Apollo Open House 2020
Celebration of Cool

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1
1pm - 6pm

Co-Hosts:
Billy "Mr. Apollo" Mitchell
MetroFocus' Jenna Flanagan
NJTV News’/WBGO-FM’s Michael Hill

DJ:
Keanna Faircloth -  Host of WBGO’s Afternoon Jazz

In celebration of Black History Month, the world famous Apollo Theater opens its doors for a unique and FREE glimpse into the Apollo’s rich history and current programs. This year's Open House, Celebration of Cool, sponsored by THIRTEEN with support from Firelight Media and WBGO-FM, features multi-media presentations looking back on the Apollo’s place within Black history and a live performance from Apollo Music Café alum Casey Benjamin. This event also includes an advance screening of the documentary American Masters—Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool followed by a panel moderated by NJTV News Correspondent/Anchor and WBGO-FM host, Michael Hill with the documentary’s director, Stanley Nelson along with legendary producer James Mtume, rising jazz superstars Keyon Harrold and Angeleisha “Trumptess” Rogers, drummer and Miles Davis’ nephew Vince Wilburn. Following the panel discussion, Apollo Open House 2020: Celebration of Cool will conclude with an inspired performance by the Keyon Harrold Quintet.

Please note: American Masters—Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, on the Apollo’s Mainstage, includes some mature language and subject matter.

Featured Guests:
Stanley Nelson – Director of American Masters - Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Keyon Harrold – Jazz trumpeter and producer
Angeleisha “Trumptess” Rogers – Jazz trumpeter
Vince Wilburn - Drummer, producer and Miles Davis’ nephew
James Mtume – Producer, musician and longtime Miles Davis collaborator
Keanna Faircloth -  Host of WBGO’s Afternoon Jazz
Casey Benjamin - Apollo Music Café alum

Online reservations for this event are now closed, but walk ups are welcome throughout the day on Saturday! 

Tickets: Free with RSVP
In person at the Apollo Theater Box Office
By phone call Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000
Online at Ticketmaster.com

Apollo Open House 2020: For the Cool Kids

On the soundstage, the Apollo presents Apollo Open House 2020: For the Cool Kids. Hosted by the Apollo Music Café’s Jodine Dorce with Apollo Music Café DJ Hard Hittin’ Harry, this event offers activities for youth, such as performances from the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s Oom Bop Sh’Bam, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling’s “What is Cool about Harlem,” and ImageNation’s screening of award-winning miniseries, Little Apple.

Children must be accompanied by guardians.  Adults must be accompanied by children. Due to limited capacity, RSVPs are limited to 2 events per person.

Host:
Jodine Dorce - Apollo Music Café

DJ:
Hard Hittin' Harry - Apollo Music Café

Performances & Presentations by:
THIRTEEN
WBGO Kids Jazz
ImageNation
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling

EVENT SCHEDULE:

1:00pm 
National Jazz Museum of Harlem presents Oom Bop Sh'Bam

Oom Bop Sh’Bam actively engages young people with music in this fun introduction to jazz and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem (NJMH). Students will explore improvisation and scat singing while enjoying time with family and new friends. Participants learn about jazz performers and composers, and will have an opportunity to perform themselves.

Recommended Ages:  4 - 9 

2:00pm
THIRTEEN presents The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur

Screening of the new PBS KIDS special, The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur, presented by THIRTEEN

Recommended Ages: 6 - 11

3:00pm 
Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling presents "What is Cool About Harlem"

"What is Cool about Harlem" is an interactive experience for children and families. Storyteller Alexander Elisa will engage and involve the audience in his imaginative story that explains how Harlem is the center of the cool universe. Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling staff members will be on hand to help the audience create cool jazzy art to take with them.

Recommended Ages: 3- 8

4:00pm 
ImageNation presents Little Apple Sci-Fi Drama Series

Little Apple Sci-Fi/Drama Series, presented by Harlem's own and acclaimed ImageNation cinema, is an award-winning sci-fi/drama series created, written, and directed by Riley S. Wilson. Take a dive into the world of a young Harlem girl, Little Apple, as she develops special abilities to combat evil spirits and dismantle systems of oppression. The Little Apple Universe is a digital streaming event and platform created using Afrofuturism.

Recommended Ages: 6 and up

5:00pm 
WBGO Kids Jazz presents I Have A Song Inside My Heart™

I Have A Song Inside My Heart™ is presented by renowned jazz radio station WBGO. It was developed with the belief that everyone has a voice; a song yearning to be expressed. Our mission is to help young audiences identify their personal truth, embrace their unique and beautiful individuality, and become empowered in self-expression. Jazz is an American art form built from expression. Its deep roots are cultivated from the work songs and Negro spirituals sung by enslaved Africans brought to the United States. These songs birthed the Blues. The Blues became and is the ultimate and intimate song of self-expression. The Blues is the rich foundation and vital thread within the tapestry of jazz.

Recommended Ages: 4 and up

Sponsored by THIRTEEN, with support from Firelight Media and WBGO-FM.

Apollo’s Open House is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, with special support from New York City Council Member Mark Levine.