The Soundscapes NYC Experience: Mark Naison and Musical Guests

Join us for “The Soundscapes NYC Experience,” an afternoon exploring the rhythms, voices, and memories that have shaped New York City’s sonic identity. Hosted at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus, this event bridges the city’s musical past and present through conversation and performance. This will be a live podcast recording of Soundscapes NYC, the popular historical podcast, hosted by Ryan Purcell, Ph.D., adjunct professor of history at Fordham.

The event will open with a conversation between Purcell and Mark Naison, Ph.D., professor of history and director of the Bronx African American History Project. Naison will reflect on the soundscapes of his youth growing up in 1950s Brooklyn, from the street-corner harmonies of neighborhood “doo-wop” groups to the social spaces where music connected communities and defined the urban experience. His stories will bring to life an era when the city’s sidewalks, parks, and stoops were alive with song, rhythm, and improvisation.

Following the conversation, the event will shift from memory to music with a live performance that reimagines the “doo-wop” tradition for a new generation. Emerging artist Nora Flamer, a Fordham alumna whose work blends vintage harmonies with contemporary soul, will present selections from her forthcoming EP. Performing in dialogue with Cover Story Doo-Wop, a five-piece vocal group, Flamer’s set creates a sonic bridge between mid-century New York and today’s creative voices, showing how the city’s musical spirit continues to evolve while echoing its roots.

Presented by Fordham in collaboration with Soundscapes NYC, this inaugural event celebrates how the sounds of the past continue to inspire the artists and storytellers of the present.