An 'Enlightening' Concert Delights at North Central Bronx Hospital (Video)

[Enjoy your own personal concert by clicking on the video above.]

Yesterday at noon, Baroque music could be heard pouring out of the cafeteria on the 17th floor of North Central Bronx Hospital in Norwood.

In that lofty location, hospital employees, volunteers, patients and other local residents sat down to enjoy a half hour concert. It's part of a new program that Carnegie Hall created, called Musical Connections.

“This new program offers world-class performances by various artists free of charge to audiences who may not normally have the opportunity to enjoy such performances,” said Barabra DeIorio, the director of marketing and public affairs for Jacobi Medical Center. Musical Connections holds concerts at other community-based locations as well, including homeless shelters, senior centers and prisons.

“I don’t really get to go to many concerts, so this was something very special,” hospital volunteer Shirley Dunbar said.

DeIorio said several concerts have already been held at Jacobi Medical Center, however today is the first concert held at NCBH.

"I use to go to the concerts at Jacobi,” said Janice Phillips, a patient at NCBH. “I’m so glad they brought it over here.”

Bronx Events, Through March 24

DanceBrazil is back at Lehman's Center for Performing Arts. see below for more info.

This weekend at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts:

On Saturday, March 20 at 8 p.m. all Freestyle music lovers can see their favorite Freestyle artist at the concert Freestyle Forever 4. Lisa Lisa, Corina, Safire, Noel and many more are expected to perform. Tickets are $55, $45, $40, and $35. To purchase tickets you can order online here or call the box office at (718) 960- 8833.

On Sunday, March 21, DanceBrazil, will be held at 6 p.m. for a night of live music, contemporary Afro-Brazilian dance and the infamous martial arts Capoeira. To purchase tickets order on the Web site or call the box office.

The Bronx Stage & Film Company will be holding the second session of the Bronx Independent Film Festival on March 18- 20 on Lehman Stages located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West. Screening will be from 8-11 p.m. and admission is $5 a night.

In honor of March being Colorectal Awareness Month, Montefiore Medical Center is holding free seminar "Colorectal Cancer- Preventable, Treatable, Beatable: Myths and Facts About Colon Cancer Screening." It will be on Fri. March 19 at 1 p.m. in Montefiore's Cherkasky Auditorium, located at 111 East 210 Street. For more information call (718) 920-4707.

New York State College Fair Day will be held on Friday March 19 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, located on 625 Castle Hill Ave. It is being offered by Assemblyman Peter M. Rivera and colleges all over the state with the theme "The Importance of Staying in School."

Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series Comes to the Bronx

Carnegie Hall has been hosting free concerts in neighborhoods throughout New York City since October 2008. Of the 41 concerts offered in the series, only 4 of them will take place in the Bronx (Manhattan tops out all boroughs with 16, followed by Queens with 12, Brooklyn with 8, the Bronx, and Staten Island with 1). Carnegie's neighborhood concerts finally arrive to the Bronx this month.

On Saturday, March 7th, Priya Purushothaman will perform at the Baychester branch of the New York Public Library in the North East Bronx. Ms. Purushothaman is a North Indian Hindustani classical vocalist with a versatile musical background in both Indian and Western classical music. She has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and will be accompanied by an artist on the tabla and harmonium. Baychester NYPL is located at 2049 Asch Loop North, near Coop City and Bay Plaza.

Other concerts include Sonido Isleno at the Bronx Library Center on Kingsbridge Road on Sat. April 4th at 2:30 and The Lascivious Biddies on Wed. May 20 at 1pm at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center and on Thurs. May 21 at 10:30am at the North East Bronx Senior Citizen Center. For information on all the concerts, visit Carnegie Hall's website.