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Bryant Park Fall Festival
A week of free entertainment in the park
Scene from last year’s Festival (Photo: NYClovesNYC, via Flickr)
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Tonight is the beginning of the Bryant Park Fall Festival. From now until September 20, the Festival, presented by Bank of America, will feature lunchtime and post-work entertainment, including classical music and jazz, all for the low, low price of free. For more information, please click here. Below is what’s on the schedule for the week:
September 13
Lunchtime Kick-Off: Inside Fall Festival
12:30-1:30 p.m.
WQXR Afternoon Host, Naomi Lewin, amNEW YORK Theater Critic, Matt Windman, WNET Great Performances Series Producer, Bill O’Donnell and Time Out New York Deputy Editor, Billie Cohen, discuss NYC’s exciting new arts season, unveiling must-see exhibitions and performances.
New York City Ballet
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Catch New York City Ballet in a rare event before opening their first-ever fall season. Go behind the scenes as the dancers warm up onstage during a Company class led by world-renowned Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, followed by a performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain pas de deux and Martins’ own A Fool for You, featuring the music of Ray “The Genius” Charles.
September 14
Inside Five Boroughs Music Festival
12:30-1:30 p.m., Fountain Terrace
Directors of Five Boroughs Music Festival, Jesse Blumberg and Donna Breitzer, discuss how the new multi-genre music organization began, and what’s in store for this season and years to come.
Five Boroughs Music Festival
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Extraordinary past and future performers from Five Boroughs Music Festival’s roster bring their voices and instruments to a multi-genre chamber concert, and in a preview of the upcoming season, special guest Ricky Ian Gordon performs a selection of his songs with a talented group of vocalists.
September 15
Inside Opera
12:30-1:30 p.m., Fountain Terrace
Renowned music historian Harvey Sachs is joined by Suzanne Martinucci, a frequent Met Opera Quiz panelist, and singer and opera journalist Adam Margulies to discuss the new opera season in New York and exciting opera programs throughout the world.
The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Emerging young artists Joyce El-Khoury (soprano), Alexander Lewis (tenor) and Elliot Madore (baritone) accompanied by Met assistant conductor Vlad Iftinka perform a selection of favorite arias and duets, as well as classics from the American songbook.
September 16
Inside Jazz at Lincoln Center
12:30-1:30 p.m., Fountain Terrace
Learn what’s in store this season during an intimate discussion with Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Associate Director of Programming, Cat Henry, and Director of Marketing, Jon Yanofsky.
Jazz at Lincoln Center
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Jazz quartet Paul Beaudry & Pathways, and gospel ensemble Oscar Williams Jr. and Perfected Praise perform as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s acclaimed collaboration with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, The Rhythm Road, Music Abroad, a program which encourages mutual respect and understanding around the globe.
September 17
Inside BAM
12:30-1:30 p.m., Fountain Terrace
An intimate look at what’s coming up at BAM and why it is a place to see some of the most exciting productions created for the national and international stage.
BAM
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Black Rock Coalition brings its Orchestra to the park for a retrospective of the award-winning jazz-funk-rock group WAR.
September 18
Making Music with Brooklyn Philharmonic
3:30-4:30 p.m., Lawn
Interactive percussion workshop and demonstration for kids of all ages. Jam and discover your inner rock star with Brooklyn Philharmonic teaching artist, guitarist Raphael McGregor, and helpers from the Philharmonic’s SmartARTS Academy.
Brooklyn Philharmonic
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Musicians from Brooklyn Philharmonic perform classical and contemporary mixed chamber works for clarinet and strings.
September 19
Inside Parsons Dance
3:30-4:30 p.m., Lawn
David Parsons, one of the most successful American dance artists, reveals the vision and philosophy of Parsons Dance, plus previews the upcoming 2011 NYC season at the Joyce Theater.
Parsons Dance
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Parsons Dance returns with last season’s sold-out, rock dance opera, Remember Me, featuring Parsons Dance and the lead vocalists and music of the Grammy-nominated rock opera band, East Village Opera Company. The program will also include the stroboscopic master work, Caught.
September 20
Inside Orchestra of St. Luke’s
12:30-1:30 p.m., Fountain Terrace
Katy Clark, Orchestra of St. Luke’s President, talks about why the Orchestra is one of the most sought-after classical music ensembles and what’s coming up this season.
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
6-7:30 p.m., Lawn
Explore the composer’s muse and the nature of musical inspiration with selections from two upcoming Orchestra of St. Luke’s programs Baroque Reworked and Bohemian Rapsodies in the park, featuring works from Scarlatti, Arensky and Schumann.