The Brooklyn Poetry Choir, conceived in Prospect Park Bandshell during a concert attended by the co-founders will make a workshop premiere at the St. Mark's Poetry Project on Friday, March 16.  A lavish treat for the musical ear, it is a new old way to hear poetry.  The choir performs original material composed individually and as a group conducted by co-founder Tyrone Henderson.  Henderson, a spoken word performer and multi-media artist with fellow-founder Golda Solomon, producer of a successful poetry jazz series in Westschester, have brought together a group of writers, performers, educators and musicians who share the common thread of Brooklyn, the "mother borough", and through this connection and the camaraderie of creativity have found an extended family that "respects each others' words and unique voices."

The group will explore through the spoken word, jazz and its roots, blues and coming of age experiences.  The musicians working with the BPC are all seasoned Po'Jazz players who share a musical sensitivity to spoken word.   Non-traditional instrumentation layers textures, flavors and rhythms as rich and diverse as the Brooklyn cultural alphabet soup.  The band is Joe Exley, music director on tuba; jazz violinist Tom Aalfs; multi-reed player J.D. Parran; and percussionist/conguero Ray Turull.

The Poetry Project Friday Night series, under the direction of Regie Cabico has provided a starting point for many other exciting new works.   The aura of the Poetry Project's "safe home" to new work nurtures the creative development of great new talent and new concepts.

The Brooklyn Poetry Choir will officially debut at Po'Jazz and present "Blues View" and "Ethnowhat?" on April 22 at 3:00p.m. at the Hudson Valley Writers' Center, its "Brooklyn home on the Hudson" in Sleepy Hollow, New York.