SOHO — A string orchestra and 24 percussionists will take over Greene Street for three hours this weekend, turning the neighborhood's iconic cast-iron buildings into instruments in a musical ode to the city's architecture.
"Concerto for Buildings" is part of the citywide Make Music New York festival. Performed by members of two local youth ensembles, Face the Music and Mantra Youth Percussion, the 30-minute piece is comprised of four separate movements by four contemporary composers, including one student composer from Face the Music.
The event offers the students "a little secret access to get do something they wouldn't get to do otherwise," their director, Jenny Undercofler, said. "Who gets to drum on buildings?"
Organizers of the event said the students have the permission of the street's commercial tenants — which include the Arcadia Gallery, Isabel Marant, Jonathan Adler, and Gudrun Sjoden — to drum on their cast-iron buildings.
The performance will take over Greene Street between Broome and Grand for three hours on Sunday, June 21, from 2 to 5 p.m.
Make Music New York has organized more than 1,000 free concerts in public places across the city that day. More information is available on their website.
