Lehman Center for the Performing Arts Reaches 35-Year Milestone

Eva Bornstein is proud of Latino events that have made Lehman Center, case de la salsa, home of salsa, in the Bronx

With its 35th season under way, Lehman Center for the Performing Arts continues its tune as a cultural showcase, largely catapulted by Eva Bornstein, its longtime executive director.
The creation of Lehman Center was a dream of Lehman College’s first president, Leonard Lief, who wanted a professional performance arts center for the college. A performance by the New York Philharmonic ushered in the music house on Bedford Park Boulevard in 1980.
This is Bornstein’s 11th year with Lehman Center. Before taking the reins, she managed theaters in New Jersey, Chicago and Toronto. When she arrived, her biggest challenge was to shore up declining attendance at the Center. Indeed, presenting top-notch performances can be costly for a borough deemed the poorest across the city.
But Bornstein set out to explore the borough’s neighborhoods to learn firsthand what rhythmic tunes make Bronxites bob their heads.  Hearing the salsa music from passing cars and stores gave her an idea that was both obvious and groundbreaking for the borough. “Everyone knows that we have a large Puerto Rican community,” said Bornstein, from her office inside Lehman Center, “so we started Latino events. We are Casa de la Salsa (House of Salsa).”
She’s used her ear and intuition to lure Latin performers, a move driven by artistic appetites and business acumen–the Bronx, with a large Latino population, will likely buy a ticket to these performances. It worked last month when the popular contemporary Afro-Cuban group, Los Van Van, performed to a packed house.  “The entire audience of 1800 all stood up and danced much to the dismay of our security,” said Bornstein. “It was like a happening in the Bronx.”
Past Latin performers at Lehman Center have also included salsa legends El Gran Combo orchestra, Ruben Blades and Gilberto Santa Rosa.
Bornstein said other venues such as New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Tribeca Performing Arts Center began to take notice of her winning strategy of bringing Latin artists at family friendly prices. “Several other theaters looked at our success and are doing similar events,” she said. “The main venues are realizing there is a Latino population.”
Over the years, Bornstein broadened the Center’s appeal by scheduling such accomplished artists such as Smokey Robinson, Patti LaBelle, Johnny Mathis, Jose Feliciano, B.B. King, and Michael Bolton. “That was really out of the box,” she said of Bolton’s appearance. Non-musical attractions included a one-night performance by comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Bornstein was introduced to the arts as a child when her parents took her to the ballet and classical concerts in her native city of Krakow, Poland, then under communist rule. The experience also shaped a strong belief in the importance of the arts for children, which she feels “shape and enhance our senses and our spiritual being.” It’s one reason she’s kept children in mind when booking the Russian National Ballet Theater to perform Swan Lake, and National Circus and Acrobats of The People’s Republic of China. “I’m very happy to see more and more children under the age of 10 attending performances,” she said.
This year’s offerings include big Latin bands, The Machito Orchestra and The Mambo Legends Orchestra performing hits from the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s, and a concert featuring Ex Gran Combo legend, Charlie Aponte, Jose Alberto, “El Canario” and Domingo Quinones. Lehman Center will once again host Parranda Navidena, Doo Wop: Rock & Roll is Here to Stay and Forever Freestyle.
A new event in the Center’s lineup is the first performance by The Orchestra Now, comprised of young musicians who hail from New York’s most prestigious music schools. “I like their entrepreneurial spirit,” said Bornstein.  “It is very exciting to host an inaugural concert.”
Other upcoming international acts include performances by Ballet Folklorico de Mexico,  Compañia Flamenca, The Royal Marine Band of Scotland and Bollywood Masala Orchestra and Dancers of India.
Additional events will be added throughout the year and Bornstein recommends checking the website regularly to stay in the know.  “Our vision is to sustain Lehman Center as the major cultural institution in the borough,” she said. “Our ambition is to become a mini Lincoln Center in the Bronx.”

After Fix, Smoother Strides on Bainbridge Ave.

Broken sidewalk finally repaired in front of 2945 Bainbridge Avenue

After reports of numerous falls on the broken sidewalk in front of 2845 Bainbridge Ave., including one of an elderly woman who died there last year, Steven Bussell, vice president of the 52nd Precinct Community Council, was hitting brick walls in his attempts to get the sidewalk repaired. But a call to a local lawmaker kicked the project into gear.
The sidewalk had been uprooted by two large trees in front of the property. “Half the people would walk in the street to walk around the trees,” said Bussell.
A 42-year resident of the neighborhood, Bussell has been on the Five-Two Council for 18 years, having worked with various agencies to resolve the problem.  “It would never get done because they said they didn’t have the money. It was put on the back burner,” he said. “Then I thought, ‘let’s try [Councilman] Ritchie Torres.’”
Juan Antigua, Torres’ Deputy Chief of Staff, knew first-hand about the hazardous situation, living near the uprooted sidewalk. “Our local constituent was fed up and contacted our office,” said Antigua. “The councilman took it into his own hands.”
Torres reached out to DOT as well as the Department of Parks to determine the status of the repair request and was told it was on a list. After further inquiries, the request was moved up. Five weeks after contacting Torres’ office, Bussell received word from a neighbor in the last week of August that the sidewalk was being repaired.
Repairing sidewalks damaged by uprooted trees is a complex procedure. According to city law, home and property owners are responsible for repair and maintenance of sidewalks abutting their property. However, it is illegal to remove a city-owned tree. Property owners must first obtain a Tree Work Permit via 311. The Department of Parks’ Borough Forestry Office then reviews all proposed site work and designs a plan that meets the Tree Protection Protocol for all affected city trees. Repairs are made based on the severity of damage and the availability of funding. If a homeowner wants to repair the sidewalk themselves, they must schedule a Sidewalk Design Consultation with the Parks Department, who will guide the contractor on how to proceed.  A DOT permit costing $15 is also required to perform the sidewalk repair.
Miguel Rodriguez has lived at 2845 Bainbridge Ave. for a decade and saw someone trip at least once a week in the past few years. “Most of the newly planted trees are going to experience this,” he said of the trees planted throughout the city this past winter through the Million Trees NYC initiative of the Parks Department and the New York Restoration Project. “The city is going to have to invest if they don’t want to have this issue.”
But Bussell was relieved to finally see action taken. “I’m so excited to finally see something go right after working on it for so long,” he said.

Bringing Healthy Food to Norwood

Damon Little picks up his weekly share of produce from the Norwood Bedford Food Cooperative CSA.

Every Thursday during the summer and fall, a truck journeys from Norwich Meadows Farm north of Binghamton to the Bainbridge Community Garden at 2980 Bainbridge Ave. There, members of the Norwood/Bedford Food Cooperative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) begin unloading the cargo of produce picked just that morning. Bins fill to the brim with zucchini, red and green lettuces, cauliflower, peas, fennel, onions, garlic and black radishes.
For the past 13 years, Zaid and Haifa Kurdieh, owners of Norwich Meadows Farm, have partnered with the Norwood/Bedford Food Cooperative CSA to bring locally grown, organic food to Norwood. They were connected to Norwich Meadows Farm through Just Food, a New York City based non-profit that works to connect communities with local, fresh food, part the city’s ongoing efforts to offer more fresh fruit to Norwood and Bedford Park.
As the summer progresses, the truck will deliver crops that include cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, string beans, melons, sweet potatoes and more.
“The idea of a CSA is to connect people in a community that doesn’t have a lot of farms nearby to farmers growing near the area,” explained Nick Napolitano, a member since 2005 and unofficial CSA spokesperson. “It eliminates the middle person of grocery stores or supermarkets.”
Unlike a farmers market, where a consumer buys the farmer’s produce, a CSA member shares the risk with the farmers by paying $340, working as an advance to buy seeds and all the materials needed to bring the crop to market. In exchange, farmers agree to offer members 22 weeks worth of food.
The Kurdiehs hail from Pakistan. Zaid taught agriculture at Cornell University, later becoming a full-time organic farmer. He utilizes cutting edge techniques such as growing his crops in food tunnels instead of greenhouses to keep pests off the plants.
There are 39 households in the Norwood/Bedford Food Cooperative CSA this year. The Kurdiehs work with other CSAs and numerous restaurants throughout the city, as well as the Union Square and Thompson Square farmers markets. They also partner with other organic farmers to offer a fruit share and orders of dairy products, eggs and beef.
“We get an incredible amount of food and the taste is amazing,” said Napolitano. “We probably had about 15 pounds of vegetables last week.”
Damon Little joined the CSA in 2006. “I like the variety. There are some things that I wouldn’t buy on my own,” he said. “It gets me to try new things, which is nice.”
Cheryll Jarrett lives in nearby Wakefield and feels the weekly bus trip for the past three years is well worth it. “He has a great selection,” she said. “I’ve participated in other CSAs. You don’t get the variety.”
The Bainbridge Community Garden is one of two sites that participates in The New York Botanical Garden NYC Compost Project. People can bring their food scraps Thursday evening which are processed on the spot for use as nutrients in the community garden.
The CSA is one of several efforts to bring fresh produce into the area. The non-profit GrowNYC sponsors the farmers market at Poe Park in Fordham on Tuesdays; The New York Botanical Garden on Wednesday. Thursdays, the Norwood Youth Market, partnered with Montefiore Medical Center, can be found on East Gun Hill Road and DeKalb avenues There are also green markets and green produce carts throughout the Norwood area where you can find fresh produce on a daily basis. “I haven’t seen a lot of produce growth in the bodegas,” said Napolitano. “I think the green carts are more visible and have had a noticeable impact.”
Napolitano also noted the area restaurants that add variety in eating options. “As new immigrant groups come in and get established they start opening up restaurants and serving food that is desirable and culturally connected to them,” he said. He cited the various ethnic eateries–Dominican, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi restaurants, taco shops and bodegas along on 204^th Street and Bainbridge Avenue, a Salvadoran restaurant on 205^th Street. “That’s a great thing for all of us. That’s part of our vibrancy.”