The weather is finally getting warmer and our dance shoes are de-thawing, which can only mean one thing: outdoor festival season is about to make its comeback.
Among the many worthy events that will be competing for your attention is Abracadabra NYC, a huge outdoor party held over two stages that is returning to the Industry City courtyard on Saturday, May 11.
The festival is a collaboration between production company ZERO, Bushwick nightclub House of Yes and the all-women’s collective Abracadabra, teaming up to curate an impressive lineup of performances and special events. Abracadabra events tends to be pretty explosive and high energy, so prepare for long hours of amazing beats.
Photograph By: Bryan KwonPhotograph: By Bryan Kwon
Among the live musical acts will be electronic artist TSHA, Local Singles, Julia Sandstorm and sets by BLOND:ISH, a DJ who performed at this year’s Coachella.
The festival will also feature a sustainable art bazaar and several immersive experiences for attendees to revel in.
“We’re so excited to kick off the summer season with a day-into-night party at the beautiful Industry City courtyard!,” ZERO and House of Yes said in a joint statement.
In addition to entertainment, there will be several food options as well, including three bars that will sell cocktails, mocktails and other non-alcoholic beverages. VIP tickets will give attendees access to their own separate bar and lounge.
The event will begin at 4pm and continue through midnight. Regular tickets start at $45, while VIP tickets will run $175 or more. You can get your tickets to the party right here.
Perhaps it was inevitable that multifaceted singer Justin Austin, who stars in the upcoming New York City premiere of the operatic production “COTTON” at the 92nd Street Y, would be singing behind the likes of Mary J. Blige and Elton John before he was even 20 years old.
Austin, who attended the Choir Academy of Harlem, LaGuardia High School, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, recently told the Amsterdam News that not only was he exposed to music early in life, he was surrounded by it in his immediate and extended family. “Both of my parents were opera singers,” he said. “They met at the Juilliard School. My uncles and aunts are opera singers and many of my parents’ friends are opera singers. Even my babysitters, when my parents had date nights, were singers, so music was always a part of my life from the very beginning.”
“COTTON” is not a full-length opera, but a song cycle. Inspired by and set against the backdrop of the photography of John Dowell, it is an immersive work dramatizing African American history and resilience. Composed by Damien Geter and originally commissioned by the organizers of Philadelphia’s Lyric Fest, it incorporates the words of poets Nikki Giovanni, Michael Weaver, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and others, with Laura Ward on piano.
Austin also said that it was later on in life, after encountering other Black opera singers who reported feelings of isolation, when he realized how lucky he was. “I realized I was always surrounded by Black opera singers. I grew up with lots of Black opera singers, so it felt normal to me. It shielded me from the insecurities of feeling like I may not be invited to certain rooms.”
As an adult, he has been encouraged by how the opera world is evolving by telling more stories that originate with Black cast members. “More Black stories are being told, such as ‘Fire Shut Up in My Bones,’ ‘Champion,’ and ‘COTTON,’” Austin said. “They’re no longer just relying on ‘Porgy and Bess.’ The stories are not just being written but people want to produce them. People want to put them on their stages, people want to buy tickets.”
Austin also believes that adding Black artists who aim to do what are considered Black stories gives the companies the opportunity to cast them in more traditional or classic operas. “It allows the companies to kind of see you and hear you in a different light, and they want to know where else they can put you. You can tell them, ‘Hey, I sing Mozart. I sing Donizetti, I sing Rossini,’ and then they can make that happen, which is very positive.”
About “COTTON,” Austin said, “‘COTTON’ is probably one of the most beautiful and interesting projects I’ve ever been a part of. It is told through fully multi-faceted, multi-dimensional multi-media. It represents a very dark time in our country, but it also represents hope, the future, and how we are economically powerful.”
As Austin explained the origin of the production, “Dowell took a trip to the South and was really moved by the beauty of the cotton fields. He took these gorgeous photos of cotton and he ended up superimposing them onto photos of Harlem. He has photos of the cotton kind of wrapped around buildings on Wall Street. Those were the photos that really affected and struck the co-founders of Lyric Fest, who decided to commission a song cycle dedicated to these photos.”
“COTTON” sets poetry around these photos. “They asked Black poets from all different generations to write whatever they felt was appropriate—whatever came from their heart—when they looked at these photos,” Austin said. “They all were uniquely tragic, uplifting, and everything that you could imagine a piece about cotton to be about.” Ultimately, they ended up with an eight-movement cycle where each song has a different librettist.
Originally, opera legend Denyce Graves was slated to perform “COTTON” solo. It was later suggested that a male point of view was also needed, so parts for baritone were written. When Austin’s name was floated as fitting for the role, Graves and Ward, who were unfamiliar with him, went to see him perform in Lynn Nottage’s “Intimate Apparel” at Lincoln Center. “They came to my show and they became fans instantly, and they said ‘Yes, we have to have Justin,’” he recalled.
Austin is aware that many New Yorkers see opera as something foreign to them, even with some of the greatest stages being in New York City. “People can feel like they’re not intellectual enough or they’re not cultured, and that’s not the case,” he said. “If you go see a movie, and you don’t [like it], you don’t leave the theater saying, ‘I don’t like movies.’ You just didn’t like that movie. Go see a different movie. Same with opera: If you don’t like one, go see another.”
People might also think that opera is about only people who are wealthier than they are—but “the most popular opera, ‘La Boheme,’is about people who can’t pay their rent,” Austin said. “No, it’s not fancy at all. It’s real. If you allow people the opportunity to understand that, people will realize this is accessible. ‘This is something that I can be interested in. This is for me.’”
Following decades of financial disinvestment in SUNY Downstate, one of Brooklyn’s largest and most important hospitals, by prior administrations, Governor Hochul has announced that financial assistance for SUNY Downstate is contingent upon its closure. It is unconscionable for her to link financial support to the closure of a vital healthcare institution that serves as a lifeline for our community.
This fast-track approval of the restructuring plan for SUNY Downstate by April 1, 2024, under the guise of “transformation,” is deeply troubling. The State has failed to comply with laws requiring a report on SUNY Downstate’s infrastructure needs yet bases its closure decision on these alleged deficiencies. By doing so, it is endangering the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Brooklyn residents.
SUNY Downstate serves patients like me, Nardel Joseph. I am 34 years old, and I have relied on dialysis to stay alive since 2018 due to end-stage renal disease. Over the past six years, it’s been very difficult to work and live a normal life. For most of this time on dialysis, I believed that I was not eligible for a kidney transplant because of my immigration status and lack of Social Security number. With help from volunteer lawyers working with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, I was able to qualify for health insurance that will cover my transplant. After being denied appointments at other hospitals in Manhattan, I was welcomed at SUNY Downstate, which houses the city’s only organ transplant program within a safety net hospital, and I am now on a waitlist to receive a transplant. Shuttering SUNY Downstate could leave me and over 100 other people who are currently listed for transplants in a state of limbo and with limited options for necessary medical care that is both as welcoming and as culturally competent as the care we receive at SUNY Downstate.
SUNY Downstate is not just a hospital; it is a cornerstone of the Black, brown, low-income, and immigrant community in central Brooklyn. It has proven to be an essential healthcare service for New Yorkers in a community that has been historically overburdened by high incidences of chronic disease. It provides unparalleled access to transplants for low-income, Black, and immigrant patients who have been systemically excluded from these operations by racially biased medical algorithms and decision-making models. The closure of such a facility would have devastating consequences for the health and well-being of the city.
For those who have received their transplants at SUNY Downstate, the majority of whom are covered by public insurance like Medicaid and the Essential Plan, connecting with the specialized medical care needed to preserve the transplanted organ could prove difficult, if not impossible, given the limited uptake of such insurance at private hospitals.
On top of the terrible toll closing SUNY Downstate would have on current patients, the restructuring relies on the proposed transfer of patients to already overcrowded hospitals. This move disregards the urgent healthcare needs of city residents. It will likely exacerbate the strain on the public health system, further marginalize vulnerable populations, and lead to worse health outcomes for people who rely on our public health system. Furthermore, the lack of transparency and community involvement in this decision-making process is unacceptable and harmful to a large swath of our community who already face barriers to accessing lifesaving care.
Governor Hochul and our state elected officials have the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to accessible healthcare for all by investing in the modernization and revitalization of SUNY Downstate while engaging with stakeholders including residents, patients, community organizations, and healthcare professionals to ensure their perspectives are central to the decision-making process. These principles are outlined in the Senate’s budget proposal and have been championed by legislators like Senator Zellnor Myrie, who represents the hospital and the surrounding community.
By investing in this critical institution, the state can strengthen our healthcare infrastructure, improve patient outcomes, and uphold our shared values of equity and compassion while continuing to address the harms that prevent the Black community from accessing life-saving kidney transplants. Governor Hochul must walk back the proposed closure of SUNY Downstate and ensure the hospital can remain an integral part of the Brooklyn community for years to come.
Nardel Joseph is a Brooklyn resident and SUNY Downstate patient. Karina Albistegui Adler is co-director of Health Justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
Kicking off on Saturday, April 20 and running through Saturday, May 11, the seasonal spin-off gives New York eaters the chance to try one of the world’s best restaurants without forking over a hefty fee for that famed, four-star tasting menu.
Eleven Madison Park’s Executive Pastry Chef, Laura Cronin, will be spearheading this year’s plant-based offerings at the pop-up, includinga one-of-a-kind croissant-inspired pastry available in a trio of tasty-sounding flavors: candied hazelnut and vanilla, chocolate and pretzel praline, and strawberry-rhubarb and orange blossom.
In addition to the pastry team’s delicious creations, the Bake It Nice pop-up will also offer agua fresca from the restaurant’s Beverage Director Sebastian Tollius’s team: choose between quenchers like hibiscus-passionfruit or cucumber-ginger. There will also be Devoción Coffee to go, as well as a selection of Eleven Madison Home products, like their jarred granolas (blueberry-lemon, cherry-pistachio) for sale. (Pro tip: with Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, May 12, you can consider the pop-up a great opportunity to find a yummy something special for mom.)
The Bake It Nice pop-up will launch outsidethe iconic restaurant at the northeast edge of Madison Square Park beginning this Saturday between 11am and 1pm, or until sold out. It will return on April 27, May 4 and May 11, and we expect long lines, so plan accordingly!
Get a sneak peek of the pastries and tarts on offer below, as well as those refreshing agua frescas:
Eleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park’s Bake It Nice pop-upEleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park’s Bake It Nice pop-upEleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park’s Bake It Nice pop-upEleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park’s Bake It Nice pop-upEleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park’s Bake It Nice pop-upEleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park’s Bake It Nice pop-up
The National Action Network recently held its 33rd convention with Joy Reid of MSNBC, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie among the high-profile attendees.
New York State Senator Cordell Cleare hosted the third annual EID celebration this week at the Millbank Center in Harlem, along with Hon. Yusef Salaam, Hon. Charles Fall, Hon. Eddie Gibbs. The day of food, fashion, games, and more was co-sponsored with community masjids. All were welcome to the gathering.
Little Thailand Way, that spirited stretch of Woodside Avenue between 77 and 76 Streets in Elmhurst, Queens, is one of New York City’s best Thai enclaves, with dozens of Thai restaurants and thousands of Thai residents in the area. The area clearly makes for the best place to celebrate Songkran, or Thai New Year, with a series of special events throughout the month, in an effort to properly ring in the year 2568.
In Thailand, the holiday is celebrated in April with extravagant water festivals and offerings to local Buddhist monks. Thai Community USA, the driving force behind the Songkran festivities, aims to recreate the extravaganza in Queens both for the local Thai community and New Yorkers at large.
The biggest event of the bunch is a street festival on Saturday, April 20, kicking off at 10am with music, Thai boxing, traditional dance and, of course, lots of delicious Thai food,from local spots including Isaan Thai eatery Hug Esan, critically acclaimed Ayada, dessert specialist Khao Nom, Thai rice and curry hotspot Khao Kang, James Beard Award semifinalist Zaab Zaab, local favorite Spicy Shallot, casual eatery Tea Cup Cafe and boat noodle spot Pata Paplean.
“I am proud to celebrate Songkran and honor our Thai cultural traditions both for the local community and non-Thai people who love Thai food and culture,” said Juttana “Moo” Rimreartwate, founder of Thai Community USA, in an official statement. “Each year we do this and it keeps getting better and better.”
Earlier this month, Thai Community USA New York State in conjunction with New York State Assemblyman Steven Raga, who represents Elmhurst, held the first ever Songkran Celebration at the New York State Capitol.
The Songkran celebrations coincide with Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day, an initiative announced by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), in which a record number of NYC streets will be entirely car-free on Saturday, April 20. In Queens, the standout site will be on Woodside Avenue stretching from 75th Street to 78th Street, so that means they’ll be plenty of streetside room for all of that Thai-flavored fun this weekend.
