Summer is officially here and it’s bringing the heat. No, we’re not talking about temperatures or sports teams; we’re talking about music.
This July brings a series of fantastic outdoor concerts with such knockout artists as the Kronos Quartet, our dear friend (and former Artist Propulsion Lab member) Conrad Tao, The Knights, Roomful of Teeth, and more.
You’ve got the list; now the only question is: how will you fit it all in and/or clone yourself to make it to every single one?!
NYPhil Musicians & BronX BandA at Damrosch Park (July 3)
The New York Philharmonic continues its pandemic-born partnership with Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education’s nine-piece jazz ensemble BronX BandA this summer. On July 3, join the ensembles in Damrosch Park for a concert of original works inspired by the oral histories of Bronx residents.
Kronos Quartet, Sam Green & Roomful of Teeth at BRIC Celebrates Brooklyn! (July 14)
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! presents talent “from around the world and around the block.” On July 14, a classical great: string quartet Kronos Quartet and filmmaker Sam Green join forces for a “live documentary” exploring the rise of the Quartet throughout their career. Vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth opens the event, which will take place at Prospect Park’s Lena Horne Bandshell.
The Speakeasy at Jaffe Drive (July 17 & July 31 at 6pm)
A special tip for fans of the New Standards stream: Lincoln Center’s presents its summer series The Speakeasy now through August 13. Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the Jaffe Drive parking lot beneath the Lincoln Center campus transforms into an uber-cool underground venue for free comedy shows, jazz sets presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center, and spoken word and poetry performances.
July 17, Kat Edmonson, the jazz singer and songwriter described as having “an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop” takes over the venue.
July 31, come on back to Jaffe Drive for Modern Drummer’s “#1 Best Up-and-Coming Drummer” of 2018 Jonathan Barber.
Carnegie Hall Citywide: Broadway Sinfonietta (July 22)
Bryant Park’s free Picnic Performances series began May 27 with New York City Opera’s The Barber of Seville and runs through September 17 with a closing concert by the American Symphony Orchestra. Every Friday this July, the series will host Carnegie Hall Citywide for five concerts of music from different genres.
July 22, the all-women- and majority-women-of-color-led Broadway Sinfonietta makes its full orchestra debut in the park. Free picnic blankets and chairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Deaf Broadway Presents Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at Damrosch Park (July 31)
Deaf Broadway, the groundbreaking series born out of a Zoom watch party celebrating Sondheim’s 90th birthday in March 2020, presents works of musical theater “for the Deaf, by the Deaf.”
July 31, Deaf Broadway’s performers will present an ASL accessible production of Sweeney Todd on stage in front of a screened filmed version of the musical.
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (July 12 & July 26 at 7:30pm)
Celebrating 117 years of free classical music, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts continue their summer concerts in Central Park’s Naumburg Bandshell this July with A Far Cry and The Knights with violinist Lara St. John. The concerts will also be broadcast live by WQXR.
July 12, Elliott Forrest hosts self-conducted ensemble A Far Cry in “Circle of Life,” a program grounded in the interconnectedness of human beings through Bartók’s Lullabies for Children, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh’s Shyshtar: Metamorphoses for String Orchestra, and more.
July 26, Paul Cavalconte hosts The Knights in their second Naumburg concert of the summer. “Keeping On” features the New York premiere of Avner Dorman’s Nigunim (Violin Concerto No. 2), winner of the 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music, alongside Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3.
Pop-up: Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and Mostly Mozart Young Artists (July 6-9)
Students from music schools across the boroughs join Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra musicians in a series of pop-up performances July 6-9. Stop by July 6 at 6pm at The Oasis, July 7 at 5pm at Hearst Plaza, July 8 at 5pm at Hearst Plaza, and July 9 at 6:15pm at The Oasis.
July 9, celebrate the accomplishments of these impressive young artists and this exciting program with a culminating concert in Damrosch Park featuring the Mostly Mozart Young Artists performing alongside the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra. The program is conducted by Earl Lee and includes the Overture to Don Giovanni, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, and more.
Two Accessible Concerts by the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at Damrosch Park (July 19-20)
The Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra continues its summer run with a series of performances at Damrosch Park and Alice Tully Hall, featuring an exciting line-up of soloists.
July 19 and 20, Conrad Tao joins MMFO for an outdoor concert of works by Bologne, Mozart, Still, and Gershwin under the stars at Damrosch Park. The performances will incorporate Music: Not Impossible wearable technology for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members, the first use of this technology in a classical music concert.
