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Listening Inward: Reflection, Renewal & Movement
The Bronx Arts Ensemble teams up with master yoga instructor Amaparo Chigui Santiago for a unique session that blends movement, relaxation, and classical music. Chigui will guide participants through gentle yoga stretches, suitable for all levels of experience.
Remember to bring a yoga mat for traditional yoga or opt for chair yoga for a more accessible experience.
Listening Inward: Reflection, Renewal & Movement explores the journey of reorientation and the beauty of inward reflection. What does it mean not to have all the pieces of the puzzle? How to move forward, how to find beauty in stillness, reflection, and time. How listening and thinking can create new paths of exploration.
Our program begins in silence, guided by Chigui. We then leap into deep reflection with Reena Esmail’s piece Nadiy. Meaning Rivers in Hindi, we start with a visual of two rivers intersecting. Reena Esmail takes us along this journey, exploring a composite of two raags. Esmail shares, “Jog and Vachaspati — both have a light and a dark side, and they intermingle to create a luminous surface texture that twists and turns as it finds new points of resonance.” This piece reminds us that we can exist between light and dark, and the journey between: the beauty, the reflection, and the space for renewal lie within.
Once Esmail has set us into the space of gentle reflection, Haydn’s Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola and Violoncello in F Major I. Andante moves us through the gentle and sweetness of having the ability to reflect. As the melodic conversation between the mixed quartet continues, the audience is reminded of the beauty of the journey and given space to focus on their bodies, stretching along with Chigui and breathing along with the andante feel of movement I.
As we move deeper into the program, Jean “Rudy” Perrault’s Nostalgia invites us to look inwards, as he pays homage to home, and favorite pieces from Haiti. We are asked to reflect on the moments that have brought us to the present, the warmth and calm that surround our fondest memories needed to soothe us as we continue to grow.
As the yoga movement continues, we invite an energy shift. Edgar F. Girtain IV: Trio No 2. All movements for flute, violin, and cello invites our audience members to blend the practices of listening inward and listening to their physical bodies into one. Girtain IV notes, “This sequel to the original Trio No. 1 brings a fresh perspective to chamber music, featuring three distinct movements that captivate listeners.” This reminds us that we can always see a new point of view and build on our past work, as they’ve brought us to this point. The textures introduced in this piece invite the audience to pay attention to the musicians and to reflect on the idea of renewal, the facets of rebuilding, and the energy needed to make that adjustment.
We prepare to close our program with Mozart’s Quartet in D for flute and strings, K. 285. Mozart was a composer who reimagined and redefined chamber music. Building on the legacy and inspiration of Haydn, these composers made a way for the composers featured in our program to forge a new path, one that uniquely reflects their point of view, which is deeply connected to their ability to listen inward, to reflect, and grow in an ever-changing space.
Chigui closes out our morning of movement with a space for reflection and a sound bath to mark the end of our journey together.
PROGRAM
Reena Esmail – Nadiya for Flute and Cello
Michael Haydn – Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola and Violoncello in F Major
I. Andante
Jean “Rudy” Perrault – Nostalgia for Violin, Viola and Cello
Edgar F. Girtain IV – Trio No 2. for flute, violin, and cello
I. Conversation
II. The Dance
III. Eulogy
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Quartet in D for flute and strings, K. 285
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondo
Program curated by NIA-SIMONE EGERTON
AMPARO CHIGUI SANTIAGO has worked as a principle dancer with Contemporary and African based dance companies like Chuck Davis, Fred Benjamin, and others. Chigui has been trained in many different forms of dance techniques, from Ballet to African, participated in workshops all over the work, and worked with many performing artists. In 1987, she was reintroduced to ArtsConnection as a Teaching Artist after previously having worked with ArtsConnection while she was performing in schools for Forces of Nature. Chigui combines her love of Dance and Yoga to share with all of her students whenever possible. Her mission is to impart life lessons about self-control, discipline and respect that can enhance the overall well-being of students and help them achieve their highest potential.
THERESA NORRIS, flutist, is a “Motown” girl who performed with Michigan Opera Theatre and the Detroit Symphony before coming to New York. She has been an Artist Member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble for more than 30 years, while enjoying a busy orchestral and chamber music career playing with many groups in New York City and the surrounding area. Theresa has performed with St. Bart’s Music Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Berkshire Opera, Philip Glass Ensemble and many others, as well as on Broadway. When not performing or teaching, Theresa can be found tending her garden or cooking and entertaining friends. On that rare night off, she’s with her husband Charley, bowling and groovin’ to the music at the Brooklyn Bowl.
Honduran-born violinist JORGE ÁVILA has won consistent high praise from The New York Times through his many appearances as a soloist, concertmaster, recitalist, and chamber musician. A recipient of various awards and honors, Jorge received his Green Card under the “Extraordinary Talent” category, later becoming a US citizen. He was awarded first prize at the 2001 Mu Phi Epsilon Music Competition, and the Omar del Carlo Fellowship at Tanglewood Music Center. Jorge is concertmaster of the Ridgefield Symphony, DCINY and Sacred Music in a Sacred Space series, and is a longtime artist member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble. He has appeared as concertmaster with the Stamford, Westfield and Greenwich Symphonies. In 2015 Jorge served as concertmaster of the orchestra appearing with His Holiness, Pope Francis, at a televised Mass held at Madison Square Garden.
Violist SALLY SHUMWAY has been an artist member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble since 1991. She appears on BAE recordings in works by Carlos Surinach, Robert Baksa, Meyer Kupferman, Soong Fu Yuan, Allen Brings and Roberto Sierra. Sally is a longtime member of the American Symphony Orchestra, and also appears on movie soundtracks, TV jingles and Broadway soundtracks. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Manhattan School of Music, and is on the faculty of the Ridgewood (NJ) Conservatory.
ELIANA MENDOZA has performed extensively as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. She received a Diploma in Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. A Winner of the Artists International Competition, she made her solo debut at Weill Recital Hall in New York. Eliana also performed a solo recital on WGBH, National Public Radio in Boston, and reviews from The Enterprise, Brockton, MA have praised her as “…. a total artist…with a fluid touch, an impassioned mood and notable bearing.” Eliana is also a member of the American Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra and Westchester Philharmonic.
NIA-SIMONE EGERTON is a cellist and composer known for her innovative approach to emotional storytelling through music. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, she has a strong passion for immersive narratives. Nia-Simone’s accomplishments include receiving the Women in Game Audio Award and the Berklee Thrive Scholarship, as well as being honored as a GSC award recipient by the Game Audio Diversity Alliance. She has collaborated with renowned institutions such as MIT, MassArt, and USC. Recently, she released two string quartets with ATLYS titled “Contemplative Release” and “Pond Stroll.” Additionally, Nia-Simone served as the composer and arranger for the “Black Visionaries: Weeksville Then and Now” Augmented Reality Mural, which debuted in May 2025, and as the Collaboration & Education Track Chair for the AWE 2025 XR conference. Her versatility is evident in her work as a sound designer on the animated short film “Ampe!” and as a co-composer on the short film “Mmanwu.” Nia-Simone was also featured in the “Emerging Sounds: Los Angeles Composer Debut.” She shared her insights as a guest panelist at the Lincoln Center AI in Creativity Conversation and appeared on the Lincoln Center Artclass Podcast. Moreover, she served as the assistant project manager and sound designer for The Dream Machine Experience and as the mix engineer for Alvin Ailey 2’s Luminous.
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This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Council and District 11 Councilmember Eric Dinowitz and District 81 Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs’ FY2025 Cultural Development Fund (CDF).
Supported by The Howard Gilman Foundation and the Ponce de León Foundation
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