On July 29, a diverse, talented group of over 200 Recording Academy New York Chapter members filled Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg to mingle, network, and talk shop. 

The special occasion was the New York Chapter Member Celebration — its first summer event — and the attendees were eager to make new friends and connections, while embracing old ones over free food and drinks.

Held inside Brooklyn Brewery's spacious wooden tasting room, where guests could try any of the local brewer's beers on draft and bites from Shake Shack — the official burger partner of the New York Chapter Member Celebration As members milled about the space, New York-bred DJ Morsy — who's also a music producer, audio engineer and proud member of the Class of 2024 — provided upbeat grooves to make Monday feel like a full-on party.

An hour or so into the lively event, Nick Cucci, the Senior Executive Director of the New York Chapter, and Lee Dannay, the new NY Chapter President, briefly paused the music and conversation to share their gratitude for their community — which grew by 600 members to 3501 this year — and the many sponsors that made the evening possible. "We can’t do this without our partners and our sponsors," Dannay said. 

The Connect Lounge, located among large, shiny vats of beer still in the brewing process, provided opportunities to network with many of the event's community partners. Daniel's Music Foundation, GRAMMY Go, MusiCares, Music Managers Forum US, Platinum Academy, The Mechanical Licensing Collective, Sound Royalties, RAMPD, Queer Capita, and She Is The Music all had tables set up to showcase their important work and how to get involved. 

Inside the Connect Lounge, attendees could watch clips from GRAMMY Go — the Recording Academy's creator-to-creator learning platform —featuring useful courses on music production, songwriting and audience building from a star-studded cast of GRAMMY-winning and nominated artists including Victoria Monét, Janelle Monáe and Hit-Boy. 

The Lounge also boasted more delicious treats; fresh, gooey cookies from Levain Bakery — the official cookie partner of the New York Chapter Member Celebration  — and organic flavored green tea from Saint James. 

Towards the end of the evening, the music was briefly paused once again to reveal the lucky winner of a raffle. NYC-based, Nigerian-born Afrobeats artist Teemanay took home a brand new D'Angelico Premier Brighton electric guitar, donated by the craft NYC guitar company. 

Even after 10 p.m. when the event ended and brewery closed, many guests mingled outside to continue conversations, exchange information and introduce themselves to anyone they might not have had the chance to yet. Recording Academy New York Chapter members are not only talented and driven creators and music industry professionals, they are clearly committed to supporting each other and building community. 

"We haven’t done an all-member celebration, nor have we ever done a program in Brooklyn during my tenure. All the stars aligned for this night. [It was a] great turnout from our members and an iconic New York City venue — Brooklyn Brewery! Perfect all around," Cucci says of the event.

The Chapter extends an extra special thanks to all their beloved partners, especially the Annual New York Chapter partners: Concord Theatricals, Sound Royalties, and the Mechanical Licensing Collective; the Official Burger of the New York Chapter Member Celebration, Shake Shack; and the Official Cookie Partner of the New York Chapter Member Celebration, Levain Bakery.

New York is the Recording Academy's second-biggest chapter. It not only serves New York City but the entire Northeast, eastern Canada, and Western Europe.. The Member Celebration is just one of many gatherings hosted by this East Coast chapter, which also include other networking opportunities , and intimate conversations  with music creators and professional producers  as part of the Community Connections series, to name a few.

If you are an artist or music professional interested in joining your local Recording Academy Chapter, you can find more information here. The Academy also accepts recommendations for new members.