A quintet of musicians forming the Bardekova Ensemble put on a free performance at the Poe Park Visitors Center in Fordham on July 10.

The music troupe is a non-profit organization funded through the Bronx Council of the Arts. They bring free or low priced concerts to the Bronx community, an area lacking in music performances when compared to the rest of the city. These free concerts are open to the public.

Members from the Bardekova Ensemble have performed with members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. Members of the Bardekova Ensemble include Richard Parately (flute), Akari Yamamoto (clarinet), Shotaro Mori (bassoon), and Nancy Vizza (French horn).

Ellen Bardekoff, the director and founder of the ensemble, sums up her passions with a simple phrase: “Music is who I am.” Her early introduction to the musical world set the stage for the rest of her life.

Although she was told at the age of six that she was too stupid to play, she continued to follow her dream and went for an audition at the Juilliard School, the premiere music school at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, at age 8. A month later she received an acceptance to Juilliard. Her acceptance was followed by private lessons, furthering her education in the arts.

“Music is so important to the community. It expands everyone’s awareness and it’s great for the kids and for adults. It’s healing,” said Bardekoff, adding, “Children who start early with music lessons tend to do great with the maths and the sciences.”

There’s arguably a greater comparison Bardekoff links to music. “Music is love,” she said.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.