rose Strewn Course, and their 3rd Annual Benefit Concert is coming up on October 22nd.

Ted Minos is an actor, director, producer, and writer who has made his home in upper Manhattan for over two decades. He's appeared on stages across the country, but locals are most likely to recognize him from the Inwood Shakespeare Festival, where he's appeared as Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, or others. Ted is the founder and the producing artistic director of the Moose Hall Theater Company, which developed and presented the Inwood Shakespeare Festival. In 2010 he received the Uptown Arts Stroll Award, in recognition of his contribution to the arts in upper Manhattan. Join your host Aaron Simms as he and Ted about producing community theater in the Heights, on this latest episode of Inwood Art Works On Air.

Miguel Andrés Tejada began his musical life as a classical pianist, studying under the famed Cuban teacher Hilda Melis Gras, in his hometown of Santiago in the Dominican Republic, but while still in his youth (and already an accomplished pianist) Miguel’s attention turned to jazz. In 2007 he was awarded a full scholarship to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where he studied jazz composition and arrangement with Joanne Brackeen. Since then Miguel has played with a who's who of jazz musicians, and his compositions have been praised for their masterful use of Salsa, Merengue, Boleros, Samba, and Western Classical music. His “Rumbeando” received the National Music Prize, awarded by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture. Follow Miguel on Instagram at migueltejadajazz.