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How This After-School Program Helps Kids Build Passion for Music
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At a Small School in the Bronx, Classical Music Thrives
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UpBeat News
UpBeat NYC Receives Adolf Busch Award
We are honored to announce that UpBeat has received the 2026 Adolf Busch Award! This award recognizes and honors organizations that use music to address social injustice, inequity and lack of opportunity. It was named after the great German violinist Adolf Busch, who was one of the first international celebrities to denounce the Nazi regime.…
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Watch “UpBeat” by Bronx Documentary Center
“UpBeat” is a short documentary following young musicians at UpBeat NYC, a music program serving the South Bronx community, as they prepare for their final performance of the year. Filmed and produced by students in the Bronx Documentary Center’s Youth Photo League, this documentary offers a youth perspective on a local organization that is transforming lives…
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UpBeat News
Standing with Venezuela
Our hearts are with our Venezuelan colleagues, friends, and families during this painful time. The extraordinary resilience of the Venezuelan people continues to inspire us, even as so many face urgent need in the aftermath of these devastating earthquakes. Venezuela has been part of UpBeat’s story from the very beginning. Inspired by El Sistema, we…
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One of the most important things as a teacher is that our program is free for the kids. That’s something I really believe in. If I didn’t have access to free lessons as a child, I would never have been able to pursue music.
Ramón Carrero-Martínez Conductor, Violin/Viola Instructor -
UpBeat News
UpBeat Selected for Enterprise Funding Award from the Pierre & Tana Matisse Foundation
UpBeat NYC is honored to be one of three organizations selected for the Pierre & Tana Matisse Foundation’s inaugural Enterprise Funding Award. The $1.5 million initiative supports three longtime Foundation partners with $500,000 grants: UpBeat NYC, The People’s Theatre, and Irondale Ensemble Project. Unlike a traditional program grant, enterprise funding invests in the strength of…
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Over the years, it became more than just a music program; it became a community that built my confidence, challenged me to grow, and surrounded me with mentors who believed in me.
Ashley Program Assistant -
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Watch: UpBeat NYC Spring Ensembles Concert – Full Performance
Spring Ensembles Concert Sunday, March 1st, 2026 5:30pmMerkin Hall – Kaufman Music Center Celebrating UpBeat’s community of South Bronx young musicians with repertoire from around the world, including works by Ray Santos, Herbie Hancock, Zequinha de Abreu, Josef Suk, Alexander Glazunov and more! This performance was generously underwritten by Rose Hirschel.
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UpBeat News
2025 Year in Review
2025 has been quite a whirlwind year! With tremendous music-making throughout, UpBeat musicians of all ages have grown by leaps and bounds. We held our June concert at the beautiful Laguardia H.S. theater with an electric full-orchestra finale of Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Marquez. In partnership with CLOTH and NY Presbyterian, this summer our ensembles performed weekly as part of NYC’s Open Streets . We are so glad to…
