Delfino in front of The Unicorn (Photo: Courtesy of Jessica Delfino)
Ukulele alert. The Unicorn, a music school and event space on the Lower East Side, will celebrate its first anniversary this evening with a combination open house/talent show/music performance. Get ready to uke till you puke.
“We’re going to have a little shindig,” said owner Jessica Delfino. “A bunch of our students are performing. They will be playing guitar, ukulele, violin, and singing.” Also taking the stage will be teachers like Fima Chupakhin, a Ukranian jazz pianist. Elena Simon, who hosts The Unicorn’s open mic night, and Colin Wilhm, a Brooklyn-based writer and storyteller, will also be in the mix.
Delfino founded The Unicorn a year ago, after spending time in New York as a comedian and beginning to teach guitar in the city in order to balance out her constant traveling. “More and more people were coming out of the woodwork,” she said, “and before I knew it I had 40 students!”
She realized her apartment and her husband were straining to deal with everyone strumming on guitars and ukuleles all day long, so she set up The Unicorn instead. It has since shaped into “a very versatile community space,” with classes during the day and performances in the evening.
(Photo: Courtesy of Jessica Delfino)
“We have really interesting people from all different kinds of backgrounds,” Delfino said, explaining that tonight’s event was a celebration of the kind of atmosphere The Unicorn has cultivated.
In addition to performances, there will be a raffle with prizes, as well as the opportunity to sign up for music lessons at discounted rates. The event, which goes from 6 to 8pm, is free and open to the public, and food and refreshments will be served as well.
The Unicorn, 105 Henry Street at Pike Street, 917-450-4178.