Alta Classica was founded in 1996 at part of the Washington Heights/Inwood Festival Week. The first concert at the American Academy of Arts and Letters began a program of performances dedicated to the community. According to the 2000 census this community grew by 45 percent and represented 15 percent of the total growth in New York City with an estimated population of 300,000. 80% is Hispanic.
The mission of Alta Classica Inc, which received 501 (c) 3 tax exempt status in 1999, is to promote the music and musicians which represent the underserved cultures in New York City, with a specialization in Hispanic music. Alta Classica seeks Hispanic music lovers to be voluntary Board Members. The rewards are great for those who are able to donate some time and money, in making the presence of incredibly beautiful music available to our fellow music lovers.

Alta Classica also serves several purposes. The first is to promote growth of Arts and Culture in Washington Heights and Inwood. The second is to exist as an organizer for the community and the organizations which are established and are developing in this area. In order to do this, Alta Classica is applying for and receiving funding as well as reaching out and and working with the community to receive more funding. Alta Classica, with Sue Razavi the General Director is the Fiscal Conduit and Collaborator for the Music Council of WaHI, Producer of the 2005 Fort Tryon Park Music Mile in the Annual Uptown Arts Stroll; is the Fiscal Conduit and Producer of NYPART, New York Presbyterian Hospital Arts and Music Program, held twice weekly in the Milstein Building since 2003. Alta Classica continues to produce and perform twice a year at the Isabella Senior Center in Inwood, NYC, and is collaborating with Culturarte in three symposiums of Art, Culture and Music and a Book Fair in Washington Heights and Inwood, to be at the Ann Loftus Playground during August and September 2005. Alta Classica is performing with the Daytop Village Strawberry Festival August 28th, 2005 on Madison Avenue and 42nd. Street, and with Classical Productions Tangopera in the Thalia Theater at Symphony Space, May 2006 Tangopera Transcendental, which shows how lives are transformed by Poetry and Music, is new music to lyrics from Latin American poetry. Please contact Sue Razavi altaclass@aol.com to be on the mailing list or to make a tax deductible donation.

Sue Razavi, Soprano, and bilingual psychotherapist is the General Director of Alta Classica. Two different free CDs are available to organizations which are interested in a performance or in collaborating.

Alta Classica has twice received funding from NYC Manhattan Community Arts Development Funds, Simone Song Properties www.simonesong.com, Classical Productions, Washington Heights and Inwood Development Corp, a NYC Supplemental Grant, one from the Association of Hispanic Arts JPMorgan Chase Regrant, four from LMCC (The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council), one from the Puffin Foundation, one recently from NYSCA, (The New York State Council on the Arts) and one from IBM. Sue Razavi has received one grant from LMCC. Support also provided by The Delmas Foundation, The Pipers Kilt, the Park View Restaurant, Music at Our Saviour's Atonement Church, Artists Unite, Cafe 7, Dazlynn Copy Center, IASO Records featuring Super UBA, Apple Bank for Savings, the Manhattan Times, Culturarte, New York Presbyterian Hospital and NYPH Neighborhood Fund, and the Manhattan Delegation Fund.