History
NPF’s on-campus music preparatory academy was launched in 1999, recognizing the absence of accessible and artistically rigorous music programming during out-of-school hours for Brooklyn youth. Year-round programming included Saturday Strings and After School Strings from September through May, and Summer Strings in July and August. NPF Launched the NPF String Players in 2006, an audition-based pre-professional touring ensemble which has since performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center alongside seasoned musicians from Violinist Mark O’Connor and Conductor Ray Chew to Hamilton cast member Jennie Harney-Fleming and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society.
Who is Noel Pointer
Platinum selling and award-winning musician, Noel Pointer earned acclaim as a jazz violinist. He made his solo debut at just 13, performing Vivaldi with the Symphony of the New World, and also performed solos with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Noel attended NYC’s High School of Music and Art and college at Manhattan School of Music. During his early career, Noel performed at the Apollo Theater Orchestra, The Love Unlimited Orchestra, Radio City Music Hall, Dance Theater of Harlem, as well as with pit orchestras for various Broadway shows from Guys and Dolls to Dreamgirls. From 1973-1981, Pointer recorded seven solo albums, four of which reached the top five jazz albums on Billboard. His Debut album, Phantazia, went platinum and won the number 1 New Mall Jazz Act award in Record World magazine. Noel released his final album, Never Lose Your Heart, in 1993 before unexpectedly passing the following year of a stroke at the young age of 39. Noel left behind a remarkable music legacy that continues to this day. Among his many accolades, Noel received special citations from the United States Congress, the US Congressional Black Caucus, and the African National Congress (ANC).
