Carnegie Hall

(NEW YORK, NY; July 11, 2024)—Throughout the 2024–2025 season, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) will present seven Well-Being Concerts, hour-long concert experiences that combine elements of mindfulness and meditation with performance. Following an extremely enthusiastic response to its first public Well-Being Concerts this season, WMI continues the popular series with concerts from November–May featuring a range of leading artists. Click here to watch a special video about Carnegie Hall’s Well-Being Concerts. Playlists curated by artists who have participated in Well-Being Concerts are available to listen to on Apple Music and Spotify.

The first Well-Being Concert kicks off on Sunday, November 17 with vocalist Camila Meza in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Room. Other artists featured in the 2024–2025 series include cellist Joshua Roman (Dec. 7 at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.); Palaver Strings with special guests vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist Chris Pattishall (Mar. 7); and vocalist Magos Herrera (May 4). Pianist Omar Sosa and kora player Seckou Keita, along with percussionist Gustavo Ovalles, lead a Well-Being Concert in Zankel Hall Center Stage on February 1, hosted by Krista Tippett, founder and CEO of the extremely popular podcast On Being. Carnegie Hall is excited to partner with The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine to host a Well-Being Concert with trumpeter Sean Jones, joined by a small jazz ensemble, on January 11.

The Well-Being Concerts featuring Camila Meza and Magos Herrera will both be hosted bilingually in Spanish and English and along with the Well-Being Concert featuring Omar Sosa, Seckou Keita, and Gustavo Ovalles are presented as part of Carnegie Hall’s season-long festival—Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds)—which celebrates the vibrant sounds, diverse traditions, and influence of Latin culture in the United States. In addition, private Well-Being Concerts, including a concert planned with the Jameel Arts & Heath Lab in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), are offered for groups of veterans, healthcare workers, seniors, researchers, policymakers, and other invited community members.

Tickets for Well-Being Concerts at Carnegie Hall will go on sale to the general public on August 12.
 

About Carnegie Hall’s Well-Being Concerts
Carnegie Hall’s Well-Being Concerts were sparked by findings that a significant percentage of Americans who suffer from anxiety and depression each year don’t receive care due to a variety of barriers including a shortage of behavioral health providers and financial burden. Inspired by evidence that music can help people heal and thrive, along with Carnegie Hall’s mission to bring the transformative power of music to the widest possible audience, the Well-Being Concerts are a way to evaluate, optimize, and share the joy and benefits of musical engagement with individuals and communities who might not otherwise have access. For more than a decade, WMI has presented concerts in diverse and often high-stress public spaces, including in hospitals and healthcare environments, senior care residences, justice settings, and schools.

Each Well-Being Concert at Carnegie Hall is created through a collaborative process that involves feedback from artists, advisors, wellness experts, potential audience members, and partner organizations. The hour-long concert experience combines elements of mindfulness and meditation with performance, featuring group breathing and singing in an immersive, nurturing space. Artists are centered in the room surrounded by audience members on the same level, who are welcome to recline on floor mats and cushions. A host shares prompts and breathing exercises with the participants and encourages them to share thoughts and reflections with their fellow audience members. The Well-Being Concerts are also an experimental space and artistic laboratory where individual scholars and teams of scientists across disciplines can partner with Carnegie Hall to ask important questions about the relationship between music and health.

Program Information
Sunday, November 17 at 5:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
CAMILA MEZA
A Well-Being Concert

Be rejuvenated by a Sunday-evening Well-Being Concert led by guitarist, vocalist, and composer Camila Meza. Hosted bilingually in Spanish and English, this intimate event in the Resnick Education Wing combines a powerful musical performance with guided elements of self-care and mindfulness. Meza’s influences range from boundary-redefining composers like Joni Mitchell and Björk to guitar greats like Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny, and she has worked extensively with many of New York City’s most innovative jazz artists.

Camila Meza, Vocals and Guitar
Margaret Davis, Vocals and Harp
Alejandra Williams-Maneri, Vocals and Keyboard
Georgia Heers, Vocals
Gadi Lehavi, Piano

Presented as part of Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds), Celebrating Latin Culture in the US
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Saturday, December 7 at 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
JOSHUA ROMAN
A Well-Being Concert

Following his unforgettable (and sold-out) Well-Being Concert in December 2023, cellist Joshua Roman returns with another immersive event to encourage self-care, mindfulness, and healing in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing. Celebrated for his “playful zest for exploration” (The New York Times) and “contagious enthusiasm for musical evolution” (Seattle Times), Roman is a TED Senior Fellow (and hit performer at the TED Conference) who became the Seattle Symphony’s youngest principal player at age 22. A prolific and eclectic solo career has now taken him around the world and included collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, DJ Spooky, Somi, Anna Deveare Smith, and numerous top orchestras.

Joshua Roman, Cello
Additional artists to be announced
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Saturday, January 11 at 6:00 p.m.
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
SEAN JONES
A Well-Being Concert

Experience an intimate and soul-nourishing Well-Being Concert led by renowned jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and educator Sean Jones in The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Explore concepts of self-care and mindfulness through music, guided by an exceptionally thoughtful artist and his band.

Sean Jones, Trumpet
Additional artists to be announced

Presented by Carnegie Hall and The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
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Saturday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m.
Zankel Hall Center Stage
OMAR SOSA / SECKOU KEITA
A Well-Being Concert

Hosted by National Humanities Medal recipient and Peabody Award–winning journalist, author, and radio host Krista Tippett, the performance features a breathtaking collaboration between Cuban jazz pianist Omar Sosa, Senegalese kora master Seckou Keita, and Venezuelan percussion virtuoso Gustavo Ovalles. After the trio’s recent Tiny Desk Concert, NPR wrote, “We’ve had hundreds of different voices and instruments ... but [this performance] sounded as if it was dropped directly from the heavens of musical compatibility ... the Tiny Desk was a weigh station along an ancient musical route connecting our imaginations.”

Omar Sosa, Piano
Seckou Keita, Kora
with Gustavo Ovalles, Percussion

Krista Tippett, Host

Presented as part of Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds), Celebrating Latin Culture in the US
_________________________________________

Friday March 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
PALAVER STRINGS
A Well-Being Concert

In this interactive Well-Being Concert, the forward-thinking Palaver Strings ensemble takes listeners on an enriching musical journey with two of today’s leading jazz musicians: vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist Chris Pattishall. Together, they celebrate South Africa’s rich musical and linguistic cultures with a program that includes both traditional folk songs and pieces by South African jazz musicians—including original works by Sotashe. Hear songs that celebrate women from multiple perspectives (performed in Xhosa, Sepedi, and Zulu), works that contemplate interactions between humanity and nature, and more.

Palaver Strings

with Special Guests
Vuyo Sotashe, Vocals
Chris Pattishall, Piano
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Sunday, May 4 at 5:00 p.m.
Resnick Education Wing
MAGOS HERRERA
A Well-Being Concert

This intimate Well-Being Concert—hosted bilingually in English and Spanish—invites audiences to experience the nurturing power of music and mindfulness in a unique communal setting. The performance is led by award-winning vocalist and composer Magos Herrera, whom Latin Jazz Network calls “one of the greatest contemporary interpreters of song.” Herrera describes her most recent album, Aire, as “a way to reach out … to heal each other by coming together and celebrating our humanity with compassion and gratitude,” and she now brings that healing energy to Carnegie Hall in this uplifting Sunday event.

Magos Herrera, Vocals

Presented as part of Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds), Celebrating Latin Culture in the US

 

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About Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall’s commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall’s mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world’s greatest artists, WMI’s programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall’s concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music.

More than 800,000 people each year engage in WMI’s programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes more than 155 orchestras, music presenters, and education organizations in 40 states as well as internationally in 27 countries on 6 continents. WMI’s hands-on programs tap into the creativity of audiences of all ages, inviting them to make their own music in all genres, express their viewpoints, and raise their voices. WMI shares an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, families, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. As a leader in music education, WMI generates new knowledge through original research, which inform Carnegie Hall’s own programs and are also available as a resource to artists, organizations, and peers.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/education

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February 1 concert sponsored by Northwell Health, Official Healthcare Partner of Carnegie Hall

Major support for Nuestros sonidos is provided by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Hearst Foundations.

Additional support is provided by The Charles E. Culpeper Fund of the New York Community Trust.

The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Music Room is located on the Lily and Edmond J. Safra Education Floor of the Judith and Burton Resnick Education Wing.

The Judith and Burton Resnick Education Wing was made possible by major gifts from Joan and Sanford I. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, and other generous supporters. Major project funding was also provided by New York City and New York State.

The Lily and Edmond J. Safra Education Floors were made possible by a generous gift from Lily and Edmond J. Safra and the Lily Safra Hope Foundation.

 

 

Ticket Information

Tickets for the Well-Being Concerts, starting at $20, will go on sale to subscribers and donors on August 5 and to the general public on August 12. Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. Each ticket is subject to a $9 convenience fee. Tickets $25 and under are subject to a $3 convenience fee.

Tickets for the January 11 Well-Being Concert at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine are $15 and will go on sale on September 3. Tickets for this concert will be available at www.stjohndivine.org. 

For more information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

 

Photo: Fadi Kheir