Kaufman Music Center
Kaufman Music Center is a performing arts complex in New York City that houses Lucy Moses School, Special Music School, and Merkin Hall and the "Face the Music" program. Originally known as the Hebrew Arts School, it was founded in 1952 and is currently located on West 67th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. More than 75,000 people use the Center annually.[1]
History
Kaufman Music Center was founded by Dr. Tzipora Jochsberger in 1952 as a community music school. Located at 129 W. 67th St. on Manhattan's Upper West Side, today's Kaufman Music Center is home to Merkin Hall; Lucy Moses School, New York's largest community arts school; Special Music School (PS 859), a K-12 public school that teaches music as a core subject; and the teen new music program Face the Music.
First known as the Hebrew Arts School for Music and Dance, the school moved to its permanent home, the Goodman House, on W. 67th St. in 1978. Named after Abraham Goodman, the building was designed by Ashok Bhavnani in the
During the early 1980s, the HAS benefited from a large influx of Jewish
Dr. Jochsberger retired in 1986 and was succeeded by Lydia Kontos until 2018, when Kate Sheeran took over as the Executive Director of Kaufman Music Center.[3]
Hedge fund manager and philanthropist Roy Niederhoffer has served on the board of trustees of the Kaufman Center.[4]
From January to April 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaufman Music Center hosted the Musical Storefronts series, which presented 107 socially distanced performances[5] inside empty storefronts on the Upper West Side,[6] providing employment for artists impacted by the lockdowns.
Architecture and renovation
Designed by Ashok Bhavnani and completed in 1978, the Goodman House was created in a Brutalist raw-concrete style, which was lauded at the time of construction, but over time it was felt that the aesthetic of the building no longer matched the attitude of the schools and concert hall inside.[7] In 2007 the Kaufman Music Center launched a $17 million campaign to renovate the complex. The lead donors were Elaine and Henry Kaufman, who pledged $7 million towards the project. Elaine Kaufman has been a member of the Center’s board for more than twenty years, and served as its chairman from 1999 to 2005. She said, “The Center is a unique organization, placing equal emphasis on education and performance, an essential balance for developing the artists and audiences of the future.”[2]
Notes
- ^ "Kaufman Music Center History | Kaufman Music Center". Archived from the original on 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-07-09.
- ^ a b c Barbour, David. "Grace Notes for the Kaufman Center", Lighting and Sound America, p. 77-78, May 2008
- ^ "Contact Us". www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org.
- ^ Gordon, Amanda (January 11, 2008). "Kaufman Center Celebrates Renovation, Garners Praise". The New York Sun. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Musical Storefronts". Kaufman Music Center.
- ^ "Live Music in Empty Storefronts". I Love the Upper West Side.
- ^ Cosnowsky, Jamie. "Venue Review: Kaufman Center", Jazz Improv NY, p. 12, March 2008
- ^ Scherer, Barrymore Laurence (2008-02-19). "Cause to Celebrate at Merkin Hall". The Wall Street Journal.