Latest news with #CityParksFoundation
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
SummerStage, New York City's free concert series, is opening. Here's who you can see.
The SummerStage free concert series throughout New York City kicks off Wednesday night in Central Park. Marcus Miller, a Grammy award-winning jazz bassist, will be the headliner on opening night at 6 p.m. He will be joined by Tank and the Bangas and The Soul Rebels for a night of New Orleans jazz. Gates will open at 5 p.m. at Rumsey Playfield. The outdoor performing arts festival will be held all summer in Central Park and 13 other parks in all five boroughs. More than 70 shows are scheduled, featuring salsa, jazz, hip-hop, indie-rock, dance, opera, pop, and soul. "You can see the Roots in Queens, that's going to be really great. Big Freedia is going to be in Brooklyn. Lettuce, that's a jazzy, funky band, is going to be in Coney Island. We have Rakim, who's going to be performing on Staten Island. So there's a huge number of artists," said City Parks Foundation Executive Director Heather Lubov. The Roots perform during the Roots Picnic at Mann Center For Performing Arts on June 01, 2025 in Philadelphia. Julia Beverly/WireImage She said the festival will also highlight lesser-known artists. "We're doing a number of showcases, particularly in Central Park. We have Aussie Day, which features a lot of up and coming singer-songwriters from Australia. We have Canada Day, which is similar. Mike's Young World, which is a hip-hop festival in Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn. It's going to feature local artists from the community," Lubov said. This will be the 39th season of SummerStage. You can find more information about all of the shows in their online brochure.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Some lawmakers trying to get Kehlani's Central Park SummerStage concert reinstated
A group of New York City Councilmembers are fighting a decision to cancel a free Kehlani concert in Central Park. The lawmakers argue City Hall is trying to hamper free speech. The Adams administration, however, is holding firm. The concert was part of the city's SummerStage concert series, which brings free concerts to New Yorkers in parks across the city. The R&B singer was supposed to headline a Pride Month benefit show in Central Park. "This is clear retaliation for political dissent," City Councilmber Tiffany Cabán said. Cabán has co-signed a letter with 12 others urging the City Parks Foundation, the nonprofit which hosts the series, to "reverse the cancellation." The concert was dropped after First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro wrote the City Parks Foundation expressing concern about security around the show. "We have zero tolerance for antisemitism and zero tolerance for creating security concerns and the use of public facilities," Mastro told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer. Mastro pointed to the the decision by Cornell University last month to drop the singer from their lineup for what they called "antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments." Her music video "Next 2 U," opens with the phrase "long live the intifada" and features dancers waving Palestinian flags. Intifada, an Arabic word for "uprising" or "resistance," is seen by some as a call for violence against Jews. "For the millionth time, that I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew," Kehlani said in a video, also posted on Instagram. "I am anti-genocide. I am anti-the actions of the Israeli government. I am anti-an extermination of an entire people. I am anti-the bombing of innocent children, men, women — that's what I'm anti." Cabán argues the cancelation is an example of broader threats to free speech, but critics say taxpayer money should not fund the controversial artist. "If the concert were to be reinstated, it would send a message to New Yorkers that their concerns and the fact that their identities have been attacked by this artist are being ignored," American Jewish Committee New York director Josh Kramer said. "It is a very scary and dangerous thing to allow and have a mayor and his administration use their power to threaten an organization out of existence simply because they disagree with the views of an artist," Cabán said.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
City Council calls to reinstate Kehlani and Noname SummerStage performances
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Multiple New York City Councilmembers are calling on the City Parks Foundation to reinstate SummerStage performances for singers Kehlani and Noname. Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Dr. Nantasha Williams sent a joint letter to the City Parks Foundation on Tuesday urging leaders to reverse the cancellation and condemning New York City Mayor Eric Adams for what they're calling political pressure. More Local News 'When political pressure leads to threats against a permit that could impact an entire season of public performances, it puts our civil liberties at risk. Free speech is not optional,' said Williams. 'It's a right and it must be protected, especially when the voices being targeted are the very ones most often pushed to the margins.' More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State R&B singer Kehlani was originally set to perform on June 26 in honor of Pride but was canceled due to 'concerns for security and safety' from the Mayor's Office, according to a social media post from SummerStage. The cancellation came shortly after Kehlani was pulled from Cornell University's Slope Day festival for comments related to Gaza. Noname, who has similarly been outspoken about Gaza, was scheduled to headline a Juneteenth show. 'These cancellations are not about safety, they're about silencing. Black and brown artists have always spoken honestly about the world as it is and as it should be. That's what Pride and Juneteenth demand of us: truth-telling, not retreat,' said Williams. In a statement provided to PIX11 News, City Parks Foundation Executive Director Heather Lubov said: 'To clarify – City Parks Foundation SummerStage did not cancel the Juneteenth/Noname benefit concert. This cancellation is a matter between Live Nation, the producer of the concert, and the artist. A reason for cancellation was not provided to SummerStage. City Parks Foundation made the difficult decision to cancel the Kehlani concert in response to the security concerns raised by City Hall. The concerns also suggested that our license to operate SummerStage would be in jeopardy if we let the concert go on. The Mayor's Office cited the controversy surrounding Cornell University's decision to cancel Kehlani's concert at the University, as well as security demands in Central Park and throughout the City for other Pride events during that same time period. We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled. SummerStage is proud to be a platform for artists from around the world to perform and make arts accessible for all New Yorkers in their neighborhood parks. While artists may choose to express their own opinions, their views may not necessarily be representative of the festival. SummerStage events are intended to bring together all sectors of the New York City community and we look forward to welcoming more guests throughout the summer.' Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These New York City Lawmakers Want Kehlani and Noname's Shows Uncanceled
After Kehlani and Noname's forthcoming concerts for New York's annual SummerStage series were canceled this month – the first under pressure by Mayor Eric Adams' office – 13 city council members have condemned his office's actions in a letter urging organizers to reinstate the shows and 'recommit to your publicly stated values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and the First Amendment rights to free speech and artistic expression that serve as the bedrock of our democracy.' The letter, shared exclusively with Rolling Stone, is addressed to the executive director and board chair of City Parks Foundation, which hosts SummerStage. Both Kehlani and Noname have been vocal supporters of Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas causes mass casualties and starvation. Earlier this month, Kehlani's SummerStage show slated to celebrate Pride on June 26 was cancelled after First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro wrote to City Parks Foundation, 'that we have security concerns about this event, given the controversy surrounding Kehlani's scheduled performance at Cornell University (causing University officials to cancel the appearance).' In canceling that show, Cornell's president accused Kehlani of expressing 'antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments,' which the artist, who uses she and they pronouns, refuted. More from Rolling Stone Van Hollen: The U.S. Is 'Complicit' in Starving the People of Gaza First Kehlani's, Now Noname's SummerStage Show Is Canceled Vic Mensa Commends Kehlani's 'Humanity and Courage' for Publicly Supporting Palestine Mastro's letter to City Parks Foundation cited concerns about additional security logistics and pushed the Foundation to respond within a day, before the Mayor's office decided whether to have the New York City Police Department (NYPD) investigate. If the NYPD found 'serious safety concerns,' Mastro wrote, the office would have to determine the 'status of the Foundation's license.' Subsequently, City Parks canceled the show, writing on Instagram, 'We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled.' The thirteen dissenting city council members call the Adams administration's interference 'a gross abuse of mayoral power and a blatant act of artistic censorship.' Days after Kehlani's cancellation, Noname's show in honor of Juneteenth was canceled, though both City Parks and the Mayor's office have said they did not make that choice, pointing to concert producer Live Nation and Noname herself. 'A reason for cancellation was not provided to SummerStage,' City Parks Foundation's executive director Heather Lubov said in a statement. Noname's representative did not return Rolling Stone's request for comment at the time. 'It appears that the cancellation of Kehlani and Noname's shows have little to do with 'security concerns' and more to do with the artists' political views against the devastating bombardment and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,' write the councilmembers, lead by Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Nantasha Williams of Queens, New York. 'This moment is about what New York City stands for and whether we will stand in solidarity against the growing tide of authoritarianism and a new era of McCarthyism that threatens the ability of everyone to participate equitably in public discourse.' The council members' letter notes that SummerStage is partially publicly funded and that its website promises a series that 'celebrates the diversity of our City' and calls the city's parks 'the most fundamentally democratic of public spaces.' The letter follows this with, 'None of these values support the silencing and repression of Black and Brown artists and the cancellations of Pride and Juneteenth celebrations.' However, the council members promised to support the foundation amid potential backlash should they move to reverse the concert cancellations. 'This letter is a reminder that there are others who will stand with City Parks Foundation on the right side of history should your organization choose to stand in solidarity with everyday New Yorkers who share your vision of thriving parks and thriving communities – as you say, 'for anyone and everyone.'' Chi Ossé, New York City council's youngest member in its history, is one of the signatories, among Council Members Jennifer Gutiérrez, Sandy Nurse, Alexa Avilés, Shahana Hanif, Carmen De La Rosa, Lincoln Restler, Justin Brannan, Rita Joseph, Carlina Rivera and Speaker Diana Ayala. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYC blasted for tapping anti-Israel performer Kehlani for taxpayer-funded Central Park Pride concert
Jew-bashing performer Kehlani is set to take the stage at a taxpayer-funded Pride event in Central Park this summer — a week after her show at Cornell University was canceled following a massive uproar. The City Park's Foundation — a taxpayer-funded organization — invited the controversial singer to perform at the city's Summer Stage series in June for a benefit concert advertised as 'PRIDE WITH KEHLANI.' The singer notoriously posted a music video last spring that begins with 'Long live the Intifada' — a phrase that is widely criticized as implying violence towards the Jewish community. The announcement prompted Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres to send a letter to City officials slamming their decision to feature the divisive musician. The letter, addressed to Mayor Eric Adams and head of the City Parks Foundation Heather Lubov, along with Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, outlined some of Kehlani's particularly hateful remarks. 'Kehlani has a history of hate, marked by rhetoric calling for an 'Intifada Revolution,' the 'dismantling of Israel,' and the 'eradication of Zionism,'' the South Bronx representative wrote. 'America's largest city has no business subsidizing or sanitizing antisemitism at taxpayer expense,' he added on X. 'Stop mainstreaming the extremes and inviting those who invite violence.' Cornell University disinvited Kehlani from performing at their end-of-year concert after an influx of backlash from students. Student group Cornellians for Israel launched a petition and a GoFundMe to boycott the school's 'Slope Day' event if they allowed her to perform. Members of New York's Jewish community have also expressed serious concerns about the city's decision to showcase Kehlani. 'Utilizing city taxpayer money to support hate speech is unacceptable,' said Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), who sits on the Jewish Caucus. 'These concerts should be celebrating inclusiveness and the great diversity of our city, not demonizing any group and calling for its eradication,' she said. Mark Treyger, CEO of Jewish Community Relations Council of New York also expressed his dismay with the city's decision. 'An individual who refers to Jews as the `f–cking scum of the earth' and calls for their annihilation has no business performing in the heart of New York City, which happens to be home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Period,' Treyger said. The city parks department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the mayor said, without further explanation, that the parks department doesn't 'select, contract, or pay the artists.' 'City Parks Foundation raises private funds to support its programming and receives City Council discretionary awards,' the spokesperson added. Hizzoner later reitered that in a post on X responding to Torres. 'Congressmember, now you know @NYCParks does not select, contract, or pay the artists, and does not fund the City Parks Foundation at all. It's a private organization and the only taxpayer funds it can receive are City Council discretionary awards, just like you advocated for when you were a councilmember and allocated funding for the City Parks Foundation,' Adams wrote. 'We'll formally respond to the letter you sent us, but your letter should be addressed to Speaker Adams and her councilmembers who have control over their own discretionary funding. 'Our administration will not fund organizations that promote antisemitism or any other form of hate.' But Torres doubled down. 'The City Charter grants the Mayor the authority to impound city funds. You unquestionably have the power to withhold city funding from any organization or event that provides a platform for antisemitism,' he responded on X. 'I find it hard to believe that the most powerful elected official in New York City is powerless to act on a city matter involving city funds.' Benefit concerts, like the Kehlani concert, also fund the festival.
