Tag Archives: New York Philharmonic

Summer in the City: New York Philharmonic Free Concerts in the Parks is Cherished Summer Tradition

The New York Philharmonic is conducted by Thomas Wilkins in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks Presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks Presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer is an extraordinary gift to New Yorkers and visitors. For almost 60 years, this world-famous orchestra has presented these free performances in parks in all five boroughs bringing “priceless music, absolutely free” to communities and reinforcing the bond that exists between New York’s hometown orchestra and its people. In the process, the orchestra brings people together in shared joy.

The New York Philharmonic is conducted by Thomas Wilkins in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series which featured violin soloist Randall Goosby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The world renowned orchestra has offered these free summer concerts in the parks since 1965 – since 2007, presented by Didi and Oscar Schaefer – and over that time, have brought “priceless music, absolutely free” to 15 million music lovers.

This year’s program included Beethoven’s Egmont Overture; Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, featuring Randall Goosby — who made his NY Phil debut on a Young People’s Concert at age 13 — as soloist; Elgar’s Wand of Youth Overture; the New York Premiere of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol.  

Conductor Thomas Wilkins gives fascinating, folksy notes for the musical selections in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Conductor Thomas Wilkins, who is the principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, introduced the pieces. About Mendelssohn’s exquisite Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64 (1844), with the virtuoso violinist Randall Goosby who so exquisitely brought out the melodic sweetness, Wilkins said, “it is so magical – one of the few where the movements are all connected. At the end of the first, there is one B-Natural hanging in the air – the bassoonist is not done – that says ‘follow me into the second.’ There is more impact between the second and third movements – no break but one note of silence, like a ball in the air that hangs until the soloist enters.”

Violin soloist Randall Goosby, an alum of the Lincoln Center Young People’s Orchestra program, performs the exquisite Mendelssohn Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wilkins loves to engage with the audience, and makes the music so accessible with his folksy anecdotes that make your ears perk up at key portions with new appreciation. We get to preview Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2023), which will be part of the orchestra’s fall repertoire, in the concerts he returns to the NY Phil to conduct, October 17 and 19,and learn how the four dances span Black American heritage – the first, recasting a traditional dance of enslaved Blacks into the voice of the orchestra including shuffling feet and clapping hands; the second, a waltz depicting how young Black girls in the 1930s would have their “coming out” parties, then a tap dance, and finally, we are taken to church for a “holy dance” with the instruments evoking the murmurings and exultations of a church service. And then, we get to meet the composer who comes on stage.

“Four Black American Dances composer Carlos Simon joins Conductor Thomas Wilkins on stage. The piece will also be featured in October © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For the past several years, the concerts have also provided a platform and a showcase for young composers who absolutely astonish with their talent (most astonishing: they not only compose the piece but do the orchestration). It is like seeing a young Mozart, or Elgar, whose Overture from the Wand of Youth (Music to a Child’s Play) Suite No.1, Op.1a, written when Elgar was just eight years old (he later expanded it), and imagining where these prodigies will be in 20 years.

This year, 16-year old Dalya Shaman’s “Floating in the Stars” and 10-year old David Wright’s “Tarzan’s Rage” dazzled the audience.

16-year old Dalya Shaman’s stunning tone-poem, “Floating in the Stars,” is performed as part of the Young Composers © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Dalya Shaman, a tenth grader at NEST+m High School, has been composing music for six years and plays the cello. She described the inspiration for her tone-poem, “Floating in the Stars” which uses harp and orchestra bells to evoke the whimsy and wonder of star gazing and the sensation of drifting among the stars, as the artwork of VYC students Vivian and Odette Iannetta.

Conductor Thomas Wilkins congratulates 10-year old composer David Wright after performing his “Tarzan’s Rage.”© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

David Wright, a fifth grader at PS 11 in Brooklyn who is also an accomplished baseball player, said his work, “Tarzan’s Rage” also was inspired by the Iannettas art, and seeing a man jumping which he imagined as Tarzan and the contrast of dark and light colors as a war, which is how he came to “Tarzan’s Rage.” The music is thrilling, and one can imagine David composing movie scores.

Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the New York Philharmonic in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wilkins’ conducting style is very relaxed, with minimal movement and theatrics. He is a joy to watch. He likes the music to be well punctuated, defined, the complex seemingly more simple and elemental than it is, so it is more accessible and can be better appreciated in such an open setting. You immediately appreciate why he is also the Boston Symphony’s artistic adviser for Education and Community Engagement, professor of orchestral conducting at Indiana University, and is actively engaged with the NY Phil’s Young People’s Concerts, begun 100 years ago and popularized by Leonard Bernstein.

Violin soloist Randall Goosby with conductor Thomas Wilkins and concertmaster Frank Huang and the New York Philharmonic performing Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E Minor © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“At this stage of my life,” Wilkins reflects in the festival program, “I just want to invite the orchestra that is in front of me to experience what it means to be in love with music.”

“He remains devout in his belief in assuring access to the infinitely renewable power of music,” Mark Burford reports. ‘Who else deserves to experience beauty for the first time? Who else needs to find wonder?’”

Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the New York Philharmonic in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The evening concludes with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol Op. 34, which flows immediately into Santore’s World Famous Fireworks display, putting just the right crescendo on the evening.

The span and diversity of the pieces is enlightening and exciting, especially with such a focus on Simon’s 2023 composition and the young composers.

The New York Philharmonic is conducted by Thomas Wilkins in this summer’s Concerts in the Parks series which featured violin soloist Randall Goosby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic is performing these summer concerts in all five boroughs: Central Park, Cunningham Park concert in Queens, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, and Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Then, musicians from NY Phil perform a free Indoor Concert, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer,on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at 4:00 p.m., at St. George Theatre in Staten Island; the program includes Clarke’s Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale for clarinet and viola; Mozart’s Oboe Quartet; and Prokofiev’s Quintet (tickets need to be reserved). 

“It is a joy to see tens of thousands of New Yorkers turn out to enjoy free concerts under the stars, creating a sense of community and shared experience that is rare and vital,” said New York Philharmonic President & CEO Gary Ginstling. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“The New York Philharmonic’s annual Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, are always a highlight of our year,” New York Philharmonic President & CEO Gary Ginstling said. “It is a joy to see tens of thousands of New Yorkers turn out to enjoy free concerts under the stars, creating a sense of community and shared experience that is rare and vital. We are deeply grateful to Didi and Oscar, the visionary and generous couple whose love of music and of New York City’s parks is essential to making possible the ambitious tour of our hometown.”

Fireworks provide a crescendo to the New York Philharmonic’s concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The free summer concerts provide a wonderful taste of the cultural treasure that awaits at the Philharmonic’s concert venue, Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, that makes you want more.

The New York Philharmonic has announced updates to its 2024–25 season:

Updates to the Orchestra’s concerts:

• Augusta Read Thomas’s new work, commissioned by the NY Phil, is titled Bebop Kaleidoscope — Homage to Duke Ellington. Ken-David Masur, in his NY Phil subscription debut, will conduct its World Premiere on September 19 and 21, 2024, part of the program curated by NY Phil musicians — who serve as the first of the 2024–25 season’s Artistic Partners — that explores the Orchestra’s past and future.

• The Opening Gala concert on September 24, 2024 — conducted by Manfred Honeck — will include Suppé’s Light Cavalry Overture and Puccini’s Turandot Suite, and will feature vocalist Cynthia Erivo making her NY Phil debut in selections from Broadway and the popular songbook.

In October, Thomas Wilkins will conduct NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism when Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2003) will be presented © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

• Nathalie Joachim’s new work is titled Had To Be and receives its New York Premiere on October 17 and 18, 2024 — on concerts that are part of the NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism — conducted by Thomas Wilkins, with cellist Seth Parker Woods (NY Phil debut) as soloist. The piece is co-commissioned by the NY Phil, Spoleto Festival USA, Orchestre Métropolitain, and Chautauqua Institution.

• Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten has been added as the opening work in the November 14 and 16, 2024, subscription concerts, conducted by John Adams, one of the 2024–25 season’s Artistic Partners.

• Tenor Kieran White will make his NY Phil debut in Handel’s Messiah, Presented by Gary W. Parr, December 11–14, 2024. Ton Koopman conducts.

In October, Thomas Wilkins will conduct NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism when Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2003) will be presented © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

• Baritone Leon Košavić (NY Phil debut) will perform J.S. Bach’s Cantata BWV 56, Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, and soprano Talise Trevigne (NY Phil debut) will perform the same composer’s Cantata BWV 51, Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen, on the Free Concert at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, January 17, 2025, joining conductor and 2024–25 season Artistic Partner Nathalie Stutzmann and Members of the New York Philharmonic. Additional repertoire will be announced at a later date.

• Justin Jay Hines will co-host the Young People’s Concerts for Schools on February 5–7, 2025, as well as the Young People’s Concert: The Future Is Innovation, on February 8, 2025, alongside Jerry Hou, who also conducts.

• The Lunar New Year Gala concert on February 11, 2025 — conducted by Tianyi Lu (NY Phil debut) — will include Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture; Unsuk Chin’s The Mad Tea Party, from Alice in Wonderland; Casella’s La donna serpente, Suite No. 1; Chen Yi’s Chinese Folk Dance Suite, featuring violinist Inmo Yang (NY Phil debut) as soloist; and Bizet’s Carmen Suite No. 1.

• The performances of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, June 11–14, 2025 — part of The Art of the Score — will be conducted by Sarah Hicks (NY Phil conducting debut).

Updates to NY Phil presentations:

• Details of the season’s Kravis Nightcap series — featuring New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck as dancer and choreographer, as well as Musicians from the NY Phil — are announced. In the first, on September 21, 2024, Peck will collaborate with NY Phil Musicians, the first of the season’s Artistic Partners; on January 25, 2025, Peck will be joined by pianist Yuja Wang, the 2024–25 season Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence; and on February 27, 2025, Peck will reunite with violinist Hilary Hahn, with whom she performed on a Kravis Nightcap in January 2024. All three performances will take place at the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall.

• The season’s six New York Philharmonic Ensembles at Merkin Hall concerts, featuring Musicians from the NY Phil, will take place on September 29, November 3, and November 24, 2024, and January 12, February 16, and May 4, 2025.

In October, Thomas Wilkins will conduct NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism when Carlos Simon’s “Four Black American Dances” (2003) will be presented © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

• The Sound On presentation Composing While Black, Volume II, featuring Artistic Partner International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) — part of the NY Phil’s exploration of Afromodernism — will now take place on October 25, 2024. The location and time will be announced at a later date.

• The Sound On presentation on November 17, 2024 — curated and conducted by Artistic Partner John Adams and featuring Members of the NY Phil — will take place at The Museum of Modern Art, and will include Dylan Mattingly’s Sunt Lacrimae Rerum and Gabriella Smith’s Maré. Additional repertoire will be announced at a later date.

• The season’s series of Very Young People’s Concerts (VYPCs) — titled Philharmonic Playground — will be held in Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, and will take place on February 22, 2025 (“Allegro and Adagio”); March 22, 2025 (“Forte and Piano”); and June 7, 2025 (“Treble and Bass”). The series will feature Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young as host and Musicians from the New York Philharmonic.

New York Philharmonic, David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-6970, 212) 875-5656, www.nyphil.org.

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© 2024 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

New York Philharmonic Returns to Parks; Photo Highlights of Central Park Concert

The New York Philharmonic with Music Director Jaap van Zweden make a triumphant return to Central Park presented by Didi and Oscar Shafer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The 2022 New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, made a triumphant return to Central Park on Wednesday, June 15, marking the return of the beloved series following two years of cancellations due to the pandemic. It was the second of four free outdoor concerts conducted by Music Director Jaap van Zweden – the first had taken place at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx on June 14, followed by Cunningham Park, Queens (June 16); and Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 17). All four outdoor performances conclude with a fireworks display.

Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic and soloist Bomsori Kim in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The stunning program includes Wagner’s Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with a masterful performance by Bomsori Kim as soloist, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, and works by New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers: 14- year-old Naama Rolnick’s Keep Walking, who wrote her sensational piece at the age of 10 and who flew in from her home in Israel to enjoy hearing it played by the New York Philharmonic, and 17-year-old Alexander Rothschild Douaihy’s thrilling “A Human Rhapsody,’ which he composed at the age of 15.

New York Philharmonic’s Young Composers program played works by 14- year-old Naama Rolnick’s Keep Walking, who wrote her sensational piece at the age of 10, and 17-year-old Alexander Rothschild Douaihy’s thrilling “A Human Rhapsody,’ which he composed at the age of 15 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In addition, Musicians from the New York Philharmonic are perform inga Free Indoor Concert, on Sunday, June 19, 2022, at 4 p.m., at St. George Theatre in Staten Island. (Tickets are free but required.)

“Like so many New Yorkers, Didi and I missed tremendously the Concerts in the Parks these past two summers,” said Philharmonic Chairman Emeritus Oscar S. Schafer. “We love the parks, and we love this orchestra, so we’ve been eagerly awaiting their return. We look forward to seeing people come together in these beautiful parks across the boroughs to enjoy magnificent music performed by this virtuosic orchestra. It will truly mean that New York City is back!”

New York Philharmonic Chairman Emeritus Oscar S. Schafer, who has been presenting the orchestra’s free concerts in the parks series for 15 years, welcomed the audience back to Central Park: “We love the parks, and we love this orchestra, so we’ve been eagerly awaiting their return. We look forward to seeing people come together in these beautiful parks across the boroughs to enjoy magnificent music performed by this virtuosic orchestra. It will truly mean that New York City is back!” Some 15 million people have enjoyed the “priceless music for free, under the stars.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“What a joy to be returning to the Parks of New York after two years of not being able to perform for the Parks’ audiences,” said Music Director Jaap van Zweden. “Music speaks to our hearts better than any language, and the New York Philharmonic players and I cannot wait to reconnect with the thousands and thousands of people throughout the Boroughs of New York who come to the Parks to hear us.”

The New York Philharmonic with Music Director Jaap van Zweden make a triumphant return to Central Park presented by Didi and Oscar Shafer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“We are so excited to welcome back the New York Philharmonic for the iconic Concerts in the Parks series!” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “This series brings together people from all backgrounds to enjoy world class music for free, in some of our most picturesque parks — this is summer in New York at its best!”

The New York Philharmonic’s free parks concerts have become an iconic New York summer experience since they began in 1965, transforming parks throughout the New York area into a patchwork of picnickers, and providing music lovers with an opportunity to enjoy “priceless music absolutely free, under the stars”. More than 15 million listeners have been delighted by the performances since their inception. All programs are subject to change.

Picnicking in the park is a tradition for enjoying the New York Philharmonic’s concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
The New York Philharmonic concerts in the parks presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer conclude with a fireworks display © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Here are more photo highlights from the Central Park performance:

The New York Philharmonic with Music Director Jaap van Zweden make a triumphant return to Central Park presented by Didi and Oscar Shafer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
The New York Philharmonic with Music Director Jaap van Zweden make a triumphant return to Central Park presented by Didi and Oscar Shafer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic and soloist Bomsori Kim in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic and soloist Bomsori Kim in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Soloist Bomsori Kim gives a masterful performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Soloist Bomsori Kim gives a masterful performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Soloist Bomsori Kim gives a masterful performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic and soloist Bomsori Kim in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts the New York Philharmonic in its free concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
The New York Philharmonic with Music Director Jaap van Zweden make a triumphant return to Central Park presented by Didi and Oscar Shafer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

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© 2022 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com, www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin, and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

New York Philharmonic Brings ‘Priceless Music for Free’ Summer Concerts to City Parks

New York Philharmonic 2019 Summer Concert in Central Park, led by Jaap van Zweden, Music Director © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic’s 2019 Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, provided a stunning introduction to conductor Jaap van Zweden, completing his first season as the Philharmonic’s Music Director, leading the orchestra in a program of Rossini’s Overture to “La gazza ladra” (The Thieving Magpie); Copland’s “Hoe-Down,” from Rodeo; and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27. The concert also featured astonishing compositions by two 12-year olds in the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers (VYC) program, and their opportunity to hear their works performed by the full symphony orchestra in front of 50,000 people in Central Park and thousands more in concerts in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, Cunningham Park, Queens; and Prospect Park, Brooklyn. (For the schedule, see www.nyphil.org.)

Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In the 54 years that the New York Philharmonic has offered the Summer Concerts in the Parks (for the past 13 years, the series has been presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer), some 15 million people have enjoyed “priceless music absolutely free, under the stars” and with fireworks, no less. It is a vast communal picnic with music the food of love. Play on.

Nilomi Weerakkody with New York Philharmonic Music Director Jaap van Zweden, performs her composition, “Soundscape for Orchestra” before 50,000 people in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This is the second year that the concert has also showcased original compositions of its Very Young Composers – a program that was begun 20 years ago to give children an opportunity to learn about music in an after-school program in New York’s public schools, with the best of them being performed by members of the Philharmonic, and the very, very best by the full orchestra. There are some 200 students enrolled in schools all over the city; the Philharmonic also partners with schools around the country and the world to offer similar programs. (The director of Education and Community Outreach, Gary Padmore was on his way to Shanghai.)

Nilomi Weerakkody, a 12-year old who is a sixth grader at the Dalton School, composed “Soundscape for Orchestra,” turning the sounds of nature into a symphonic composition.

Very Young Composer Mack Soocca-Ho, with Philharmonic President Deborah Borda, discusses his composition, Ociantrose © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For “Ociantrose,” Mack Scocca-Ho, a 12-year old who has been composing since he was 3, created an imaginary city, Ociantrose, the capital of Myanolar. His composition celebrates Ociantrose’s distinctive identity, a bustling city where order is not imposed by the government but arises from the residents. The musical themes suggest “the variety of people and the harmony emerging form independence.”

The Philharmonic is raising money to subsidize its education programs – with a challenge that if it raises $400,000 by August 31, a donor will match with $200,000 (go to www.nyphil.org).

New York Philharmonic Conductor Jaap van Zweden tips his Yankee cap to the Central Park audience after playing Copland’s “Rodeo.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Next season will showcase “Project 19,” marking the centennial of the 19th amendment with new works by 19 female composers – the largest commissioning program of women ever undertaken by an orchestra, said Deborah Borda, the New York Philharmonic’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Also, “Mahler’s New York” honors New York’s past through two of his symphonies with an examination of the composer-conductor’s time in the city. The “hotspots” festival focuses on three “new” music centers – Berlin, Reykjavik and New York.

New York Philharmonic President Deborah Borda introduces the 2019 concerts in the Parks series in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“New York is more than the Philharmonic’s home,” Borda writes. “This city is in our blood and its high standards fuel our planning and performances.”

Here are highlights from this year’s Summer in the Parks concerts:

New York Philharmonic Conductor Jaap van Zweden playfully dons a Yankee cap for Copland’s “Rodeo” in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Jaap van Zweden conducts New York Philharmonic Summer Concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
New York Philharmonic 2019 Summer Concert in Central Park, led by Jaap van Zweden, Music Director © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
New York Philharmonic 2019 Summer Concert in Central Park, led by Jaap van Zweden, Music Director © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
New York Philharmonic 2019 Summer Concert in Central Park, led by Jaap van Zweden, Music Director © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

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© 2019 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com, www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin, and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

New York City’s Summer Outdoor Festival Season Gets Underway

By Karen Rubin, David Leiberman, Laini Nemett, Eric Leiberman

Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Summer is a magical time in New York City, with a burst of the finest cultural institutions opening their doors, coming outdoors and letting all the world in.

Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park

The company of the Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kenny Leon, running at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park through June 23. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) has begun performances of the 2019 Free Shakespeare in the Park production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at the Delacorte Theater, continuing a 57-year tradition of free theater in Central Park.  Directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, the all-black staging of this beloved comedy will run through Sunday, June 23.

Then, for the first time since 1979, Free Shakespeare in the Park will present CORIOLANUS, the Bard’s blistering drama about a general voted into power by a populace hungry for change, and the unraveling that follows. Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof, Shakespeare In The Park’s Troilus and Cressida) directs a modern-day version of this riveting epic of democracy and demagoguery, July 16-August 11.

This year, there will be voucher or ticket distributions over the course of the summer in all five boroughs for almost every public performance of Free Shakespeare in the Park, continuing The Public’s mission of making great theater accessible to all. This summer’s distributions at libraries, recreation centers, and community partners throughout New York City, will have more locations and dates than ever to provide New Yorkers even more opportunities to obtain free tickets. To see a complete borough distribution schedule, visit publictheater.org/borough.

Kenny Leon directs a bold new take on Shakespeare’s cherished comedy of romantic retribution and miscommunication, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. In this modern production, we find the community of Messina celebrating a break from an ongoing war. But not all is peaceful amid the revelry, as old rivals engage in a battle of wits, unexpected foes plot revenge, and young lovers are caught in a tumultuous courtship – until love proves the ultimate trickster, and undoes them all.

The all-black cast of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING includes Jamar Brathwaite (Ensemble), Danielle Brooks (Beatrice), Grantham Coleman (Benedick), Chuck Cooper (Leonato), Javen K. Crosby (Ensemble), Denzel DeAngelo Fields (Ensemble), Jeremie Harris (Claudio), Tayler Harris (Ensemble), Erik Laray Harvey (Antonio/Verges), Kai Heath (Messenger), Daniel Croix Henderson (Balthasar), Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (Friar Francis/Sexton), Tiffany Denise Hobbs (Ursula), Lateefah Holder (Dogberry), LaWanda Hopkins (Dancer), Billy Eugene Jones (Don Pedro), Margaret Odette (Hero), Hubert Point-Du Jour (Don John), William Roberson (Ensemble), Jaime Lincoln Smith (Borachio), Jazmine Stewart (Ensemble), Khiry Walker (Conrade/Ensemble), Olivia Washington (Margaret), and Latra A. Wilson (Dancer).

To enable as many New Yorkers as possible the opportunity to experience Free Shakespeare in the Park there will be an open caption performance of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING on Friday, June 14; an ASL performance on Saturday, June 15; and an ADA audio described performance on Thursday, June 13.

Since 1962, over five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte Theater. Conceived by founder Joseph Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, The Public’s Free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of the Company’s mission to increase access and engage the community.

This season, The Public proudly welcomes the return of Jerome L. Greene Foundation and Bank of America as season sponsors.

The Public continues the work of its visionary founder Joe Papp as a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today. Conceived over 60 years ago as one of the nation’s first nonprofit theaters, The Public has long operated on the principles that theater is an essential cultural force and that art and culture belong to everyone. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public’s wide breadth of programming includes an annual season of new work at its landmark home at Astor Place, Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, The Mobile Unit touring throughout New York City’s five boroughs, Public Forum, Under the Radar, Public Studio, Public Works, Public Shakespeare Initiative, and Joe’s Pub. Since premiering HAIR in 1967, The Public continues to create the canon of American Theater and is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Their programs and productions can also be seen regionally across the country and around the world. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 170 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 56 Lortel Awards, 34 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards, and 6 Pulitzer Prizes.

Tickets to The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park are distributed in a number of ways. On the day of each public performance, free tickets may be acquired in person at The Delacorte Theater, through a digital lottery via the TodayTix website or mobile app, in person at a borough distribution site, and via an in person lottery in the lobby of The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street. All tickets are subject to availability. A performance calendar and complete ticket distribution details can be found at PublicTheater.org. A limited number of tickets are also available via advance reservation by making a contribution in support of Free Shakespeare in the Park. To learn more, or to make a contribution, call 212.967.7555, or visit PublicTheater.org. The Delacorte Theater in Central Park is accessible by entering at 81st Street and Central Park West or at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue (publictheater.org).

Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series Features 6 Free Concerts

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2019 Summer Recital Series once again brings free outdoor recitals, featuring established artists and young talents of the opera world, to New Yorkers in all five boroughs.  The series, now in its 11th year, features six free concerts embracing all five boroughs, and has become an operatic summer tradition.

Presented in collaboration with City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage Festival, the first two concerts, on Monday, June 10 at 8 p.m. at Central Park SummerStage (Manhattan) and Wednesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at Brooklyn Bridge Park (Brooklyn), will feature soprano Ying Fang,who sang a featured role in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito this season,and tenor Ben Bliss and baritone Nathan Gunn,who sang together this season in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. They will be joined by Met pianist Dan Saunders.

Enjoying outdoor concert in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Four additional recitals feature soprano Leah Hawkins and tenor Mario Bahg, current members of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and baritone Joseph Lim, a winner of the Met’s National Council Auditions. They will be accompanied by Met pianist Dimitri Dover. Their concerts will take place on Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m. in Jackie Robinson Park (Manhattan); Saturday, June 15 at 4 p.m. in Williamsbridge Oval (Bronx); Monday, June 17 at 7 p.m. in Socrates Sculpture Park (Queens); and Wednesday, June 19 at 7 p.m. in Clove Lakes Park (Staten Island).

The Met’s Summer Recital Series will feature arias and duets, as well as Broadway standards and other classical favorites.

The Met’s Summer Recital Series is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation. Major funding has also been provided by The Elizabeth B. McGraw Foundation, in honor of Mrs. McGraw.

No tickets are required for any of the performances. There are no rain dates for any of the park recitals. For more information visit metopera.org/season/summer-2019/recitals/

New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks

New York Philharmonic performing in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, have become an iconic New York summer experience since they began in 1965, transforming parks throughout the city into a patchwork of picnickers and providing music lovers with an opportunity to hear the best classical music under the stars. 

The concerts will take place Tuesday June 11 in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx; Wednesday, June 12 in Central Park, Manhattan, Thursday, June 13 in Cunningham Park in Queens, Friday, June 14 in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and Sunday, June 16 in Staten Island.

All performances begin at 8 PM except the Free Indoor Concert in Staten Island, which begins at 4 PM.

The scheduled program includes Rossini, Overture to La Gazza Ladra; Works by Very Young Composers of New York City; and Copland’s Hoe-Down, from Rodeo.

Fireworks at the New York Philharmonic performance in Central Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There will be fireworks by Volt Live following the performances in the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

For weather and other updates, call the Concert Information Hotline at 212-875-5709 (https://nyphil.org/parks).

Museum Mile Festival, June 11

Now celebrating its 41st year, the annual Museum Mile Festival takes place rain or shine on Tuesday, June 11, from 6 to 9 pm. Walk the Mile on Fifth Avenue between 82nd Street and 110th Street while visiting some of New York City’s finest cultural institutions, which are open free to the public throughout the evening. Special exhibitions and works from permanent collections are on view inside the museums’ galleries, with live music and art-making workshops on Fifth Avenue at selected museums.

Dancing in the street, outside the Museum of the City of New York, during the Museum Mile Festival © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The 23-block stretch of Fifth Avenue is home to seven participating institutions—El Museo del Barrio, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the Jewish Museum, Neue Galerie and the Museum of the City of New York. In addition to all the art to see inside, there are plenty of outdoor festivities: face painting, chalk drawing, live music and other block-party-type events. (http://museummilefestival.org/)

Jazz Age Lawn Party, Governors Island

Nostalgia doesn’t begin to describe the feeling that permeates Governors Island for the two weekends  (June 15 & 16, August 24 & 25) each summer that thousands of people, many decked out in 1920s regalia, elaborate picnic baskets in hand, disembark from ferries from lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Everybody dance! At the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, a celebration of prohibition-era Jazz Hot © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This, the 14th year of the festival, is especially poignant because it is also the 100th anniversary of Prohibition and all that the counter-culture (women’s rights!) Jazz Age triggered.

It is also one of New York City’s most glamorous and entertaining events of the summer.

Michael Arenella and the Dreamland Orchestra, with a 1920s-era dance performance by The Dreamland Follies, at the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Jazz Age Lawn Party started in 2005 as a small gathering on NYC’s Governors Island, and has since grown into one of New York City’s most beloved events. This historically sold out event attracts thousands of time travelers each year, who come together to discover the music and zeitgeist of the 1920s. Consistently selected by the New York Times as one of the year’s most memorable events, Jazz Age Lawn Party offers a unique, interactive opportunity to relive one of the most colorful and formative epochs in American history.

Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island, NYC with Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The event is held rain or shine; food is available for sale but people love to bring their own  picnics (outside alcohol is prohibited, but there is alcohol, including Prohibition-era inspired cocktails, for sale).

Though enjoying Governor’s Island is free (and there are fascinating historic sites as well as art and cultural and recreational activities on the island, and you can hear the music, admission to the festivities is by ticket (which cost up to $175). Purchase tickets in advance https://www.eventbrite.com/o/jazz-age-lawn-party-18523813336 (no charge for children 12 and under).

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© 2019 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com, www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin, and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

New York Philharmonic Orchestra Brings ‘Priceless’ Music to Free Summer Concert in Prospect Park

New York Philharmonic brought its priceless music, absolutely free to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park as part of the Summer Concerts in the Parks Series Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Dave E. Leiberman, Laini Miranda
Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic’s 2018 Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, provided a stunning introduction to conductor James Gaffigan, a New York native and Brooklynite, leading the orchestra in a program celebrating Laureate Conductor Leonard Bernstein’s centennial, evocative works highlighting the Orchestra’s virtuosity, and compositions by fifth-grade students in the Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers (VYC) program — the first time that VYC works have been performed in the parks concerts.

 

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Saint-Saens’ Bacchanale from “Samson et Dalila” in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

The delightful program, perfect for a summer-concert-in-the-parks, featured Saint-Saëns’s Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah; Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town, a love letter to New York City;and Rimsky-Korsakov’s storybook in symphony, Scheherazade. 

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The concert in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park June 15 featured truly remarkable performances of 2018 works by 11-year-old Very Young Composer Jordan Millar’s Boogie Down Uptown; and 10-year-old Very Young Composer Camryn Cowan’s Harlem Shake. 

New York Philharmonic conductor James Gaffigan with young composers Jordan Millar and Camryn Cowan © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan, a proud New Yorker who introduced the concert by asking for applause for public school teachers, showed himself to be the very antithesis of the arrogant orchestra conductor, but rather,  generous of praise, encouragement and exuberant emotion.

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

He did not use a baton for the Scheherazade. He waved his hands and arms in grand gestures, not so much conducting as dancing, performing, acting the music, bringing his whole body into it more like an opera singer than the orchestra conductor, giving the piece a staccato-like crisp precision. He conveyed an infectious joy of music. After, he congratulated Frank Huang, the brilliant concertmaster for his angelic violin solo, and then walked into the orchestra to congratulate all the solo performers, before taking the collective bow.

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

Conductor James Gaffigan joins applause for New York Philharmonic’s concertmaster Frank Huang © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The summer concert series also featured performances at Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 12); the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan (June 13); and Cunningham Park, Queens (June 14). Musicians from the New York Philharmonic also performed Beethoven’s Wind Sextet, Op. 71; Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence; and the World Premieres of wind sextets by Very Young Composers of New York City — 14-year-old Chi-Chi Ezekwenna’s It’s Almost Summer! and 13-year-old Nicolas Lipman’s Sriracha! — in the Free Indoor Concert in Staten Island at the Music Hall at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (June 17).

The performances in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn concluded with dazzling fireworks.

The New York Philharmonic concert in Prospect Park concludes with dazzling fireworks © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The summer series is an amazing opportunity to bring “priceless music” to new audiences absolutely free. Since 1965, the summer series has brought joy to more than 15 million New Yorkers and Big Apple visitors.

“We want all New Yorkers to love the Philharmonic as much as we do and the concerts in the Parks are a glorious way to share the Philharmonic’s virtuosity and power,” said New York Philharmonic chairman Oscar S. Schafer, who with his wife, Didi, has underwritten the series.

Here are more highlights from the concert in Prospect Park:

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Conductor James Gaffigan and Very Young Composer of New York City Jordan Millar (b 2006), “Boogie Down Uptown” (2018) © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

Conductor James Gaffigan and Very Young Composer of New York City Camryn Cowan (2007), “Harlem Shake” (2018) © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

James Gaffigan conducts the New York Philharmonic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States.

At the New York Philharmonic’s website (www.nyphil.org) you can peruse online archives and exhibits, see the concert calendar, get background on the musicians, and purchase tickets.

The summer concerts also inspire visits to see the orchestra at home at Lincoln Center (David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, 212-875-5656). There are various subscription offers – the Philharmonic was offering an opportunity to choose four or more 2018-19 subscription concerts to get one free (promo code CHOOSE4, by June 22).

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© 2018 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com,  www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin , and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

 

 

Alan Gilbert, in His Final Season Leading NY Philharmonic, Conducts Big Hug-and-Kiss to New Yorkers in Free Parks Concerts

Alan Gilbert, in his final season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, conducts the orchestra in the free summer Concerts in the Parks series in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

 

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

 

This year’s New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks – its 52nd summer – provided a way to say farewell to Music Director Alan Gilbert. The series, presented for the past 11 years by Didi and Oscar Schafer, was a hug and a kiss to the 100,000 music lovers who come out to the free summer concerts (“priceless music, absolutely free”), at the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan; Cunningham Park, Queens; Prospect Park, Brooklyn and Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx. This season’s program was also the Philharmonic’s 175th anniversary season celebration of its hometown, featuring masterworks by Dvořák (Symphony No. 9, From the New World), Leonard Bernstein (Symphonic Dances from West Side Story), and George Gershwin (An American in Paris) — all written in New York and premiered by the Philharmonic  – and was the culmination of its season-long “The New World Initiative”.

Throughout the 2016–17 season, The New World Initiative has explored the New World Symphony’s theme of home and honors New York City and its role as an adopted home. The Philharmonic gave the World Premiere of the New World Symphony in 1893, marking the Orchestra’s first World Premiere of a work written in New York City that would become part of the standard repertoire. The Largo theme was later set to the words “Goin’ Home” by Dvořák’s student William Arms Fisher.

New York Philharmonic conductor Alan Gilbert conducts a community sing-along of “Goin Home” them from Dvořák’s New World Symphony, all part of The New World Initiative and the Philharmonic’s 175th anniversary season celebration of its hometown © 2017 Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

The New York Philharmonic’s free parks concerts have become an iconic New York summer experience since they began in 1965, transforming parks throughout the New York area into a patchwork of picnickers, and providing music lovers with an opportunity to hear the best classical music under the stars. More than 14 million listeners have been delighted by the performances since their inception.

Before the New York Philharmonic takes the stage, it has become a new custom to “Share the Stage” with local musicians. This year, that included BombaYo (Van Cortlandt Park); The Ebony Hillbillies and Zulal (Central Park), The queen’s Cartoonists and Slum Suit (Cunningham Park) and The Side Project (Prospect Park).

And at this year’s concerts in the parks series, audiences joined the Orchestra in community performances of the “Goin’ Home” theme from Dvořák’s New World Symphony, all part of The New World Initiative and the Philharmonic’s 175th anniversary season celebration of its hometown. (Dvořák’s  symphony also incorporates the Shaker hymn, “Simple Gifts.”)

We caught the concert at Cunningham Park, in Queens, which also featured fireworks display.

Alan Gilbert, in his final season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, conducts the orchestra in the free summer Concerts in the Parks series in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

The program was a crowd-pleaser – the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story were simply transporting – and Gilbert looked extremely relaxed and joyful.

Alan Gilbert, who has stepped down as music director of NY Philharmonic, just revealed that he will be trading New York for Hamburg, Germany, leading the Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall as chief conductor.

Alan Gilbert, in his final season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, conducts the orchestra in the free summer Concerts in the Parks series in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In a phone interview with the New York Times, Gilbert, a frequent guest conductor in Hamburg, said that the Elbphilharmonie’s vision aligned perfectly with his own paradigm for successful 21st-century orchestras. “It’s about how they connect to the cities they serve,” he said. “And one condition for that is the existence of a perfectly appropriate physical space. What’s going on there is related to what’s potentially going to happen here in New York with the idea of redoing David Geffen Hall.”

Gilbert bids farewell to New York in the parks concert program, writing, “It has been a privilege to stand upon this august platform and make decisions that have altered and enhanced New York City’s cultural landscape. When this Orchestra does artistic things, they are noticed, and they inspire others, far and wide. Ultimately, I know my tenure is just one chapter in the Philharmonic’s long story, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.”

Alan Gilbert, in his final season as music director of the New York Philharmonic, conducts the orchestra in the free summer Concerts in the Parks series in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

As Music Director of the New York Philharmonic since 2009, Alan Gilbert has introduced the positions of The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence, The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, and Artist-in-Association; CONTACT!, the new-music series; the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, an exploration of today’s music; and the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, partnerships with cultural institutions to offer training of pre-professional musicians, often alongside performance residencies. The Financial Times called him “the imaginative maestro-impresario in residence.”

Alan Gilbert conducts the New York Philharmonic in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alan Gilbert concludes his final season as Music Director with four programs that reflect themes, works, and musicians that hold particular meaning for him, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony alongside Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, Wagner’s complete Das Rheingold in concert, and an exploration of how music can effect positive change in the world. Other highlights include four World Premieres, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre, and Manhattan, performed live to film. He also leads the Orchestra on the EUROPE / SPRING 2017 tour and in performance residencies in Shanghai and Santa Barbara. Past highlights include acclaimed stagings of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson (2015 Emmy nomination), and Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake starring Marion Cotillard; 28 World Premieres; a tribute to Boulez and Stucky during the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL; The Nielsen Project; the Verdi Requiem and Bach’s B-minor Mass; the score from 2001: A Space Odyssey, performed live to film; Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony on the tenth anniversary of 9/11; performing violin in Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time; and ten tours around the world.

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic take bow at the end of the concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

Conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and former principal guest conductor of Hamburg’s NDR Symphony Orchestra, Alan Gilbert regularly conducts leading orchestras around the world. This season he returns to the foremost European orchestras, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Munich Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He will record Beethoven’s complete piano concertos with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Inon Barnatan, and conduct Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, his first time leading a staged opera there. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams’s Doctor Atomic in 2008, the DVD of which received a Grammy Award, and he conducted Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles on a recent album recorded live at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Gilbert is Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School, where he holds the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies. His honors include Honorary Doctor of Music degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music (2010) and Westminster Choir College (2016), Columbia University’s Ditson Conductor’s Award (2011), election to The American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2014), a Foreign Policy Association Medal for his commitment to cultural diplomacy (2015), Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2015), and New York University’s Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City (2016).

Here are some parting shots of the meistro.

Alan Gilbert conducts the New York Philharmonic in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alan Gilbert conducts the New York Philharmonic in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alan Gilbert conducts the New York Philharmonic in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alan Gilbert conducts the New York Philharmonic in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic take bow at the end of the concert in Cunningham Park, Queens © 2017 Karen Rubin/ goingplacesfarandnear.com

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© 2017 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com,  www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin , and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Send comments or questions to [email protected]. Tweet @TravelFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures