This February, Flushing Town Hall is presenting in-person and virtual programs in celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year and Black History Month, along with festivals and concerts of different genres of music and cultures.
“This month, Flushing Town Hall is offering many great events that celebrate different cultures from around the world and the extraordinary diversity of our community here in Queens. We are especially excited for audiences to enjoy our Lunar New Year programs, our Black History Trilogy, great jazz and much more,” said Ellen Kodadek, executive director of Flushing Town Hall.
Here is a lineup of this month’s events:
FTH@HOME: Native Artist Spotlight Panel, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m.
Virtual: Free
Flushing Town Hall, Queens Museum and NativeTec will present a live virtual Native Artist Spotlight Panel to discuss and showcase their contemporary art and its influence on our history. The event is moderated by Tecumseh Ceaser, Matinecock Turkey Clan, with Native American artists living in Queens, the Bronx, Long Island and Florida. This panel will convene to explore the range of their art and what it means to be a Native artist in the 21st century.
Lunar New Year Chinese Documentary Film Festival, Saturday, Feb. 5 – Sunday, Feb. 6
In-person: Free with RSVP
Flushing Town Hall will celebrate the Year of the Tiger with its very first documentary film festival. There will be screenings of “Please Remember Me,” “No-Contact Delivery” and “Curtain Up!”
Lunar New Year Exhibition – “Reconcile: Begin Anew,” Saturday, Feb. 5, 3 p.m.
In-person: Free
On Feb. 5, Flushing Town Hall will host a free, opening reception with an artist walkthrough for its group exhibition, “Reconcile: Begin Anew,” which runs through Feb. 16.
Curated by Chemin Hsiao and Stephanie S. Lee, “Reconcile” features works by eight Asian American immigrant artists who live and work in New York: Sophia Chizuco, Cui Fei, Hsiao, Lee, Woomin Kim, Weihui Lu, Pony Ma and Yu-Whuan Wang. Throughout the pandemic and this time of uncertainty and struggle, each artist confronts their emotions through a visual and creative lens. At the same time, the exhibition reconnects the audience to the artists’ cultural heritage as they reconcile their past and reach a new balance for the Lunar New Year 2022.
Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
Virtual: Free
Flushing Town Hall’s Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam will be going virtual for the month of January and February 2022. In celebration of Black History Month, FTH is paying tribute to African American jazz artists, composers and arrangers. This program is supported in part by a grant from The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
Black History Trilogy #1: “Third Stone From The Sun – A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix,” Saturday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m.
In-person tickets: $15/$12 members
The musical genius of Jimi Hendrix — one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century — is recreated on stage by Jimy Bleu. Bleu is the longest-running — and considered the most authentic — Hendrix tribute artist rocking on stage since 1968. He is joined by Moby Medina on bass guitar and Ted Edwards on drums.
Common Ground: Mini-Global Mashup #6 – Korea Meets Armenia, Sunday, Feb. 13, 1 p.m.
In-person tickets: $15/$12 members; Virtual: Free
To conclude its Lunar New Year festivities, Flushing Town Hall invites world music lovers to enjoy the next concert in its Mini-Global Mashups series, “Korea Meets Armenia.”
The series, which presents a new mini mashup each month, pairs musical artists from different countries and cultural traditions on stage for an inspired collaboration. “Korea Meets Armenia” will feature Korean violinist Sita Chay with Armenian-born, American oud player Ara Dinkjian. They will be accompanied by Japanese percussionist Satoshi Takeishi.
Alicia Olatuja: “Intuition: Songs From The Minds of Women,” Saturday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m.
In-person tickets: $15/$12 members; Virtual: Free
Focusing on the rich contributions of a diverse selection of female composers, Alicia Olatuja’s performance entitled “Intuition: Songs From the Minds of Women” celebrates the achievements of a long list of esteemed female composers. Material includes songs of Brenda Russell, Sade, Tracy Chapman, Kate Bush, Angela Bofill and Linda Creed, and offers a musical perspective unique to Olatuja.
Black History Trilogy #2: “The Black King of Vaudeville: Remembering Bert Williams in Song,” Sunday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m.
In-person tickets: $15/$12 members; Virtual: Free
Tony-nominated actor Larry Marshall (“Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Hair,” “Porgy & Bess”) rejuvenates the life and music of Bert Williams, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era, and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, Williams became the first Black American to take pioneer leading roles, both on Broadway and in the 1914 film “Darktown Jubilee,” pushing back racial barriers in his three-decade-long career.
Black History Trilogy #3: “The Power & The Glory – Music of the Black Church,” Thursday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m.
In-person tickets: $15/$12 members; Virtual: Free
Award-winning Broadway veteran Tina Fabrique — star of “Ragtime,” “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk,” “The Wiz,” “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” “Gospel at Colonus” — pays homage to Gospel, spiritual music that remains a staple of African American life today. Gospel originated from Black spirituals, slave songs and white hymnody and it emerged in tandem with ragtime, blues and jazz.
