Developed specially for New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village, the playground equipment is designed to evoke musical instruments and can even be “played” to make sounds. This is a state-of-the-art playground from design and creativity to protective ground coverings and equipment of the highest safety rating.

“The New York Life Foundation is honored to help support the revitalization of our beloved city, " said Mark B. Kline, an agent with New York Life's New Orleans General ffice.  "As we all know, music and children are the heart and soul of New Orleans and the Musician’s Village, the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music and the New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village Park are all important parts of the rebuilding of our community.”

The central walkway, Hurwitz Way, is named in honor of Bob Hurwitz, president of Nonesuch Records, and is designed to approximate a treble clef symbol. The walkway is etched to look like a keyboard for half of its length; the remaining length is etched with the opening bar of “When the Saints Go Marching In”. In the fall of 2005, Nonesuch released an a benefit album of newly recorded songs featuring artists from the New Orleans music community across a wide variety of styles to document the depth, richness, and profound musicality of that unique city. The resulting record, Our New Orleans, raised $1.1 million dollars which was donated to New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, to create new housing for the Musicians Village.

Hurwitz says:  “We knew that making the album Our New Orleans and raising money was important, but we had no clear picture of what it really meant until we actually came to the site of Habitat's Musicians’ Village.  It was there that we began to recognize how essential it was to help support the incredible community of musicians whose work is at the very heart and soul of this great city.  It is an overwhelming honor and profoundly humbling to have my name linked with such a meaningful project.”

Additionally, in keeping with the musical overtones of the Village, YAYA has contributed an oversized trombone sculpture by Rontherin Ratliff created with guild members from Young Aspirations/Young Artists dedicated to the musicians of New Orleans.  This project is a Contemporary Arts Center Art Shops Project supported by the Joan Mitchell Foundation.  YA/YA is an after-school arts and professional enrichment program with a two-decade track record of setting New Orleans youth on positive, productive paths. They teach art and the business of art, but the impact of YA/YA extends far beyond the art world, into the business community, families, neighborhoods, and the health and safety of our city as a whole.

Since the Village’s inception following Hurricane Katrina, the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music was slated to be an integral part of the Village.  “Our dream was to create a place where local New Orleans musicians could pass on the tradition to a whole new generation, like I had when I was growing up,” stated Harry Connick Jr., co-founder of Musicians’ Village. 

The Center is named for the patriarch of the Marsalis clan, Ellis Marsalis, a modern jazz pioneer and a native New Orleanian.  The Center will have as its focus the celebration of the music and musicians of New Orleans.  “Music is as much a part of the fabric of life in New Orleans as the cuisine, and with this Center we celebrate this most vital part of our culture,” said Branford Marsalis, the award-winning saxophonist, native New Orleanian, and co-founder of Musicians’ Village.

“After the tragedy of Katrina the members of the Robert and Audrey Talbott Foundation board of directors became citizens of New Orleans and wanted to extend our help to this great city from our town, Carmel, California. Many thanks to our funding partners for their support; and to NOLA Habitat for Humanity for their hard work in producing this creative and wonderful park for the children of the community to enjoy,“ stated Ron Parravano, Executive Director, The Robert and Audrey Talbott Foundation.

About New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village.  New Orleans Habitat Musicians’ Village, conceived by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis, consists of 72 single-family homes, 5 Master Musician elder-friendly duplexes, a toddler-friendly pocket park and the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.  All the homes built in the Village were constructed by New Orleans Habitat staff and volunteers.  The Village stands on the former site of Kohn Jr. High School which was torn down in the 1990s. 

About New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH), an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  NOAHH builds new houses in partnerships with sponsors, volunteers, communities, and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.  Since 1983, NOAHH has build over 583 homes for low-income families.  Over the next five years, NOAHH plans to continue to build homes in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes.  For more information, go to www.habitat-nola.org.

About Nonesuch Records. Founded as a classical label in 1964, Nonesuch Records has grown over the last five decades to pursue a broad mission, including classical music, contemporary music, jazz, traditional American and world music, popular and alternative music, and music theater. Since Robert Hurwitz became President of the company in 1984, Nonesuch has released recordings by artists such as John Adams, Laurie Anderson, Björk, The Black Keys, Buena Vista Social Club, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ry Cooder, Toumani Diabate, Richard Goode, Emmylou Harris, Gidon Kremer, Kronos Quartet, k.d. lang, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Audra McDonald, Brad Mehldau, Natalie Merchant, Pat Metheny, Randy Newman, Punch Brothers, Joshua Redman, Steve Reich, Stephen Sondheim, Allen Toussaint, Dawn Upshaw, Caetano Veloso, and many others. This past February, Nonesuch artists were presented with five Grammy Awards: The Black Keys (who won three Awards), Carolina Chocolate Drops, and World Circuit/Nonesuch Records artists Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté.

About Warner Music Group. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

About The New York Life Foundation. Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided more than $140 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. Through its focus on “Nurturing the Children,” the Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of safe places to learn and grow, educational enhancement opportunities and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees, agents, and retirees of New York Life through its Volunteers for Life program. To learn more, please visit the Foundation's Web site at www.newyorklifefoundation.org. For more information about New York Life in New Orleans, please call 504-231-2523 or email mbkline@ft.newyorklife.com