Horizon
SoundsoftheCity
Free summer concert series offers rhythm, recipes and health resources to the whole community
By Johnny Knollwood
It’s a tradition now: Every summer, on Thursday nights, the Newark community gathers on Chambers Plaza to soak in the season and dance the night away to world-class musical performances at Horizon Sounds of the City, the Arts Center’s free outdoor performance series. The concerts typically draw more than 3,000 Newarkers to dance, sing, reconnect with neighbors or simply bask in the sunshine and good vibes.
The series — launched in May 1999, less than two years after NJPAC opened its doors — celebrates the rich diversity of the city’s cultural landscape. Performers have included everyone from Naughty by Nature’s Treach to legendary Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista, from salsa sonero Frankie Negron to the Sugar Hill Gang, the Englewood-born group that was the first to put a rap record on the Billboard Top 100 when they released “Rapper’s Delight” back in 1980.
It’s always a fantastic summer-long party; in recent years, these nights have expanded to include spoken word poetry readings, appearances by NJPAC Arts Education students, and a caravan of food trucks catering to hungry revelers.
And, because it’s an event that reliably brings the community together, the series has also evolved into a gathering where community healthcare organizations can connect with their constituents, offering them valuable resources in a relaxed, accessible setting.
The series is sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon), one of several organizations that use these free summer concerts to improve community well-being.
This year’s series launched with a performance by beloved WBGO DJ Felix Hernandez, who brought his famous Rhythm Revue Dance Party off the airwaves and onto the bricks of Chambers Plaza. (As part of NJPAC’s ongoing campus-wide redevelopment, the Plaza was redesigned in 2025 to offer dancers even more space to groove to Hernandez’s signature mix of soul, R&B and old-school hip hop).
NJPAC partner organizations — including Horizon and RWJBarnabas Health — were on site during the show to give away free items like water bottles and sunglasses, provide health services like blood pressure and glucose screenings, and hand out information about their programs. Everything from healthy recipes to sun safety tips were available at their tables on the plaza, providing a wealth of resources for audience members.
For Horizon and other partner organizations, this is an important way to connect their services with those most in need of them. More than 20% of Newark residents do not have health insurance. For many, Sounds of the City is one of the few places where they can easily access potentially lifesaving health testing and health-care information.
By working together, NJPAC and healthcare organizations can better serve the Newark community.
Whether you choose to access these services or just come to dance, chances are you will walk out of Horizon Sounds of the City feeling a little better than you did when you walked in.
Horizon Sounds of the City continues this summer with performances by Cimafunk (July 30) and Vivian Green (August 6).
Johnny Knollwood is a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He serves as an NJPAC Arts & Well-Being artist-in-residence at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; you can find him singing and playing at patients’ bedsides in the pediatric unit.