Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is thrilled to announce the continuation of its free digital series SummerStage Anywhere. The platform will offer one-of-a-kind digital arts content daily kicking off the week of July 6th. The #PeopleSpeakSundays curator takeover will launch this Sunday, July 12 at 2:00 PM EST with special guest curator VP Records. This special collaboration will feature a beats workshop with A&R at VP Records and legendary reggae/dancehall producer Richard "Shams" Browne, as well as a Yoga on Dub session with reggae songstress Jah9 live on the SummerStage Instagram channel.
Fans can get in on the action with SummerStage Anywhere's #PeopleSpeakSundays campaign. Every Sunday, SummerStage will offer their "stage" to voices from down the block and around the world. This Sunday, they are partnering with VP Records. MC'S, lyricists, poets and writers can post their video entry today using the hashtag #PeopleSpeakSundays for a chance to win a beat produced by VP's legendary producer/A&R Richard "Shams" Browne. Contestants have the chance to premiere their piece on the SummerStage IG channel on Sunday, July 12th!
SummerStage Anywhere will highlight genres that were born in or deeply represent New York – Mondays: Contemporary Dance, Tuesdays: Global, Wednesdays: Indie Rock, Thursdays: Latin, Fridays: Hip Hop and Saturdays: Jazz. Daily genre-driven content will be featured across multiple SummerStage social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch) and will vary between exclusive digital performances, in-depth conversations, one-on-one interviews, DJ sets, and arts engagement programs for youth and families.
- SummerStage Anywhere Sessions - exclusive digital performances with artists either live streamed or pre-recorded and then premiered on our digital channels.
- Culture Talks - in-depth and intimate conversations with artists focused on their connection to New York and how the city has influenced their work.
- Soundcheck: Curator Conversations - one-on-one interviews with industry curators and leaders on the behind-the-scenes work of the arts industry. Speakers include SummerStage curators, artists and arts professionals.
- Weekly Beat: DJ sessions - sets by DJs and artists playing music that inspires and motivates them and crate digging for their favorite finds.
- SummerStage Studio: Digital - arts engagement programs for kids and families including movement and percussion workshops.
In addition to the daily segments, SummerStage Anywhere will also present two unique weekly segments. Monday Meditations will take over the SummerStage Instagram channel live every Monday at 12:00PM EST for a 30 minute workshop focused on keeping your mind and body happy, healthy and active with guest host Karine Plantadit, former Alvin Ailey and Broadway Tony Award nominated dancer (Come Fly Away, The Lion King), instructor, choreographer, certified yoga teacher and life coach.
Every Sunday at 2:00 PM EST, #PeopleSpeakSundays will take over SummerStage Instagram channel live with featured guest curators of diverse backgrounds and cultures from various arts organizations and communities who will amplify the SummerStage channel as a social change platform. The series will showcase artists and highlight crowdsourced performers who submit #PeopleSpeakSundays entries on Instagram. SummerStage is inviting audiences to share their own voices. “We are truly honored to bring the distinctly New York, curated lineup that our live NYC shows are known for to the rest of the world with our new SummerStage Anywhere digital series,” shares Erika Elliott, Executive Artistic Director of SummerStage. “Reimagining SummerStage digitally allows us to dive deeper through in-depth discussions with artists, arts engagement for families, and a look behind the scenes with curators and industry leaders, and of course, plenty of performances. We are truly going to be able to share the rich diversity of New York City with the rest of the world in ways we never thought possible.”
For ongoing updates on SummerStage Anywhere, please continue to visit summerstageanywhere.org. As an independent, not-for-profit organization, we rely on our donors to help us make SummerStage possible. Support from donors will help secure the future of SummerStage as New York’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival. We believe the arts are for everyone and encourage those who can donate to visit cityparksfoundation.org/give for more information.
Capital One is the Title Sponsor of the 2020 SummerStage festival. Disney is sponsor of SummerStage family programming, including SummerStage Studio: Digital. Supporting sponsorship is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies and United Airlines. Generous private support is provided by The Thompson Family Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Shubert Organization, and the New York Community Trust NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund. SummerStage is also supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the NYS Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is generously provided by our dedicated SummerStage Members.
Media partners include Big Room, iHeart Radio featuring Lite FM, Power 105.1, 103.5 KTU, Q104.3, and Z100, Telemundo, WFUV, Relix, WNYC, WBGO, Time Out New York, DoNYC, Futuro Media Group and Big Screen Plaza. Big Room is the exclusive live stream partner of SummerStage Anywhere.
In all of its programming and activities, City Parks Foundation partners with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to improve neighborhood parks and the communities.