What to Know
- A Broadway duo is performing free outdoor concerts from the comfort of a violinist’s personal courtyard, nestled in the Upper West Side of New York City.
- Suzy Perelman is a New York City violinist who has been living in the Big Apple for 16 years. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been performing numbers over Zoom and video chats but was longing for some live feedback.
- Weather permitting, the two join together to perform "Concerts in the Courtyard" once a week.
A Broadway duo is performing free outdoor concerts from the comfort of a violinist’s personal courtyard, nestled in the Upper West Side of New York City.
Suzy Perelman is a New York City violinist who has been living in the Big Apple for 16 years. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been performing numbers over Zoom and video chats but was longing for some live feedback.
“It’s been a sad year for us. We all play in our own living rooms or on a Zoom call, but often the audience is silenced, and we finish a big climax and there’s no applause,” Perelman said to NBC New York.
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To her, there’s a beauty to having people audibly appreciate the music. Her performance partner is pianist Christian Regul, who has been playing in New York City since 2016. The two met during their work on the Broadway production "Cats" and have been playing together ever since.
“At least once a week we try to play together, just for fun,” Regul said to NBC New York. As a musician, he says the pandemic not only hurt him financially but cut off a part of his livelihood. Now, through these almost impromptu concerts, Regul is excited to receive a live audience again.
The inspiration for “Concerts in the Courtyard” came from a trip Perelman took to visit family in New Orleans. While there, every night she saw Southern musicians enjoy playing on their front porches. She immediately thought of her fellow artist Christian, and the dynamic duo went to work.
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“Life is beautiful...we just want to touch people, and have them be touched,” Perelman shared.
The Broadway violinist has an added trick up her sleeve, performing classical pieces while shaking things up with a hula hoop.
“During the pandemic, with countless hours on my hands, I realized that I can play the violin and hula hoop at the same time, which is now my party trick,” Perelman said.
Weather permitting, the two join together to perform "Concerts in the Courtyard" once a week. Find out when their next performance is here.
