this week in opera

FREE SUMMER MUSIC / DANCE / THEATER / OPERA IN THE PARKS

Kim Gordon brings her Collective Tour to Central Park on June 13 (photo by Danielle Neu)

The free summer arts festival are upon us, with presentations of dance, music, and Shakespeare in parks all around the city. Below is a day-by-day look at the first half of the season in Bryant Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Central Park, Hudson River Park, Little Island, Riverside Park, Prospect Park, Governors Island, Lincoln Center, and other locations.

Keep checking this space for additions.

Thursday, May 30
through
Sunday, June 23
Hudson Classical Theater Company: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Riverside Park

Wednesday, June 5
through
Sunday, June 23
Smith Street Stage: Love’s Labor’s Lost, Carroll Park, Brooklyn

Friday, June 7
Contemporary Dance: David Dorfman, Soles of Duende, and Joffrey Concert Group, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Friday, June 7
and
Saturday, June 8
Interventions: You Look Like a Fun Guy, by Dance Heginbotham, Fort Jay Moat, Governors Island, 6:30

Saturday, June 8
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!: Family Day, with the Halluci Nation, Xiuhtezcatl, Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, Lena Horne Bandshell, 3:00

Sunday, June 9
Summer on the Hudson: Face the Music, with students from the Kaufman Music Center and members of the Metropolis Ensemble, 125th & Marginal Sts., Hudson River Park, 1:00

Lazy Daze: The Soul of Yacht Rock, with Scott Barkham, Gary Katz, and Greg Caz, Pier 6 Liberty Lawn, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 4:00

Tuesday, June 11
through
Sunday, June 30
New York Classical Theatre: Henry IV, Central Park

Wednesday June 12
Jazz at Pier 84: Antoine Roney, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Soundcake: Aural Confections by Sapphira Cristál & Monét X Change, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with Sissy Elliott, 8:00

Thursday, June 13
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Young People’s Chorus of New York City — Red Light, Green Light, Damrosch Park, 11:00 am

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Sound Bites: Salsa Music with DJ Sabrosura, Outdoor Reading Room Terrace, 5:00 pm

Kim Gordon / Sun Ra Arekstra / Slauson Malone 1, SummerStage, Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, 6:00

Blues by the Boardwalk: Jonathan Kalb, Pier 97, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with the Tony Succar Orchestra Featuring Mimy Succar, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Sofar Summer Music Series, Pier 3 Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 8:00

Thursday, June 13
through
Sunday, June 23
Shakespeare Downtown: Macbeth, Castle Clinton, Battery Park

Friday, June 14
Porch Stomp, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Eyal Vilner Big Band’s Swingin’ Uptown: Album Release Dance Party, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Sunset on the Hudson: Viva Deconcini & People’s Champs, Pier 45, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Contemporary Dance: Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, Robin Dunn’s ‘SHOUT,’ and Kevin Wynn Tribute, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Summer on the Hudson — Jazz Foundation Presents: Sunset Sounds, Pier at 125th & Marginal Sts., Riverside Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Visions of Ubuntu, with Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Funny Puppet, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco — the Brooklyn Cumbia Festival Presents Noche Romantica with DJ Tenosh, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Saturday, June 15
SummerStage: The Aussie BBQ, with Jebediah, Last Dinosaurs, Northeast Party House, Sheppard, Sycco, Thelma Plum, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 4:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazztopad Presents Hand to Earth, Hearst Plaza, 4:30

SummerStage: Andy Montañez, Charlie Cruz, People of Earth, DJ García, Coney Island Amphitheater, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Kumbia Queers Live: Paraíso Tropical, the Dance Floor, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Cultura Profética, with Por Más, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with JFUSE & Dada Cozmic, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Sunday, June 16
SummerStage: Corinne Bailey Rae, Dixson, DJ Rellyrell & Dj Ooochild, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Tuesday, June 18
SummerStage: The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Leah Hawkins, Mario Chang, Michael Sumuel, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00

Wednesday, June 19
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!: Juneteenth UNITYFEST, Lena Horne Bandshell, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Some Sing: A Juneteenth Celebration, curated by Carl Hancock Rux, Hearst Plaza, 6:00

Opera in the Garden: Juneteenth Celebration, curated by Kenneth Overton, West Side Community Garden, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Toshi Reagon’s Songs of the Living: Freedom Songs, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Thursday, June 20
Summer Solstice, Socrates Sculpture Park, 4:30

Blues by the Boardwalk: Jimmy Hill and the Allstarz, Pier 97, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance | Silent Disco, with Joe McGinty & the Loser’s Lounge and DJ Bill Coleman, the Dance Floor, 6:30

The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Leah Hawkins, Mario Chang, Michael Sumuel, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Sofar Summer Music Series, Pier 3 Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with DJ Bill Coleman, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Friday, June 21
Kyo Shin An Shakuhachi Ensemble, Granite Prospect, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 4:00

Sounds at Sunset: Steely Dan Happy Hour, Pier 3 Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 6:00

Summer on the Hudson: Harlem Moves with Jose Limón Dance Company, 125th & Marginal Sts., Riverside Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance, with Abaddón Tango, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Sunset on the Hudson: Resistance Revival Chorus, Pier 45, Hudson River Park, 6:30

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! with Ana Tijoux, Ambar Lucid, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 7:00

Jazzmobile: Sarah Vaughan Centennial, with Charenée Wade, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with Bembona, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Saturday, June 22
SummerStage: The Yussef Dayes Experience, Aneesa Strings, Dana and Alden, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! meets NPR Tiny Desk Contest on the Road — Thee Sacred Souls, Adi Oasis, the Philharmonik, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:00

Summer on the Hudson — Jazz Foundation Presents: Sunset Sounds, Pier at 125th & Marginal Sts., Riverside Park, 7:00

Summer on the Hudson: RCTA Summer Sunset Concert Series 2024, with Ron McClure & Friends, 96th St. Tennis Courts, Riverside Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Electric Fields & DEM MOB: Celebrating South Australian First Nations, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Saturday, June 22
through
Sunday, July 14
Boomerang Theatre Company: Romeo and Juliet, Central Park

Sunday, June 23
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: San Juan Procession, the Garden at Damrosch Park, 1:00

Lazy Daze: Friends & Lovers, Liberty Lawn, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 4:00

Riverside Opera Company: Black Voices, Conference House Park, Staten Island, 4:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazz Underground, with Charenée Wade, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with Papi Juice, the Dance Floor, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Rosanne Cash, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Monday, June 24
The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Brittany Olivia Logan, Hannah Jones, Matthew Cairns, Jackie Robinson Park, 7:00

Wednesday, June 26
The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Brittany Olivia Logan, Hannah Jones, Matthew Cairns, Williamsbridge Oval, Bronx, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Emily King and Louis Cato, Damrosch Park, 7:00

Jazz at Pier 84: George Braith, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: ABT Silent Disco with DJ Remeice and Connor Holloway, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Thursday, June 27
Opera in the Garden: La Traviata excerpts, West Side Community Garden, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Double Dutch Fusion Freestyle & Open Jump, with the National Double Dutch League, the Dance Floor, 6:00

Blues by the Boardwalk: Seydurah Avecmoi, Pier 97, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Le Jazz Est Mort, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Central Astoria LDC 40th Annual Independence Day Celebration, with Fleur Seule and fireworks, Astoria Park Great Lawn, 7:30

Sofar Summer Music Series, Pier 3 Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 8:00

Thursday, June 27
through
Sunday, July 21
Hudson Classical Theater Company: Coriolanus, Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Riverside Park

Friday, June 28
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance, with NYC Ska Orchestra, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Sunset on the Hudson: the Bad Judies and Randy Jones, Pier 45, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Summer on the Hudson: Bridge Matter/The Reach: An evening of performance and River views, Little Red Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park, 6:30

The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Brittany Olivia Logan, Hannah Jones, Matthew Cairns, Socrates Sculpture Garden, 7:00

Sounds at Sunset: Igmar Thomas & Musical Guests, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Summer on the Hudson: Friday Freshen Up, with Granite Garden, 125th & Marginal Sts., Riverside Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Silent Disco: The People Power Disco Hour Is Back! with DJ CherishTheLuv, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Emerging Music Festival Day One, with Chanel Beads, Mei Semones, and Los Esplifs, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Saturday, June 29
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — The Art of Wellbeing: Movement Session With New York City Ballet, LeFrak Lobby, David Geffen Hall, 11:00 am

Emerging Music Festival Day Two, with Horsegirl, Hannah Jadagu, Bloomsday, and Greg Mendez, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 5:00

Shakespeare at Sunset: Theater 2020 presents The Tempest, Granite Prospect, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 5:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco | The Dream Machine Experience, with DJ Ultra Naté, the Dance Floor, 10:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! with Fishbone, Son Rompe Pera, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:30

Sunday, June 30
Summer on the Hudson: Bridge Matter/The Reach: An evening of performance and River views, Little Red Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park, 4:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Voices of a People’s History Pop-Up Performance, Hearst Plaza, 5:00

Shakespeare at Sunset: Theater 2020 presents The Tempest, Granite Prospect, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 5:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazz Underground, with Dezron Douglas, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance, with ARS NOVA NAPOLI and E SENZA L’ACQUA LA TERRA MORE, the Dance Floor, 6:00 pm

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with RARA TECH and Gardy Girault, the Dance Floor, 8:00 pm

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — 20th Annual NYC in C: Terry Riley’s in C, Damrosch Park, 8:00 pm

Monday, July 1
Madison Cunningham / La Lom / John-Robert / Corrente: Beatriz Mira & Tiago Barreiros, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Tuesday, July 2
through
Sunday, July 7
New York Classical Theatre: Henry IV, Carl Schurz Park

Wednesday, July 3
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Pharoahe Monch & Friends: Internal Affairs 25th Anniversary, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with Mr. Life of Your Party fka DJ FLY TY, the Dance Floor, 10:00 pm

Friday, July 5
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance, with the Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Silent Disco, with Silent Disco With Cruz, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Tania León and the Harlem Chamber Players, with Terrance McKnight, Josh Henderson, Leyland Simmons, and the Harlem School of the Arts, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Brasil Summerfest with Rogê, David Rubenstein Atrium, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with Cruz, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Saturday, July 6
Queens Night Market, with Renaissance Youth, DJ Top Notch, Studio B Band, and the Werners, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 5:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Silent Disco: Big Umbrella Day Silent Disco, the Dance Floor, 6:00

Summer on the Hudson: Silent Disco, Pier I, Riverside Park, 6:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Film Night: Do the Right Thing, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:30

Summer on the Hudson: RCTA Summer Sunset Concert Series 2024, with Steve Sandberg Quartet, 96th St. Tennis Courts, Riverside Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Anthem to US Concert, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with Khalil, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Saturday, July 6
through
Sunday, July 28
The Classical Theatre of Harlem: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Marcus Garvey Park

Sunday, July 7
Domingo World at Edgemere Farm, with Tomoki Sanders Trio, @b.oon.e, Drone Daddies, and WIFE, Queens, 1:00

Staten Island Philharmonic, Conference House Park, Staten Island, 4:00

SummerStage: Ezra Collective, Celeste, Da Chick DJ, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazz Underground, with Melanie Scholtz, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays feat. La Banda Chuska, Pier I, Riverside Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Silent Disco: The Brooklyn Cumbia Festival Presents La Colocha, the Dance Floor, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Passing the Crown: Celebrating the Queens of Hip-Hop, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Seen, Sound, Scribe, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:30

Federation Sound 25th Anniversary Featuring Sister Nancy / Tanto Metro & Devonte and Friends, Coney Island Amphitheater, 5:00

Tuesday, July 9
Live at the Gantries: Cheo, Gantry Plaza State Park, 7:00

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts: A Far Cry, with works by Kareem Roustom, Kinan Azmeh, Dinuk Wijeratne, and Leoš Janáček, hosted by Terrance McKnight, Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, 7:30

Tuesday, July 9
through
Sunday, July 14
New York Classical Theatre: Henry IV, Castle Clinton, Battery Park

Wednesday, July 10
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music with Eyeglasses, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Opera in the Garden: Opera Fairy Tales, including songs from Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Rusalka, West Side Community Garden, 6:00

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Alisa Amador, Oval Lawn, Madison Square Park, 6:00

LAMC and Latin Grammy 25th Anniversary, with Fonseca, Israel Fernandez, Bruses, DJ Gia Fu, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Jazz at Pier 84: Santi Debriano’s Arkestra Bembe, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Blues & Greens: A Performance by Ruthie Foster and a Conversation with Suzan-Lori Parks and Majora Carter, Little Island, the Glade, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City India Week — Avimukta: Where the Seeker Meets the Sacred, by Aparna and Ranee Ramaswamy for Ragamala Dance Company, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City India Week: Silent Disco, with Rajuju, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Wednesday, July 10
through
Sunday, July 14
Suzan-Lori Parks hosts and curates music and conversations, the Glade, Little Island

Thursday, July 11
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Inclusive Dance Class with Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD, the Garden at Damrosch Park, 5:00

TSQ Live 2024: Jazz with Ivan Llanes & Friends, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Works & Process: It’s Showtime NYC!, Maimouna Keita African Dance Company, Kash Gaines’s Caged Birds, Von King Park, 6:00

Live at the Archway: Brasil Summerfest, with art wall by Noah Lyon, Manhattan Bridge Archway, Brooklyn, 6:00

Summer Evenings in the Garden, with Cheryl Pyle, Merchant’s House Museum, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City India Week: Social Dance, with Garba360 Featuring Ujjval Vyas Musicals, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Central Astoria Summer Concert Series, with Emerald City Underground, Astoria Park Great Lawn, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City India Week: Sonny Singh, David Rubenstein Atrium, 7:30

Plaza Theatrical presents A Grand Night for Singing, featuring Rodgers & Hammerstein classics, George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell, Forest Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City India Week: Silent Disco, with DJ Offering Rain, the Dance Floor, 10:00

The Runway & the Street: A conversation with fashion designer Daisy Wang, with a performance by MC Corey James Gray & Freestyle Monday, the Glade, Little Island, 10:00

Friday, July 12
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Travels over Feeling: Celebrating Arthur Russell, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:00

Sounds of Detroit: Celebrating 50 Years of J Dilla Feat. the Pharcyde, Slum Village, Breakbeat Lou, Rich Medina, Von King Park, 6:00

TSQ Live 2024: Summer Friday Concerts with Retrograded, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 6:00

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Thandiswa Mazwai, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Sounds at Sunset: Yacouba Sissoko, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City India Week: Parampara and SAZ ft. Sumitra Das Goswami, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Living Music Underground: Ringdown, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with Ashu Rai, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Outer Space & Inner Space: A conversation with Columbia Astronomy Professor Jane Huang, with a performance by the Psychedelic Soap Box, the Glade, Little Island, 10:00

Saturday, July 13
La Dee Streeter, Pavillion in Silver Lake Park, Staten Island, 2:00

The Big Busk with Citizen Cope and special guest Clarence Greenwood and Friends, Granite Prospect, Brooklyn Bridge Park 3:30

Mike’s Young World IV: Earl Sweatshirt, Myaap, Sideshow, Stahhr, Stacy Epps, Von King Park, 4:00

Festival Minokan 2024: Ann Tounnen Nan Matris, featuring history, talks, workshops, live music and dance, a ceremony, and more, Wyckoff House Museum, 4:00

SummerStage: LAMC, with Bresh, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Work & Play: Watch Me Work with Suzan-Lori Parks & Hansol Jung, with Suzan-Lori Parks’ Sula & the Joyful Noise, the Glade, Little Island, 6:30

Summer on the Hudson: RCTA Summer Sunset Concert Series 2024, with Debbie Deane, 96th St. Tennis Courts, Riverside Park, 7:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! with Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Lollise, Rich Medina, IAM LOVE, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Comedy Night, with Aasif Mandvi, Hari Kondabolu, Nimesh Patel, Aparna Nancherla, and Kiran Deol, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, with. DJ Rekha, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Sunday, July 14
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: India Week with SAZ Sunrise Concert, Hearst Plaza, 5:00 am

Bastille Day 2024 Celebration, with “Les visages de la Francophonie,” Anne Collod’s Blank Placard Dance, replay reimagining of Anna Halprin’s 1967 performance, music by DJ Julien, and more, Madison Ave. between Fifty-Ninth & Sixty-Third Sts., noon – 5:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at Highland Park, 3:00

Common & Pete Rock, Von King Park, 5:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: India Week with RHEOLOGY in concert, Hearst Plaza, 5:00

Golden Oldies on the Boardwalk: Oldies Is Back in Brooklyn Feat. Frank Pizarro from the Platters, Charlie Thomas’ Drifters with Jeff Hall, the Marvelettes, Bill Haley Jr’s Comets, Johnny Farina, the Excellents, the Chiclettes, and Vinnie Medugno, hosted by Joe Causi and Sal Abbatiello, music by the Coda Band, Coney Island Amphitheater, 5:00

SummerStage: Bastille Day, with IAM, Magic System, the Avener, Laurie Darmon, Femi the Scorpion, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 5:30
Lineup TBA, Von King Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: India Week Jazz Underground with Priya Darshini, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: India Week Silent Disco with Roshni Samlal (aka DJ Raat Ki Rani), the Dance Floor, 6:00

Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays feat. Falsa, Pier I, Riverside Park, 7:00

Past & Future: A conversation with Suzan-Lori Parks and Eric Foner, and a performance by Brandee Younger, the Glade, Little Island, 7:00

Monday, July 15
Broadway by the Boardwalk, with Eden Espinosa, Clinton Cove, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Tuesday, July 16
TSQ Live 2024: DJ sets with Soul Summit, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Live at the Gantries: Calvin Johnson & Native Son, Gantry Plaza State Park, 7:00

Wednesday, July 17
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music, with Salieu Suso, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Carnegie Hall Citywide: JACK Quartet with Tania León, Oval Lawn, Madison Square Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Silent Disco: Keep on Dancin’, a Dance Party Celebrating the Spirit of the Paradise Garage, with DJ Joey Llanos and DJ David DePino, the Dance Floor, 6:00

Jazz at Pier 84: Dick Griffin Big Band, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Brasil Summerfest with Gilsons, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Thursday, July 18
Live at the Archway: Sonóra Nuyorkina, with art wall by 20×200 in collaboration with Joan LeMay, Manhattan Bridge Archway, Brooklyn, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Jeremy Bosch & His Orchestra, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Claudia Acuña, David Rubenstein Atrium, 7:30

Friday, July 19
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Juilliard Summer Programs Showcase, Hearst Plaza, 1:30

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with Richie Ray, Meridian Brothers, and Madame Vacile, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:00

Sounds at Sunset: Yacouba Sissoko, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Louis Cato, Bryant Park Picnic Performances, 7:00

Dance Performances: Solo & Ensemble — Suchitra Mattai: We are nomads, we are dreamers, Socrates Sculpture Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Living Music Underground, with Claire Chase, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: The Ritual of Breath Is the Rite to Resist, Damrosch Park, 8:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with Haza, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Rena Anakwe will deliver a free sonic intervention underneath Liggett Hall archway on Governors Island on July 20

Saturday, July 20
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: The Art of Wellbeing, with Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, Griffin Sidewalk Studio, David Geffen Hall, 10:00 & 11:30 am

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: 79rs Gang, LeFrak Lobby, David Geffen Hall, noon

SummerStage: DJ Rekha’s Basement Bhangra Beyond, with Priya Ragu, Ami Dang, Lady Pista, and special guests, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 5:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Civic Saturdays: WNYC’s Public Song Project — The People’s Concert, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Habibi Festival at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with Gorgeous Gorgeous and DJ Louie XIV, the Dance Floor, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center — Symphony of Choice: A Crowd-Composed Concert, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Interventions: Rena Anakwe, Liggett Hall archway, Governors Island, 7:30

Sunday, July 21
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: La Casita, Hearst Plaza, 4:30

SummerStage: DMC & Friends, Jadakiss, the Hoodies, and Statik Selektah, hosted by Ralph McDaniels, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 5:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazz Underground with Jalen Baker Quartet, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Yerin Baek, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with mdnghtdiningclub, the Dance Floor, 8:00

Summerstage: Proyecto Uno, Milly y Quezada, DJ Miguelito, and Excarlet Molina, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Monday, July 22
Broadway by the Boardwalk, with Ramin Karimloo, Clinton Cove, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Tuesday, July 23
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center — Relaxed Open Rehearsal: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 10:30 am

Live at the Gantries: Super Yamba Band, Gantry Plaza State Park, 7:00

Tuesday, July 23
and
Wednesday, July 24
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center — Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and a Huang Ruo Premiere, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Wednesday, July 24
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music, with Scott Stenten, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

SummerStage: Arooj Aftab, Sid Sriram, Emel, and DJ Rekha, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Carnegie Hall Citywide: Ekep Nkwelle, Oval Lawn, Madison Square Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Danny Lipsitz and the Brass Tacks Ballroom Orchestra, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Jazz at Pier 84: Joaquin Pozo y la Clave Suena, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Wednesday, July 24
through
Sunday, July 28
Justin Vivian Bond: A Week of Cabaret, the Glade, Little Island, 6:30 or 10:00

Thursday, July 25
Live at the Archway: Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman, with art wall by Emily Nam, Manhattan Bridge Archway, Brooklyn, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Stud Country, the Dance Floor, 6:30

The Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series: Salcedo’s Latin Soul, Travers Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Shallow Alcove, David Rubenstein Atrium, 7:30

Thursday, July 25
through
Saturday, August 3
The Drilling Company presents Shakespeare in the Parking Lot: Twelfth Night, 145 Stanton St.

Thursday, July 25
through
Sunday, August 18
Hudson Classical Theater Company: Twelfth Night, Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Riverside Park

Friday, July 26
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center: Festival Orchestra Pre-Show Panel Discussion, Griffin Sidewalk Studio, David Geffen Hall, 6:00

Sounds at Sunset: Brooklyn Americana Music, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Carnegie Hall Citywide, with Michael Olatuja & Lagos Pepper Soup, Bryant Park, 7:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with Ronald K. Brown / EVIDENCE, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Fefita La Grande, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Living Music Underground, with Rafiq Bhatia, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Friday, July 26
and
Saturday, July 27
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center: Kazem Abdullah Conducts Brahms and Stravinsky, geaturing Benjamin Beilman in the Avery Fisher Legacy Concert, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Friday, July 26
through
Sunday, July 28
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Urban Bush Women’s 40th Anniversary, multiple locations and times

Saturday, July 27
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Choreograph the Future, with the NYC Hustle Dance Machine, the Dance Floor, 6:00

Rhapsody for This Land: The American Odyssey in Music, with Lara Downes, Time for Three, Christian McBride, Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, Arturo O’Farrill, Orchestra Elena & Aram Demirjian, Emily Warren Roebling Plaza under the Brooklyn Bridge, 6:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with Watchhouse and Black Belt Eagle Scout, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Patrice Roberts, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, Astro Disco with The Illustrious Blacks, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Sunday, July 28
Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York’s Annual Guelaguetza Festival, Socrates Sculpture Park, noon

Sounds at Sunset: Steely Dan Happy Hour, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 4:00

SummerStage: Catalan Sounds on Tour, with Sidonie, Balkan Paradise Orchestra, Lau Noah, and DJ Turmix, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazz Underground with Jerome Jennings, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Los Van Van, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with S.N.O.B., the Dance Floor, 8:00

Monday, July 29
Broadway by the Boardwalk, with Bradley Gibson, Clinton Cove, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Tuesday, July 30
Live at the Gantries: Fabio Rojas Quintet, Gantry Plaza State Park, 7:00

Tuesday, July 30
and
Wednesday, July 31
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center — Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducts Haydn and Ginastera, featuring J’Nai Bridges singing Lieberson’s Neruda Songs, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Tuesday, July 30
through
Saturday, August 3
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: BAAND Together Dance Festival, with Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, workshops at LeFrak Lobby in David Geffen Hall, live performances in David H. Koch Theater

Wednesday, July 31
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music, with G Wyll, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Jaime Lozano & the Familia: ¿Bailamos?, the Dance Floor, 6:00

Jazz at Pier 84: Axel Tosca Trio featuring Xiomara Laugart, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Once on This Island, in American Sign Language by Deaf Broadway, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Thursday, August 1
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Inclusive Dance Class with Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dance for PD, the Garden at Damrosch Park, 5:00

SummerStage: Chuck Chillout 40th Radio Anniversary Party, with Ice T, Mop, Schoolly D, Peter Gunz & Lord Tariq, Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud, CL Smooth, Joeski Love, D.J. Breakout, Funky Four + 1 More, Ultramagnetic MCs, DJ Chuck Chillout & Kool Chip, Nine, Al B. Sure!, music by Funk Flex, hosted by Ralph McDaniels & Bugsy Buggs, Crotona Park, 6:00

Live at the Archway: Gentleman Brawlers, with art wall by Annick Martin, Manhattan Bridge Archway, Brooklyn, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Gordon Webster, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with Madame Vacile, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Friday, August 2
SummerStage: The Tedsmooth Freestyle Jam Feat. Coro, C-Bank, DJ Serg, Anthony Mangini, Tedsmooth, JayboogieNYC, and Strafe, Crotona Park, 6:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with Meshell Ndegeocello — No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, Talibah Safiya, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Luis Perico Ortiz & His Orchestra / Silent Disco with Gia Fu, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Carnegie Hall Citywide, with La Excelencia, Bryant Park, 7:00

Sounds at Sunset: PAAK Appreciation, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Living Music Underground with Josh Johnson, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:00

Friday, August 2
and
Saturday, August 3
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center — Jeannette Sorrell Conducts Bologne and Mozart: An evening of Classical revolutionaries, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Saturday, August 3
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Yacouba Sissoko & SIYA, LeFrak Lobby, David Geffen Hall, noon

Mark Morris Dance Group, Pier 1Harbor View Lawn, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2:00

Ginetta’s Vendetta, Faber Park Recreation Center, Staten Island, 2:00

Public Pop Up: Queens Night Market, with the Gentleman Brawlers, a screening of Shakespeare in the Park’s Much Ado About Nothing, and more, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 4:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: globalFEST, 4:30

SummerStage: The Originals Featuring Stretch Armstrong, Clark Kent, Rich Medina, and Tony Touch, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

SummerStage: King Promise, Dan Price the Artist, and DJ Faddah Faddah, Crotona Park, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: globalFEST Silent Disco, the Dance Floor, 10:00

Saturday, August 3
through
Sunday, September 15
Theater for the New City: The Socialization of a Social Worker, or The Fight for Social Justice, parks across all five boroughs, 2:00 or 5:00

Sunday, August 4
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Jazz Underground with Caroline Davis’ Alula, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 6:00

SummerStage: Galactic Featuring Irma Thomas, the Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., anf DJ Greg Caz, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

SummerStage: Nems Presents: Gorillafest Featuring Ghostface Killah, DJ Drewski & Friends, Statik Selektah, Scram Jonesn Tony Touch, and more, Coney Island Amphitheater, 5:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Steel Pulse, Damrosch Park, 8:00

Monday, August 5
Broadway by the Boardwalk, with Adam Jacobs and Arielle Jacobs, Clinton Cove, Hudson River Park, 6:30

Tuesday, August 6
Live at the Gantries: Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East, Gantry Plaza State Park, 7:00

Tuesday, August 6
and
Wednesday, August 7
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center — Jonathon Heyward Conducts Mendelssohn, featuring Ryan Roberts playing Vaughan Williams’s Oboe Concerto, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Wednesday, August 7
SummerStage: Ballet Hispánico, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Jazz at Pier 84: Whitney Marchelle, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Wednesday, August 7
through
Saturday, August 24
Hip to Hip Theatre Company: The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, nine parks in Queens, Jersey City, and Southampton

Thursday, August 8
Live at the Archway: Tracy Bonham, with art wall by Joshua Reynolds, Manhattan Bridge Archway, Brooklyn, 6:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Social Dance with Louie Vega & the Elements of Life, the Dance Floor, 6:30

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City Spotlight: House of Noire Presents Legends, Divas & Icons, David Rubenstein Atrium, 7:30

’70s Disco Party, George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell, Forest Park, 7:30

Friday, August 9
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Pan on the Plaza Featuring Elite Pan Consortium, Hearst Plaza, 6:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with Jesse Royal, Anant Pradhan & Larry McDonald, and Ayanna Heaven, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:30

Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Joe’s Pub — Broadway en Spanglish, with Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca, Bryant Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Living Music Underground with JACK Quartet, the Underground at Jaffe Drive, 8:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Silent Disco with Mr. Life of Your Party fka DJ FLY TY, the Dance Floor, 9:00

Friday, August 9
and
Saturday, August 10
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City — Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center: Jonathon Heyward Conducts Schumann / Conrad Tao Plays Bach, Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall, 7:30

Friday, August 9
and
Saturday, August 10
Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: MVP, a multimedia stage play inspired by the music of Melvin Van Peebles, with Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, Alice Tully Hall, 7:30

Saturday, August 10
Celebrate World SteelPan Day, Brooklyn Bridge Park, noon

Blues BBQ Festival, with Alexis P. Suter, Blackcat Zydeco featuring Dwight Carrier, Sheryl Youngblood, Joe Louis Walker, and Altered Five Blues Band, Pier 76, 1:00 – 9:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Ruidosa Fest, 4:30

Bryant Park Picnic Performances: New Victory Theater, with Ephrat Asherie + Barkin/Selissen Project, Bryant Park, 5:00

SummerStage: Gotta Have House: Aly-Us, Lady Alma, Keith Thompson, Strafe, Entouch, and D-Train, Stapleton Waterfront Park, 6:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, with Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul and Sinkane | Ushka, Lena Horne Bandshell, Prospect Park, 6:30

SummerStage: VP Records 45th Anniversary, with Morgan Heritage Homecoming, “A Tribute to Peetah Morgan” Featuring Morgan Heritage and Friends, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Lincoln Center Presents Summer for the City: Ruidosa Fest Silent Disco, the Dance Floor, 8:00

Sunday, August 11
Open Studios: Fogo Azul, Pier 6 Picnic Tables, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2:00

Hip to Hip Theatre Company: The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Socrates Sculpture Park, 4:30

SummerStage: Tito Nieves, Cynthia, DJ Lucy Euclid, and Vinnie Medugno, Stapleton Waterfront Park, 5:00

SummerStage: WBLS 50th Anniversary Celebration, with Jon B, Vivian Green, Meli’sa Morgan, Horace Brown, Jeff Redd, and music by Funk Flex, Coney Island Amphitheater, 7:00

Monday, August 12
Public Pop Up: Public Works presents Let’s Hear It for New York!, with a participatory community-led dance piece to Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind,” a screening of Shakespeare in the Park’s Much Ado About Nothing, and more, Central Park Frisbee Hill, 6:00

Tuesday, August 13
Live at the Gantries: Lulada Club, Gantry Plaza State Park, 7:00

Wednesday, August 14
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music, with Samoa Wilson, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Jazz at Pier 84: Debbie Knapper and the Knappertime Band, Hudson River Park, 7:00

Wednesday, August 14
through
Sunday, August 18
Language City: Five Nights, Five Boroughs, poetry, music, and movement, the Glade, Little Island, 6:30 or 10:00

Thursday, August 15
Live at the Archway: Queerchella, with art wall by Melanie Hope Greenberg, Manhattan Bridge Archway, Brooklyn, 6:00

The Queens Jazz Trail Concert Series: Sam Martinelli & the Brazilian Jazz Collective, Rockaway Beach Park, 7:00

Queensboro Dance Festival, George Seuffert Sr. Bandshell, Forest Park, 7:00

Friday, August 16
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: World Music Institute, with Gyedu-Blay Ambolley + Natu Camara, Bryant Park, 7:00

Jazzmobile & Summerstage Present A Max Roach 100th Tribute, with M’boom, Featuring Warren Smith and Joe Chambers, the Kojo Melché Roney Experience, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00

Friday, August 16
through
Monday, August 19
House Fest 2024, Nolan Park and Colonels Row, Governors Island

Saturday, August 17
Queens Borough Dance Festival, Fort Totten Park Lawn, Queens, 5:00

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! with Lila Iké and screening of Bob Marley: One Love, the Lawn at Brower Park, 5:00

SummerStage: Palmwine Festival NYC, with Show Dem Camp Feat. the Cavemen and Friends, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Big Summer Chop & Vibes, Pier 3 Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 6:00

SummerStage: The Soapbox Presents The Life of the Party, Marcus Garvey Park, 6:00

Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Jalopy Theatre, with Cristina Vane, Slavic Soul Party!, and Guachinangos, Bryant Park, 7:00

Sunday, August 18
SummerStage: Funk Flex Birthday Party with Slick Rick, Dana Dane, Doug E. Fresh, DJ Maseo, and more, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

SummerStage: Special Uptown Edition Celebrating 40 Years of Red Alert & Ralph McDaniels Video Music Box, Marcus Garvey Park, 5:00

Wednesday, August 21
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music, with Hasta La Zeta, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Curated by Cécile McLorin Salvant: Vanisha Gould, the Glade, Little Island, 8:30

Thursday, August 22
SummerStage: Brazilian Day, with Alcione, Larissa Luz, DJ Malfeitona, and screening of Gerson King Combo, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Curated by Cécile McLorin Salvant: June McDoom, the Glade, Little Island, 8:30

Friday, August 23
SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, with Christian McBride Big Band and Wallace Roney Jr., Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00

Curated by Cécile McLorin Salvant: Lau Noah, the Glade, Little Island, 10:00

Friday, August 23
and
Saturday, August 24
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: New York City Opera presents Tosca, Bryant Park, 7:00

Saturday, August 24
SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, with Carmen Lundy, Helen Sung, Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few, Tyreek McDole, and DJ Kulturedchild aka Angelika Beener, Marcus Garvey Park, 3:00

Unrehearsed: R&J, Needs More Work Productions vs. Barefoot Shakespeare Company, Summit Rock, Central Park, 4:00

Curated by Cécile McLorin Salvant: Sullivan Fortner, the Glade, Little Island, 8:30

Sunday, August 25
SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, with Louis Hayes, Superblue: Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter Ft. Huntertones, Ekep Nkwelle, Alexis Lombre, and DJ Kulturedchild aka Angelika Beener, Tompkins Square Park, 3:00

Curated by Cécile McLorin Salvant: Arooj, the Glade, Little Island, 8:30

Tuesday, August 27
SummerStage: Snail Mail, Tim Heidecker and Fenne Lily, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 6:00

Wednesday, August 28
TSQ Live 2024: Live Music with MTA Music, with Gabriel Aldort, TSQ Plaza, Times Square, 5:00

Wednesday, August 28
through
Sunday, September 1
Curated by Standing on the Corner: a week of music and performance art, the Glade, Little Island, 7:00 or 10:00

Friday, August 30
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Asian American Arts Alliance, with Vijay Iyer Trio, Bryant Park, 7:00

Saturday, August 31
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Contemporary Dance, with Mark Morris Dance Group, Blacks in Ballet, and Reed Luplau, Bryant Park, 7:00

Sunday, September 1
Staten Island Philharmonic, Conference House Park, Staten Island, 4:00

Thursday, September 5
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Accordions Around the World, with Dwayne Dopsie, Afro Dominicano, and Lakou Mizik, Bryant Park, 7:00

Friday, September 6
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: American Symphony Orchestra presents Beyond the Hall, led by music director Leon Botstein, Bryant Park, 7:00

Monday, September 9
SummerStage: WNYC and Friends Centennial Celebration, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Thursday, September 12
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: Harlem Stage, with Eddie Palmieri, Bryant Park, 7:00

Friday, September 13
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: The Town Hall and Belongó presents The Man with the Golden Horn, featuring James Bond songs, Bryant Park, 7:00

AN AMERICAN SOLDIER

The company of An American Soldier rehearses for New York City premiere (photo by HanJie Chow)

AN AMERICAN SOLDIER
Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC)
251 Fulton St.
May 12-19, $54-$183
pacnyc.org

PAC NYC continues its wide-ranging inaugural season with the New York premiere of An American Soldier, an opera that tells the true story of what happened to Asian American army private Danny Chen in 2011 during the war in Afghanistan. The harrowing store of hate and harassment features a libretto by Tony and Grammy winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Soft Power), with music by Huang Ruo (M. Butterfly, Book of Mountains and Seas); the two-hour work, which debuted as a one-act in 2014 and was expanded in 2018, is directed by Obie winner Chay Yew (Cambodian Rock Band, Sweatshop Overlord), with choreography by Ann Yee (Sunday in the Park with George, Caroline, or Change).

Tenor Brian Vu stars as the Chinatown-born Pvt. Chen, with mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen as his mother, soprano Hannah Cho as his high school friend Josephine Young, and baritone Alex DeSocio as Sgt. Aaron Marcum, his main tormentor. The cast also includes Christian Simmons, Ben Brady, Joshua Sanders, James C. Harris, Shelén Hughes, and Cierra Byrd in multiple roles. The thirty-five-piece orchestra will be conducted by Carolyn Kuan.

A coproduction with Boston Lyric Opera and American Composers Orchestra, An American Soldier features sets by Daniel Ostling, costumes by Linda Cho, lighting by Jeanette Yew, sound by David Bullard, and projections by Nicholas Hussong. There will be only five performances May 12-19, and tickets are going fast. The May 16 show will be followed by a panel discussion with Hwang, Kuan, and Ruo, moderated by Ken Smith, and the May 18 presentation will be followed by a talk with Chen family spokesperson Banny Chen, civil rights lawyer Elizabeth OuYang, Hwang, and Ruo, moderated by CeFaan Kim.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]

THE IMMERSIVE COFFEE CANTATA EXPERIENCE

Christine Lyons, Bernard Holcomb, and Philip Cokorinos star in The Immersive Coffee Cantata (Dan Wright Photography)

THE IMMERSIVE COFFEE CANTATA EXPERIENCE
The Lost Draft
398 Broome St. between Lafayette & Mulberry Sts.
February 14-25, $40
osopera.org
thelostdraft.com

I have never been a coffee drinker. In fact, I have not had a sip of any type of java in more than forty years. But On Site Opera’s (OSO) latest site-specific production, The Immersive Coffee Cantata, is my kind of cuppa.

Coffee first made its way into Germany around 1670. In 1735, composer Johann Sebastian Bach and poet and librettist Christian Friedrich Henrici, known as Picander, teamed up for Coffee Cantata (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211), a tasty tale of a father who insists his daughter give up coffee if she ever wants to get married.

OSO, which has staged shows at Wave Hill, at a barbecue market, in a soup kitchen, and on board ships at the South Street Seaport, this time moves into the Lost Draft coffee shop in SoHo, which, in its mission statement, explains, “Art is an expression that can never be perfected. It is indefinite, ever-evolving. Artists reveal the highest versions of themselves when they are lost in their work. There is no final draft. There is only the draft that best represents you as an artist. And what artist doesn’t love coffee? That is the inspiration behind the Lost Draft. A creative space for creative people who love coffee.”

The Lost Draft is a long, narrow shop with the counter on the left and small tables on the right. On each table are several empty coffee cups, two boxes of popcorn, and freshly baked cookies that you can start on while the four-piece band warms up. (If you’re lucky, you’ll get the scrumptious passion fruit red velvet delights along with the chocolate espresso cookie.) You can also take a coffee quiz by scanning the QR code on the card on your table.

The Immersive Coffee Cantata takes place in the Lost Draft coffee shop in SoHo (Dan Wright Photography)

The show begins with Joe, the barista and narrator (tenor Bernard Holcomb), advising us, “If you’ll pipe down, and put your phones on mute, / You’ll overhear a family dispute: / Here comes Herr Schlendrian, / His daughter Lieschen close behind. / He’s about to lose his mind — / Or maybe it’s already gone.”

Schlendrian (bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos) enters, upset that his daughter, Lieschen (soprano Christine Lyons), is late and never listens to him. When she finally arrives, he yells at her, “You stubborn child, don’t drink that gritty mixture!,” but she declares, “My whole world floats in a cup or mug, / Revolving around Heaven’s true wonder drug / Thirsty for nectar from above. / Coffee, coffee: I’ve got to have it, / And it’s such a victimless habit. / Coffee is my liquid love!”

The sweet new libretto by Geoffrey McDonald, who also did the lovely orchestrations, quickly makes it clear that coffee is a stand-in for a man; fathers usually complain about a daughter’s choice in partners, but soon Schlendrian is checking the online matchmaking site Duetto to find Lieschen an acceptable future husband. Among the stickers on the back of Lieschen’s laptop is one of the iconic New York Greek coffee cup.

“Marital bliss: / Father, I want true love’s kiss! / Yes, a spouse! / Raise a family, buy a house!” she sings. “But I want a worthy suitor, / One who treats me like a queen. / I’ll agree to quit caffeine, / If you’ll serve as my recruiter!” And off they go, determined to make their dreams come true, demonstrated by a clever use of large and small paper coffee cups.

Schlendrian (Philip Cokorinos) is concerned for his daughter’s future in The Immersive Coffee Cantata (Dan Wright Photography)

During the forty-five-minute presentation, the actors and staff pour three tastings, Mama Mina, Kahawa Chungu, and the Queen’s Cup, the last also available in a go-cup. Meanwhile, the score is performed in a near corner by members of the American Modern Ensemble, featuring Valeriya Sholokova on cello, Nikita Yermack on violin, John Romeri on flute and recorder, and Dan Lippel on guitar, not all instruments Bach intended, but it works.

The Immersive Coffee Cantata is the first production under new OSO artistic director Sarah Meyers, who helms the show with an intimate, friendly touch. Cofounding general and artistic director Eric Einhorn, who stepped down at the end of last year, was chosen as one of Lieschen’s potential suitors in an earlier performance.

Met Opera veteran Cokorinos is terrific as the concerned father who wants only the best for his daughter, his face bold and expressive. Holcomb is welcoming as the amiable Joe, and Lyons is charming as Lieschen, who is forced into choosing between mocha and a man. Cokorinos’s diction is impeccable; you might have to refer to the online libretto for certain lines sung by Holcomb and Lyons, both of whom have exceptional voices.

My only quibble with the show is that it’s too short; I wanted to spend more time with the cast and crew, if not with the coffee itself.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]

JOHN ADAMS’ EL NIÑO: NATIVITY RECONSIDERED

John Adams’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered returns to St. John the Divine on December 21 (photo by Nina Westervelt)

Who: American Modern Opera Company (AMOC)
What: John Adams’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered
Where: The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St.
When: Thursday, December 21, choose-what-you-pay; suggested admission $35, 7:30
Why: Originally presented by American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) in 2018 at the San Martín at Fuentidueña chapel in the Cloisters, John Adams’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered was performed last December at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, in a slightly revised iteration, and it is now back for an encore presentation. A retelling of the traditional Christmas story, El Niño premiered in Paris in 2000, with a libretto by Peter Sellars. At St. John the Divine, the nativity oratorio, conceived and curated by Julia Bullock, includes soprano Bullock, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, bass-baritone Davóne Tines, violinists Miranda Cuckson and Keir GoGwilt, cellist Coleman Itzkoff, bassist Doug Balliett, flutist Emi Ferguson, percussionist Jonny Allen, pianist Conor Hanick, guest soloist contralto Jasmin White, and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street; the conductor is Christian Reif, who is responsible for the new chamber opera arrangement.

In a program note for the Met Museum digital premiere, Bullock wrote, “El Niño is one of my favorite pieces of music and I feel one of John and Peter’s greatest collaborations. . . . It is rarely programmed, either because of the resources needed or possibly because our North American holiday tradition insists upon multiple performances of Handel’s Messiah. The Messiah is, of course, a beloved work, but it doesn’t meditate solely on the nativity story; it also encompasses the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. El Niño, on the other hand, explores the central themes of the nativity — the immaculate conception, the unique relationship between mother and child, and gift giving — and also ruminates on the notion that with the promise of new life, there is the equal threat of inexplicable violence and sacrifice. In creating El Niño, John and Peter consciously decided that alongside European interpretations from the male-centric biblical canon, they would feature the contributions of women and Latin American poets.” Tickets for this special event are choose-what-you-pay with a suggested donation of $35.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]

DOPPELGANGER

Park Ave. Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall is transformed into a WWI military hospital in Doppelganger (photo by Monika Rittershaus / courtesy of Park Avenue Armory)

DOPPELGANGER
Park Avenue Armory, Wade Thompson Drill Hall
643 Park Ave. at 67th St.
September 22-28, $54-$259
212-933-5812
www.armoryonpark.org

Park Avenue Armory once again confirms that its Wade Thompson Drill Hall is the most sensational performance space in New York City with the world premiere of Claus Guth’s bold and breathtaking Doppelganger.

In 1828, ailing Austrian composer Franz Schubert wrote “13 Lieder nach Gedichten von Rellstab und Heine,” a baker’s dozen of songs set to text by German poet, pianist, and music critic Ludwig Rellstab (originally written for Beethoven) and German poet and literary critic Heinrich Heine. Schubert died of syphilis in November of that year at the age of thirty-one; the works were published in 1829 as a fourteen-song cycle, Schwanengesang (“Swan Song”), with the addition of a song with lyrics by Austrian archaeologist and poet Johann Gabriel Seidl.

Innovative German director Guth has adapted Schwanengesang into a riveting tale of love, war, and death, set inside a military field hospital; the armory itself was built for the Seventh Regiment during the Civil War, adding a layer of reality. Michael Levine’s stunning set consists of nine rows of seven white-sheeted beds, in austere alignment, with Helmut Deutsch’s piano at the center (where one of the beds would have been, but the pianist is in no need of any kind of assistance). At the front and back are six chairs and mobile IV units for nurses. The audience sits in rising rafters on either side of the beds.

When the doors open about fifteen minutes prior to the official start time, nearly two dozen of the beds are already occupied by barefoot men in WWI-era brown pants and jacket, white shirt, and suspenders (the costumes are by Constance Hoffman); they shift in restless sleep as the nurses proceed in unison through the rows of beds and Deutsch waits patiently at his grand piano.

A seriously injured soldier faces heartbreak in Doppelganger (photo by Monika Rittershaus / courtesy of Park Avenue Armory)

Schubert did not intend for the fourteen songs to form a continuous, complete narrative, but Guth transforms it into a seamless, deeply compelling, and powerful story. The doors close and the show begins, soon focusing on an unnamed solitary individual (German-Austrian tenor Jonas Kaufmann). “In deep repose my comrades in arms / lie in a circle around me; / my heart is so anxious and heavy, / so ardent with longing,” he sings in Rellstab’s “Warrior’s foreboding,” continuing, “How often I have dreamt sweetly / upon her warm breast! / How cheerful the fireside glow seemed / when she lay in my arms.”

Rellstab’s words are beautiful and romantic as the man makes numerous references to nature while contemplating his bleak future. “Murmuring brook, so silver and bright, / do you hasten, so lively and swift, to my beloved?” he asks in “Love’s message.” In “Far away,” he speaks of “Whispering breezes, / gently ruffled waves, darting sunbeams, lingering nowhere.” Other stanzas refer to “snowy blossoms,” “slender treetops,” a “roaring forest,” “gardens so green.”

Heine’s lyrics cast the man as a lonely soul desperate for connection. “I, unhappy Atlas, must bear a world, / the whole world of sorrows. / I bear the unbearable, and my heart / would break within my body,” he proclaims. Tears figure prominently, appearing in four songs. “My tears, too, flowed / down my cheeks. / And oh – I cannot believe / that I have lost you!” he declares in “Her portrait.”

Kaufmann is in terrific voice; he wanders around the set seeking solace, looking for a reason to fight for a life that is draining from his body. He stops at a bedpost, lays out on the floor, and stands under falling rose petals. He makes sure to visit each part of the audience, sometimes coming within only a few feet. The other soldiers and the nurses weave in and out of the columns, sitting on beds or gathering together. (The movement is expertly choreographed by Sommer Ulrickson.)

Helmut Deutsch calmly plays at a center piano while action swirls around him (photo by Monika Rittershaus / courtesy of Park Avenue Armory)

Urs Schönebaum’s brilliant lighting is like a character unto itself; each bed has its own white spotlight, and occasionally a stand of lights bursts from one end, casting long shadows amid the nearly blinding brightness. The projections by rocafilm include bare trees and an abstract static on the floor, as if we’re inside the man’s disintegrating mind. Mathis Nitschke’s compositions feature sudden blasts of the noises of war, providing theatrical accompaniment to Deutsch’s gorgeous playing, all balanced by Mark Grey’s tantalizing sound design, which links songs that were not meant to mellifluously follow one after another to do exactly that, flowing like the brooks so often referenced in the lyrics.

Guth, who played Schubert’s Winterreise as a student and previously collaborated with Kaufmann on the composer’s Fierrabras, takes advantage of nearly everything the armory has to offer; it’s hard to imagine the ninety-minute Doppelganger being quite as successful anywhere else. Surtitles are projected in English and German above the seating. The cavernous fifty-five-thousand-square-foot hall has rarely felt so intimate despite its impressive length and vast, high ceiling. And the finale holds a powerful surprise that also explains the title of the work, and not just because the name of the song is “Der Doppelgänger.”

Incorporating dance, theater, music recital, art installation, and poetry, Doppelganger is a triumphant, site-specific marvel that is not just for classical music fans. It’s a timeless emotional treatise on the evils of war and the heartbreak of lost love as a man reflects on his life while staring death straight in the face.

It’s a harrowing and thoroughly astounding journey. Although it grew out of the European wars of the nineteenth century, it remains painfully relevant even as a twenty-first-century war rages on the borders of Eastern Europe today.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]

RENÉE FLEMING IMMERSED IN PARIS AND VENICE

Renée Fleming takes viewers backstage at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Renée Fleming’s Cities that Sing: Paris (photo courtesy IMAX and Stage Access)

RENÉE FLEMING’S CITIES THAT SING: PARIS / VENICE (Francois-Rene Martin, 2022/2023)
AMC Empire 25, IMAX Laser
AMC Kips Bay 15, IMAX Laser
Paris: Saturday, August 26, $32, 3:00
Venice: Saturday, September 16, $32, 3:00
www.fathomevents.com
imax.com/reneefleming

Here in New York City, we’ve been spoiled when it comes to superstar soprano Renée Fleming. The Grammy-winning Rochester native has been performing at the Metropolitan Opera House since her 1991 debut as Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro; this season she appeared as Clarissa Vaughan in The Hours. Fleming has also been on Broadway twice, in Living in Love in 2015 and Carousel in 2018, as well as the Shed in the 2019 drama Norma Jeane Baker of Troy.

Now we get a chance to see another side of Fleming as she visits two of the great international cities, exploring their music and culture in two one-day-only IMAX screenings. On August 26, you can immerse yourself in Renée Fleming’s Cities that Sing: Paris, followed September 16 by Renée Fleming’s Cities that Sing: Venice.

“My career has taken me to stages all over the world singing repertoire that is so virtuosic, so beautiful and enriching, and now I get to bring some of that experience to movie screens through this spectacular pairing of IMAX and Fathom Events,” Fleming said in a statement. “This is an extraordinary combination that allows these two special films to be seen by the largest possible audience.”

In Paris, Fleming, focusing on chamber pieces and arias by such composers as Reynaldo Hahn, Gabriel Faure, Léo Delibes, Jacques Offenbach, Georges Bizet, and Giuseppe Verdi, is joined by tenor Piotr Beczała, soprano Axelle Fanyo, baritone Alexandre Duhamel, pianist Tanguy de Williencourt, and the Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comteat, conducted by Jean-François Verdier, at the Théâtre du Châtelet as they take a musical journey through the City of Lights; she also sits down for a conversation with French couturier Alexis Mabille and Canadian opera director Robert Carsen.

In Venice, concentrating on classic works by such Italian composers as Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, and Giacomo Puccini, Fleming performs at the Teatro La Fenice with tenor Francesco Meli, baritone Mattia Olivieri, mezzo-soprano Paola Gardina, and the Orchestra Del Teatro La Fenice conducted by Riccardo Frizza; she also discusses the City of Canals with Frizza and La Fenice artistic director Fortunato Ortombina.

Renée Fleming guides viewers through the City of Canals in Renée Fleming’s Cities that Sing: Venice (photo courtesy IMAX and Stage Access)

Presented by IMAX, Fathom, and Stage Access, the films are directed by Francois-Rene Martin (Baroque Odyssey: A Birthday Concert in the Gardens of William Christie, Edward Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius) and lavishly photographed and lit by Julien Jaunet as Fleming sings in the gorgeous theaters, visits local shops, takes a gondola ride, and engages in outdoor conversations about art and culture.

“Opera is called grand opera for a reason: It’s larger than life, incorporating every art — instrumental music, singing, drama, poetry — into one major art form that is a wonderful experience on the big screen,” Fleming added.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]

TICKET ALERT: THE MUSIC CRITIC

John Malkovich, Hyung-ki Joo, and Aleksey Igudesman star in The Music Critic, coming to the Beacon for one night only

Who: John Malkovich, Aleksey Igudesman, Hyung-ki Joo
What: The Music Critic, play with live classical music and opera
Where: Beacon Theatre, Broadway at 74th St.
When: Saturday, October 28, $66-$257, 7:30
Why: In such films as Being John Malkovich and cable series as The New Pope, two-time Oscar nominee and Emmy winner John Malkovich (Places in the Heart, In the Line of Fire) has shown that he has a wickedly clever sense of humor, especially when it comes to himself. Since appearing on Broadway four times from 1984 to 1987 (Death of a Salesman, Arms and the Man, The Caretaker, Burn This), his stage work in New York has been limited. In 2011, he starred as the title murderer in The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer at BAM, and two years later he portrayed Giacomo Casanova at City Center in The Giacomo Variations; both traveling productions combined classical music, opera, and theater.

On October 28, Malkovich will return to the city for one night only with his latest traveling show, The Music Critic, in which he plays a cynical expositor who argues that Antonín Dvořák “indulges in ugly, unnatural music,” calls Johannes Brahms a “giftless bastard,” and claims that “the music of Debussy has the attractiveness of a pretty, tubercular maiden.” It was created and conceived by Russian violinist, poet, author, director, composer, and conductor Aleksey Igudesman, who performs in the international hit with his longtime comedy partner, Korean-British pianist, composer, and educator Hyung-ki Joo; both trained at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School. The irreverent comic duo of Igudesman & Joo has previously staged such productions as And Now Rachmaninoff, And Now Mozart, and BIG Nightmare Music.

“We are all happy to be back on the road, and for the first time also in the USA, participating in an evening which consists of some of the greatest compositions in the history of classical music, paired with the perhaps rather unexpected initial reactions those compositions elicited from some of the world’s renowned music critics, along with some other surprises,” Malkovich said in a statement. Igudesman added, “The Music Critic is a project very close to my heart, and bringing it to the USA is something I dreamed of from its inception. My dear friend John Malkovich in the role of the evil critic is despicable and lovable at the same time and evokes the critic in every one of us.”

The score of The Music Critic features Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Prokofiev, Eugène Ysaÿe, Giya Kancheli, Astor Piazzolla, and Igudesman; Igudesman and Joo will be joined by cellist Antonio Lysy, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and violinist Claire Wells. Be prepared for an unpredictable evening of fab music and comic high jinks.

[Mark Rifkin is a Brooklyn-born, Manhattan-based writer and editor; you can follow him on Substack here.]