CreArtBox Music Festival has cemented its presence as one of Queens’ most sought-after classical music platforms, consistently delivering sold-out shows since its inception in 2018.
Directed and curated by Guillermo Laporta and Josefina Urraca, the festival features CreArtBox’s roster of musicians, many of whom are members of notable orchestras and ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, the New World Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Orchestra.
CreArtBox combines exceptional classical and new music with crafted visual aesthetics to design programs that foster artistic engagement in today’s society, promote the creation of meaningful new work, support professional artists, enhance local communities, and inspire future generations. . This organization was founded in 2013 and has been supported primarily by individual donors and grants from the NYState Council on the Arts, the Amphion Foundation, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, Spain Arts and Culture, and the Queens Council for the Arts. .
This fifth edition of the CreArtBox Music Festival presents violinists Mari Lee and Yezu Woo, cellist Yi Qun Xu, violist Matthew Cohenflautist Guillermo Laporta, pianist Josefina Urraca and visual artist Tao Ho.
The list of composers includes Joseph Haydn, Dmitri Shostakovich, Francois Schubert, Timo AndresW A Mozart, Robert SchumanTatiana Nikolaeva, Joaquin Turina and Gustav Mahler. Highlights of the program include Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, “Surprise”, Mahler’s Piano Quartet in A minor and Trio for Flute, Viola and Piano, Op. 18.
This edition also features the winners of CreArtBox’s “Call for Contemporary Classical Music Submissions” Bryan Wysocki, composer; Cullyn Murphy, composer; Annamaria Kowalsky, composer and visual artist.
A key element of the festival is the use of captivating visual installations and theatrical design alongside musical performances. CreArtBox works with visual artists, designers, dancers and other creatives to create multi-level performances centered around classical music.
The festival includes artist talks and Q&A sessions where composers, musicians and visual artists are more approachable and accessible to the local community than they are during regular performances. In addition to the performances, this program features interviews with the composers, musicians and directors, exploring the creative process of a piece, the benefits of artistic creation for society, the status of the arts in the local community and advice on way to build a career as an artist.
Recordings from the festival will be released on the CreArtBox Digital Concert Hall, a new streaming platform that offers full live performances in high-resolution audio at no additional cost to users.
The festival will take place at Culture Lab LIC’s newly renovated theater, located on the waterfront in Long Island City, Queens. Formerly a warehouse, the 12,000 square foot space includes a 90-seat theater, an 18,000 square foot outdoor venue, and more. As a non-profit arts advocacy organization, Culture Lab LIC consistently supports the efforts of local artists through their important community work and arts programming. Since its conception in October 2016, community outreach has doubled every year.
To reach low-income households and provide affordable art to all members of the local community, the festival has partnered with local organizations such as Queens Library, YMCA, Book Culture, local schools and other groups to offer at least 10% of the seats. free of charge and to ensure that affordable tickets are available for young audiences in low-income households.
Steinway & Sons is the official piano manufacturer of choice for the festival. Since 1853, Steinway pianos have set an unrivaled standard for sound, feel, beauty and investment value. They remain the choice of 9 out of 10 concert goers, and it is the preferred piano of countless musicians, professionals and amateurs, around the world.
Tickets for performances can be purchased at www.creartbox.nyc. Prices are $20 for regular seats, $30 for premium tickets with better visibility and acoustics. Affordable $10 tickets can be purchased before March 15 or through their local partner organizations.
