Welcome to the 2020 Manhattan Borough Arts Virtual Festival!

This has been an incredibly difficult time for all of us. I have been thinking about the role of Manhattan as the center of our own city, separated by water from other boroughs but connected by bridges over that water. In these tough times, New Yorkers have gotten each other through with love, support, and sacrifice. The bridges that connect us are our families, our friends, and the people in our daily lives who extend a mutual kindness to us in ways big and small. Together we have seen New York City through this challenging time, from the difficulty of COVID through the recent marches and protests that affirm our support for Black Lives Matter, as our own bridges over troubled water. In that spirit, please enjoy this performance recorded by Manhattan public high school students of the classic Simon & Garfunkel song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, arranged by Kirby Shaw. These music, dance, theater, and visual art students, with the incredible efforts of their teachers, were able to cross-collaborate between Innovation Diploma Plus, Fiorello H. LaGuardia H.S. of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Professional Performing Arts School, Special Music School, Stuyvesant High School, and Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts, in ways that had never been possible prior to our new remote learning situation. It’s an incredible and beautiful achievement and we hope you enjoy and are inspired by it. Please scroll down this full page to enjoy additional videos of school based remote learning performances, as well as videos from the past three years of the Manhattan Borough Arts Festival.

RACHEL SHAPIRO, MANHATTAN BOROUGH ARTS DIRECTOR