‘Grace Street’ and ‘Rising from the Ashes’ at SUNY New Paltz on March 12

The Department of Music at SUNY New Paltz presents Grace Street and Rising from the Ashes: An Evening of Arts-Based Research Performance, on March 12 at 8p.m. in the Nadia & Max Shepard Recital Hall located on the New Paltz campus.

Grace Street is a musical based upon New York University associate professor Dr. Diane Austin’s experience working with people in recovery for drug and alcohol addiction. The musical unfolds like a typical AA meeting, where the audience will meet four composite characters revealing their illuminating stories as they encounter the trials and tribulations of recovery.

Rising from the Ashes, created by Michael Viega, assistant professor of Music Therapy at SUNY New Paltz, is a cycle of songs that explores the lived experience of adolescents who have had adverse childhood experiences. For this performance, remixed original songs of music therapy teenage songwriters reveal a psychological journey from protecting vulnerability and exploring abandonment, to developing faith and love.

Viega, PhD., MT-BC, LCAT, has more than a decade of experience working with children and adolescents in medical, psychiatric and community-based settings. His research interests include therapeutic songwriting, adolescents and adverse childhood experiences, the use of popular music in music therapy, and arts-based research methods. He is a practitioner of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, and is Fellow in the Association of Music and Imagery.

Austin, DA, ACMT, LCAT, is the director of the Music Psychotherapy Center in New York City. She has maintained a private practice in depth music psychotherapy and supervision for more than 25 years. She currently teaches in the Music Therapy Department at New York University.

Tickets for Grace Street and Rising from the Ashes are $8 general public; $6 seniors (62+) and faculty/staff; $3 students. Tickets can be purchased at the door prior to the performance. For additional information, call (845) 257-2700 or visit www.newpaltz.edu/music.