Catch Paige tonight in Liner Notes

Hey there,


I was able to touch base with Paige Hernandez-Funn, just one of the hundreds of artists participating in this year's Intersections, whom I had the pleasure of meeting through a local arts organization dedicated to raising the profile of Asian-American/Pacific Islander artists, SuluDC. Since then, it's always a good time whenever our paths cross, and that brings us to this year's festival, with her production, Liner Notes:

Paige Hernandez directs a musical journey through hip-hop’s many intersections when multiple artists join The Corner Store Jazz Trio to breathe life into a fading art-- the liner note.

She was gracious enough to take time out of her schedule to answer a few questions.


JR: When did you start performing?

Paige: I started performing in late elementary school. I took a keen interest in “dramatic reading” and went on to win several competitions and scholarships. By the time high school came around, I was destined for the Baltimore School for the Arts. Its all 1099’s from there. lol
JR: How did you start your work w/ B-Fly Entertainment?

Paige: I created B-FLY to house my two one woman shows (Havana Hop and PAIGE IN FULL). Once I spoke its mission into the universe (elevated art for the hip hop generation), then ideas, opportunities and producing new work was inevitable. I knew folk were hungry for “elevated” hip hop but good googly moogly I had no idea that the company would be in such demand. I am humble, grateful and so very excited for its potential.

JR: What inspired Liner Notes?

Paige: My pops and my husband. My father is an accomplished funk musician and has always been an advocate to explore musical history of all genres. He instilled in my brothers and I, a passion for music artistry and a desire to always keep an open mind in the arts.

My husband is an accomplished jazz musician who has toured internationally since we started dating almost 8 years ago. I go to his “straight ahead” jazz gigs and he would communicate to me in the audience using different hip hop bass lines. I’d smile big and bright and loved that we had a common language.

The thought of my husband and father playing alongside each other…covering hip hop and jazz…really excites me. It speaks a lot to my appreciation and respect for what they do and how we’re all able to communicate with each other using music.

My pops taught me how to read Liner Notes and my husband helps me to collect them.

JR: What is one of your favorite moments in creating this piece?

Paige: I really love that the performers featured in this piece all have their own personal story connected to a Liner Note. Discovering those stories and moments in time has been awe inspiring. I’m truly fortunate to work among such dedicated, talented and passionate artists.

JR: What are you an Intersection of?

Paige: I am an intersection of vinyl, tape, cd and mp3. I am living, breathing mixtape.


So there you have it. You can catch Paige and her crew in Liner Notes tonight, at 8pm.  Buy tickets here.


You can also follow her on Twitter and join the festival conversation with #IntersectionsDC. And if you're more of a Facebook kind of person, make sure to like B-Fly Entertainment's Fan Page.




- J Street Jr

Arts Management Fall Colloquium: "The Future is Now" with Sandra Gibson

This afternoon, I left work early to attend the annual Fall Colloquium, which AU's Arts Management program organizes.

The event was held in the Katzen Museum, and this year, the speaker was Sandra Gibson, President & CEO of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters.

I had originally met Sandra a couple of years ago, when she was one of a number of speakers for the annual Emerging Arts Leaders Symposium, prior to Arts Advocacy Day that year. I believe it was my first year at AU.

Anyway, Sandra addressed trends in presenting, which addressed funding, audience development, advocacy, and just about every other factor that is affecting all of the arts sector.

I didn't see too many current second years from the program, but met several first years, which was nice. One of my goals is to try and help with giving students and graduates of the arts management program at AU a sense of continuity and cohesiveness, as that was one thing my class felt like it was missing.

Fortunately, I'm in a work environment that supports attending functions like this.

J Street Jr

Establishments: Sitar Arts Center

After getting some food to fix for dinner, I was walking down Kalorama and passed the Sitar Arts Center.

It was one of those times were it was an organization I'd heard of for a while, but it's like right in the middle of a neighborhood I thought I was familiar with.

One my classmates from AU's Arts Management program actually has a full time job there.

Some kids also were a part of a joint program with the Capital Fringe Festival, and presented a bit of a cabaret last year.

Establishments: Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center

I'd actually spent a year at MC's Rockville campus, and performed in several productions in the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center during my stint there. Even after transferring to UMD, I continued to perform occasionally. After graduating, I actually got a chance to Assistant Direct a couple of musicals, and choreograph a dance for the department's annual Spring Dance Concert, which is what Sam & I saw after dinner.

The neat thing about the PAC is that they constantly have programming, from 5 different series they host at the center.

Establishments: Katzen Arts Center & Greenberg Theatre

So as I'm wrapping up my time at AU, in its Arts Management program, I realize how awesome the facilities we have are, for the arts

There's the Katzen Arts Center, and the Greenberg Theatre.

Encounters: Melinda E., Jeri M., & Aaron R.

I'm trying to leave this Artists' Bloc event we have at Woolly Mammoth (I'm Membership Director, for the former organization, not the latter) as the audience for Woolly's main stage production, Clybourne Park, is leaving; and I run into three theatre professionals/friends whom I've worked with over the years in various capacities, Malinda Ellerman, Jeri Marshall, & Aaron Reeder.

I say I'm trying to leave because I had been saying goodbye's for the previous 10 minutes and finally. But I shouldn't be surprised running into them, I suppose...I mean, that's how much of a community there is in DC, when you've worked in the area for any number of years.

Malinda...I think we might've actually met doing Summer Dinner Theatre at Montgomery College about 7 or 8 years ago. Our paths crossed again in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, when I transferred to UMD as a Dance major; she was a Theatre major.

UMD is also where I happened to meet Jeri, who I worked with a couple of years ago at the Smithsonian's Discovery Theater, which produces and presents "live performances for young audiences" in the DC area. I was Assistant Director for a show she was cast in, Going the Distance, a piece about Jesse Owens and Wilma Glodean Rudolph.

Aaron...I'm not actually sure how we met initially, but we got to work together on what was my last professional theatre gig before I started grad school, Jerry Springer: The Opera, at Studio Theatre, summer of '08.

Aaron has been performing with the Washington National Opera, for a number of season and is currently in their production of Porgy & Bess, which closes this weekend. Jeri is working on something with the Maryland Shakespeare Festival (I believe); and Malinda is performing with the St. Mark's Players in a production of Oliver! coming up in May, where she is playing Nancy.

That's the awesome but sometimes frustrating thing about all the awesome work that's being done in and around this area. There's a lot of it, but only so much time and money one has to go out and support it, particularly the friends and professional acquaintances you make over the years. Can't hurt to try and catch 'em all, though, right?!

(And yes, if you picked up on a Pokemon reference, that was intentional...I'm so ashamed...)

Encounters: Dionne A.

So just when I think I couldn't be farther away from running into someone, I'm in the lobby of the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf (in San Francisco, and it has a Fan Page if you're on FB), and run into Dionne!!

She's an actor from DC and I just ran into her in a hotel lobby on the West Coast!! Just when you think the world can't get any smaller, right?!

I met her at some theatre event or another in the past several years...the Helen Hayes Awards, I believe. I haven't had the pleasure of working with her, yet, but all in good time. Apparently she was in SF for the day, doing some kind of training workshop. Between the ADHD and the 7 kids I'd been charged with not losing during the course of the trip, I unfortunately heard but didn't listen enough to commit the information to memory.

Although DC's got the 2nd largest theatre scene in the country, right after New York City and only recently before Chicago, it's definitely a small community if you're the type of independent performer who diversifies their income streams by working at various organizations. :-)

Encounters: Michael H.

Ran into Michael H. in the wee hours of the morning, at Reagan National Airport.

I was helping to round up about 80 high school students from National Cathedral School & St. Albans (where I teach Dance) at about 5:30am, for a chorale trip to San Francisco. I know, what was I thinking!! I kid, of course; I love being their teacher.

Anyway, we're getting ready to herd the first wave of kids through security, and I see Michael walking by me, apparently on his way to Florida. We met when I sang with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington for several concerts a couple of years ago or so.

Michael's pretty involved in the arts community and sector in the area. Now in addition to singing with GMCW as well, I'm not sure if he was at the time, but he is a member of the organization's Board of Directors.

He is also the Director of External Relations for the Washington Ballet and an adjunct professor for George Mason University's Arts Management program. If you've ever gone to a Washington Ballet performance, chances are you've said hi to Michael. And if you haven't, you should. He's a nice guy.