On a recent sunny day in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, it was hard not to tap your feet or even start dancing. 

That was because of the sounds of composer and singer Jennifer Jade Ledesna performing the classic Brazilian song “Mas Que Nada,” accompanied by Arcoiris Sandoval on the piano.

The Bronx native is among those performing as part of a series of summer concerts at the park presented by the Bronx Arts Ensemble.

“It’s great to bring everything just right here to the backyard basically of New York City, the melting pot, and have international top artists come and just play here in the Bronx,” Ledesna said. 

The Bronx Arts Ensemble is presenting free concerts at Pelham Bay and Van Cortlandt parks this summer. The nonprofit organization established in 1972 provides free performances and arts education programs in public schools.

“We create and build community inside the communities that we bring our arts programs to,” Judith Insell, executive director of the organization, said.

Insell is a Bronx native who benefitted from music education in a public school, leading to a career playing the viola. 

Among the concerts this summer is a Juneteenth celebration in conjunction with the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, to be held on the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum. This follows a procession to the park’s Enslaved African Burial Ground for a ceremony.

The Bronx Arts Ensemble’s "Summer Concerts" features everything from jazz to salsa to pop music. It’s an opportunity to inspire people in their own neighborhoods.  

“Visibility means a lot. Accessibility means a lot. As a woman, I never grew up seeing a lot of women play so, you know, if I had come up and seen two women playing at a high level, I would have been very inspired,” Sandoval said. 

“We’re pretty sure that we are inspiring people every time we show up to do a performance,” Insell added.

For more information, visit the Bronx Arts Ensemble's website.