Tanya and Krystof Witek

In a normal month, 802 flutist and piccolo player Tanya Witek (@flautanya) performs in the New York City Ballet Orchestra and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, while her husband, 802 violinist Krystof Witek (@kryswitek), performs as an associate violinist at the @metopera and in @thelionking on Broadway. The Witeks together founded and run a community engagement nonprofit called @BridgeMusik. With all their performing work at a standstill, Tanya and Krystof have been continuing this labor of love, working with local school districts to get students playing along from their homes. Tanya and Krystof are also finding ways to keep music alive in their own home – coordinating virtual projects with colleagues and performing from home with their two children (pictured here.) As a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra committee, which recently finished a successful contract negotiation, Tanya has also been staying connected with her 802 colleagues. “The incredible frontline workers are on our mind all the time. We live in an area with many first responders including nurses, doctors, fire, and police. Their heroism is so awe-inspiring. Our family created a music video to celebrate these amazing people. Every photo was given to us by friends and each photo tells a story. Working on this project was very cathartic. Seeing so many familiar faces from our community made this extremely gratifying. The heroes living in our midst are amazing and I was very happy my children could participate in this. We will recover and I believe that we will be stronger because of it. In the meantime, we need to find ways forward. I’m so inspired seeing the initiatives of artists and organizations as they find a new way forward. The Met Gala was so inspiring. What New York City Ballet is doing with a digital season is inspiring. Let’s learn from one another and inspire each other to continue the journey.” Pictured here: Tanya and Krystof Witek, with their children Annamaria and Lukas #MusiciansofNY #MusiciansofNYQuarantineEdition #802strong #COVID19