Celebrating the Arts | Erica Mancini

Residing in Little Italy is an artist who often finds herself in Greenpoint, at a Broadway Stages’ warehouse that has been transformed into an artist’s haven. Erica Mancini is taking the art world by storm and recently released a music video during a virtual event celebrating NOoSPHERE Arts’ 10th anniversary.

An accordion player, singer, and aerialist, Erica is passionate about her craft and you can see that in every performance.  Her artistry incites the imagination, takes you on a unique adventure, an unexpected experience that touches your soul. And she brings her energy and talent to a broad variety of genres from avant-garde, experimental and jazz to Bavarian polka, rock, metal and everything in between. She has worked for private agencies and high-end clients and has performed at iconic New York locations including NOoSPHERE Arts’ sister locations Last Frontier NYC and Mothership NYC. Take a look at this experimental performance that was filmed by the talented Brazilian filmmaker Ícaro N. Silva two years ago at Last Frontier NYC.  Mancini has also played in various productions including opera, musicals, off-Broadway, and regional theater.  So how do we know so much about this accomplished artist?  Well, she works closely with Sol Kjøk who is our resident Arts Producer and Presenter for Kingsland Wildflowers, and Founder of NOoSPHERE Arts, Mothership NYC and Last Frontier NYC.  For more than a decade Kjøk has been creating visual art and managing space for artistic creation at facilities provided by Broadway Stages. The spaces have been transformed by Kjøk and her crew to serve as a backdrop to inspire inventiveness and artistry. And that is exactly what Mancini has been doing. 

Mancini’s artistic journey began at an early age. In middle school she was a percussionist in the band and then went on to play the bass in high school.  On a trip to Italy, she was introduced to the accordion. The instrument wowed her with its broad range and manipulability. And so, it began. As a Freshman at the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, she met the acclaimed accordionist Bill Schimmel, with whom she studied and became his mentee. With guidance, support, God given talent and dedication, Mancini’s career has propelled. 

She credits Kjøk with helping to keep the arts alive, and for establishing space for artists from around the world to create and share. But Kjøk gives most of the credit to Tony Argento and Broadway Stages saying that she is eternally grateful because without his generosity and longtime support she would not have been able to accomplish the current reach of her arts activism.  As for Mancini, space is critical and inspirational.  “So much of the creative production in NY is intertwined with real estate – space in which to discover, to perform, to try out new ideas. It allows artists to explore and try out things that may seem avantgarde. We owe a big thank you to Broadway Stages for their support of the arts,” said Mancini. And we offer our thanks in return. Mancini first performed her aerialist accordion production at the 4th annual Kingsland Wildflowers Festival in 2019, and needless to say she was a hit. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on performing, Mancini embraced the stoppage and the isolation to focus and reset. She continued to create and when it was safe, conducted several performances including a few solo acts at Last Frontier NYC, where she created the music video that premiered at the celebration of NOoSPHERE Arts’ 10 year anniversary earlier this month. 

The arts are a key part of the soul of our society, nurturing our imagination and broadening our minds. Broadway Stages is honored to play a role in celebrating the arts in our community. We welcome you to join us in supporting individual artists, groups, and organizations that are committed to the arts and developing the next generation of artists in front of and behind the cameras.  We can’t wait to see where Mancini’s artistic journey takes her next!