Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute Continues With Education And Social Impact Programs

In 2025, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) continues to offer a wide range of programming initiatives that harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people's lives.

A collection of more than 15 innovative low cost or free programs—that serve schoolchildren, educators, rising musicians, families, justice-involved people, and others—connect hundreds of thousands of people each year with musical experiences, including many that feature collaborations with some of the world's greatest artists.

“Within WMI, we've been thinking about how music can be an active ingredient in people's lives,” said Sarah Johnson, Chief Education Officer and Director of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute. “What can music do? Through our work, we've seen that it can build community, change preconceived perceptions, foster well-being, inspire confidence, express complex emotions, and much more. In recent years, we've looked at many of our programs through the lens of wellness, asking how our work can create a greater sense of individual and collective well-being. It's exciting to explore this, and much more, throughout our programming this year.”

Upcoming WMI highlights include a Well-Being Concert with Sean Jones this weekend in the magnificent Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (Jan. 11); the return of SongStudio, with master classes led by Anthony Roth Costanzo, Renée Fleming, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Hartmut Höll, plus a Young Artists Recital featuring all participants (Jan. 13–19); and Musical Explorers concerts for New York City-area schoolchildren (Jan. 14–17) and public Family Concerts (Jan. 18).

SELECT PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Well-Being Concerts Through May, Including at St. John the Divine This Saturday

Through May, Carnegie Hall presents Well-Being Concerts, hour-long concert experiences that combine elements of mindfulness and meditation with performance. This Saturday, January 11 trumpeter and educator Sean Jones—joined by an ensemble of NYO Jazz alums—leads a Well-Being Concert in The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Pianist Omar Sosa and kora player Seckou Keita, along with percussionist Gustavo Ovalles, lead a Well-Being Concert in Zankel Hall Center Stage on Saturday, February 1, hosted by Krista Tippett, National Humanities Medal recipient and Peabody Award–winning journalist, author, and radio host. Other artists featured this winter and spring include Palaver Strings with special guests vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist Chris Pattishall (Friday, March 7) and vocalist Magos Herrera (Sunday, May 4).

The Well-Being Concert featuring Magos Herrera will be hosted bilingually in Spanish and English. Ms. Hererra's concert, along with the Well-Being Concert featuring Omar Sosa, Seckou Keita, and Gustavo Ovalles, are presented as part of the Hall's season-long citywide Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds) festival.  

Anthony Roth Costanzo, Renée Fleming, Sir Bryn Terfel, and Others Join for SongStudio

From January 13–19, 2025, Carnegie Hall presents the seventh year of SongStudio, an innovative program exploring the future of the vocal recital. The annual workshop brings eight emerging vocalists and eight collaborative pianists from around the world together with leading artists and coaches for a week of instruction, public master classes, and performance at Carnegie Hall. This season's SongStudio program is under the creative guidance of countertenor and General Director and President of Opera Philadelphia Anthony Roth Costanzo, who worked with the program in 2022.

Kicking off on January 13, public master classes will be led by Mr. Costanzo, soprano Renée Fleming, bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, and pianist Hartmut Höll. A Young Artists Recital featuring all participants culminates the week-long intensive on Sunday, January 19 in Zankel Hall.

Musical Explorers Concerts Return to Carnegie Hall January 14–18

From January 14–17, thousands of schoolchildren visit Carnegie Hall for Musical Explorers concerts, high-energy performances that encourage kids to sing and dance to music from around the world. This fall in classrooms across New York City, elementary students have been studying Haitian song traditions, Southeastern United States songs and social dances, and South African Zulu music, building singing, listening, and basic music skills as they learn about these musical and cultural traditions. The upcoming concerts feature Emeline Michel, Martha Redbone, Sbongiseni “Bongi” Duma, and Tshidi Manye. They reprise performances for families on Saturday, January 18 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

The B-Side Returns This February, Introducing Young People to Careers in Music

The B-Side, a program that introduces young people to career pathways in the music industry, returns in late February for young people ages 14–17, followed by a second older cohort, ages 18–22, in early April. Created for future music industry leaders, The B-Side connects young people with music executives, accomplished writers, producers, engineers, performing artists, and more for an in-depth look into the industry. Following a week-long intensive, participants in both groups engage in biweekly workshops at Carnegie Hall in addition to attending field trips, concerts, panel discussions, and more.The B-Side welcomes a guest faculty of music industry professionals including Corey Williams, Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Universal Music; Naydeen Rodriguez, esteemed marketing professional at Roc Nation; and Rob Lewis, acclaimed music arranger, composer, and producer.

New Early Childhood Concert—huddle—Debuts April 1–5 for Babies and Toddlers

From April 1–5, Carnegie Hall debuts huddle, a new early childhood concert for babies and toddlers ages 0-2. Written by composers Saskia Lane and Thomas Cabaniss and librettist Zoë Palmer, huddle follows three characters (fragile, fin, and hoof) as they find each other and create a new community. Integrating themes of migration, community, and collective imagination, huddle is a highly interactive performance that invites babies and toddlers to be a part of the show. Registration opens on March 10 for free performances offered twice daily.

For more information and videos exploring Weill Music Institute programs, visit carnegiehall.org/education.