Art council smiles on Riverdalians

Ilana Davidson was born into a family of music lovers. Her father was a composer, her mother a choral director and her uncle a vocal teacher.

So from one point of view, the vocalist was destined to win six Grammy awards. She recently added a Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) award to her CV. The Bronx Council on the Arts gives the prizes to artists who excel in their fields and give back to their home borough.

“I love so much being a part of the artistic community in the Bronx,” said Ms. Davidson, 39. “To receive the BRIO award was such a different kind of pride for me as an artist because I feel a greater sense of accomplishment to be recognized in my own community.”

She graduated from Carnegie Melon University with a degree in vocal performance and a master’s from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The artist has performed across the globe since then.

Ms. Davidson is now based in Riverdale and is the co-artistic director of ClassicalCafé, a chamber music series that brings classical music to businesses in Riverdale.

“We decided to see if we could bring classical music to cozy pubs and living rooms,” she said, “places where the audience wouldn’t normally get a chance to hear world-class chamber music.”

Ms. Davidson, with her associate Jing Li, a cellist, started the music series three years ago at An Beal Bocht Café on West 238th Street.

“We wanted to bring our performances very close to the audience, so they can see the cello, they can see the singer and ask questions after,” she said.

The Bronx Council on the Arts smiled on other Riverdale musicians this year.

Pianist Steven Lubin trained at the Julliard School of Music and Harvard University and has performed in 15 countries.

A Riverdale resident since 1977, Mr. Lubin said he is “a big fan of Riverdale.”

“I’ve played wherever the opportunity has arisen,” he said. “I’ve played concerts at Wave Hill a number of times. That’s a beautiful venue for me, where there’s a wonderful acoustic.”

Mr. Lubin, 73, a seven-time BRIO recipient, said he is proud to have won the award again.