Carnegie Hall Citywide Reveals 24–25 Season Featuring Free Performances in NYC

Carnegie Hall has revealed the summer concert schedule for Carnegie Hall Citywide, the Hall’s free concert series that brings a diverse lineup of live performances to neighborhoods throughout New York City. Presented in partnership with esteemed community organizations across the five boroughs, the series highlights dynamic artists from a variety of musical genres—including classical, jazz, folk, Latin music, and more.

Kicking off the summer season, Carnegie Hall Citywide joins the Times Square Alliance for their TSQ LIVE series with two concerts, beginning with Ensemble Connect, the Hall’s very own music collective comprised of exceptional young professional musicians from across the globe (June 6), and critically acclaimed multifaceted artist Natalie Tenenbaum (June 13). Another notable performance at the top of the summer Citywide series features cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat at the LGBT Community Center in Manhattan (June 6).

The Citywide series continues its exciting collaboration with Bryant Park Picnic Performances presenting five free concerts in the park on Fridays in July and August. The diverse lineup features The Harlem Chamber Players led by renowned composer Tania León, (July 5); iconic South African musician Thandiswa Mazwai (July 12); internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and bandleader of The Late Show Band Louis Cato (July 19); renowned bassist Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup (July 26); and award-winning salsa dura band La Excelencia (August 2).

Carnegie Hall Citywide partners again with Madison Square Park Conservancy, to curate a vibrant three-concert series in the park featuring Latin folk singer-songwriter Alisa Amador (on July 10); the award-winning string ensemble JACK Quartet (on July 17); and Cameroonian-American jazz vocalist Ekep Nkwelle (on July 24). In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Madison Square Park Conservancy’s art program, concertgoers can enjoy the newly commissioned public art exhibition Seed by Rose B. Simpson on view in the park through September 22, 2024. Throughout the run of the exhibition, free public programs will be held with Simpson, artists, neighbors, and Native and area cultural leaders.

Additional highlights of the Citywide summer season include free concerts at the Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts at Denny Ferrell Riverbank State Park with Afro-Latin jazz ensemble The Pedrito Martinez Group (June 15); Wave Hill in the Bronx featuring the celebrated drag artist Jasmine Rice LaBeija (June 27); Johnny Mambo and Friends featuring Don Sonero at Al Quiñones Playground Afro-Cuban in the Bronx (July 13), jazz duo OKAN at O’Donohue Park at Beach 17th Street in Far Rockaway(July 20); and Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island with programming to be confirmed.

All Carnegie Hall Citywide performances are free, and no tickets are required. 

Please see below for a complete schedule of Carnegie Hall Citywide summer 2024 events:
 

ENSEMBLE CONNECT 

Thursday, June 6 at 5:00 PM
Times Square 
Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 45th and 46th Streets | Manhattan

Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect is an evolving group of exceptional young professional musicians, called “the new face of classical music for New York” by The New York Times. With virtuosity, versatility, and an irrepressible sense of adventure, they perform a vast repertoire that ranges from historic essentials to lesser-known pieces and brand-new commissions. 
 

LE GATEAU CHOCOLAT

Raw Cacao
Thursday, June 6 at 7:00 PM
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center 
208 West 13th Street (at Seventh Avenue) | Manhattan

Kick off Pride Month with Le Gateau Chocolat, a self-described “opera-occasional, black-bearded drag diva” who has graced the stages of Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, and the Barbican Centre. For this specially curated song cycle, he pulls from pop, opera, folk song, musical theater, disco, and more. 
 

Natalie Tenenbaum 

Thursday, June 13 at 5:00 PM
Times Square 
Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 45th and 46th Streets | Manhattan

Critically acclaimed composer, pianist, music producer, and singer-songwriter Natalie Tenenbaum’s imaginative compositions and arrangements give audiences a stirring performance. While she’s a frequent collaborator with artists ranging from Lang Lang to Pentatonix, Lea Michele, and Tori Kelly, her solo performances—a recent one called “sparkling” and “consistently invigorating” by The New York Times—are not to be missed. 
 

THE PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP 

Saturday, June 15 at 6:00 PM
Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park 
679 Riverside Drive | Manhattan 

Experience an irresistible blend of Afro-Latin music, jazz, and funk, led by Cuban-born and New York–based bandleader, vocalist, composer, and percussion virtuoso Pedrito Martinez. His long-running and Grammy Award–nominated Pedrito Martinez Group is a true New York powerhouse, a band that grooves so hard it makes Martinez’s breathtaking rhythmic feats seem effortless. Catchy songwriting, rich musical traditions, and impeccable band chemistry come together in a high-energy performance enjoyed by listeners and dancers alike. 
 

JASMINE RICE LABEIJA

Thursday, June 27 at 7:00 PM
Wave Hill 
4900 Independence Avenue (at West 239th Street) | Bronx

Renowned drag artist and Juilliard-trained tenor Jasmine Rice LaBeija’s commanding voice and razor-sharp wit has sold out performances at the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, and queer clubs around the world. In addition to being the International Godmother of the Royal House of LaBeija—recently shouted out in Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul (Queens Remix)”—she has also been a host of Dragged and was the face of New York City’s 2020 Pride celebrations.
 

THE HARLEM CHAMBER PLAYERS

Tania León, Conductor
Terrance McKnight, Host and Narrator
Josh Henderson, Violin
Leyland Simmons, Choreographer
Additional artists to be announced

with
Dancers from Harlem School of the Arts 

Friday, July 5 at 7:00 PM
Bryant Park 
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan

The concert is conducted and hosted Carnegie Hall’s 2023–2024 Debs Composer’s Chair, Tania León—a composer, educator, conductor, advocate, and icon who has been a singular force in New York City’s arts and culture since the 1960s. The program includes one of León’s category-defying pieces, followed by works for string orchestra by Adolphus Hailstork and Chen Yi. The concert ends with an extraordinary collaboration: Trevor Weston’s The People Could Fly, featuring the ensemble with narration by WQXR radio host Terrance McKnight, violin soloist Josh Henderson, and Dancers from the Harlem School of the Arts. 
 

ALISA AMADOR 

Wednesday, July 10 at 6:00 PM
Madison Square Park 
Between 23rd and 26th Streets and Fifth and Madison Avenues | Manhattan

Powerful, funky-folk singer-songwriter Alisa Amador’s recognition has grown exponentially over the past couple of years, and this performance comes just weeks after the release of her debut full-length studio album, Multitudes. The title (an identical word in both English and Spanish) speaks to the range of emotions, experiences, and uncertainties explored by the New England-born artist with roots in Argentina, Puerto Rico, and New Mexico, whose music “commands attention and fosters connection,” according to NPR’s Bob Boilen.
 

THANDISWA MAZWAI 

Friday July 12 at 7:00 PM
Bryant Park 
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan

South Africa’s Thandiswa Mazwai is a chart-topping singer, songwriter, and bandleader with a passionate worldwide following. Always popular with New York City audiences, she has electrified crowds at Afropunk, the Apollo Theater, GlobalFEST at Lincoln Center, and more. Fresh off the release of her latest album, Sankofa, Mazwai’s performance is a celebration of Pan-Africanism and blends jazz, South African Xhosa music, and a variety of contemporary West-African influences.

JOHNNY MAMBO AND FRIENDS FEATURING DON SONERO

Saturday, July 13 at 5:00 PM
Al Quiñones Playground 
681 Kelly Street (Between Avenue St. John and Leggett Avenue) | Bronx

Bronx native Johnny Mambo joins several of his long-time musical collaborators including vocalist Don Sonero for a performance filled with energetic rhythms of hard-driving bongos, congas, and timbales, punctuated by biting brass, that transport listeners to a San Juan dance club. 
 

JACK QUARTET 

Wednesday, July 17 at 6:00 PM
Madison Square Park 
Between 23rd and 26th Streets and Fifth and Madison Avenues | Manhattan

Described as “one of contemporary music’s indispensable ensembles” by The New York Times, the Grammy Award–nominated JACK Quartet is renowned for its expansive programming of 20th- and 21st-century string music. Curated in collaboration with the visionary Tania León, the program features music by four American composers who redefine what the string quartet can mean today including Ruth Crawford Seeger’s String Quartet 1931; Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution (2015); George Lewis’ String Quartet No. 4.5, "Partial Truth"; and a new work by Amy Williams. 

LOUIS CATO 

Friday July 19 at 7:00 PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan

Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Louis Cato is best recognized today as the bandleader for The Late Show Band, but Cato—an enormously versatile and collaborative musician—has worked with such varied artists as John Legend, Talib Kweli, Bobby McFerrin, Snarky Puppy, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Jack White, Jon Batiste, and others. On top of being one of today’s most in-demand players, Cato is increasingly carving out his own name as an artist. Hear what he brings to the Bryant Park stage in this free, Friday-night concert courtesy of Carnegie Hall Citywide! 
 

OKAN

Saturday, July 20 at 6:00 PM
O’Donohue Park at Beach 17th Street
16-27 Seagirt Boulevard | Queens

Named after the Santeria word for “heart,” OKAN is a women-led ensemble that fuses Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk, and a global array of rhythms. Anchored by the potent multilingual lyrics, striking harmonies, virtuosic musicianship, and multi-faceted advocacy of violin-vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist-vocalist Magdelys Savigne (both Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-winners), the band forges powerful audience connections through what CBC Music describes as “joy as a form of resistance.” 
 

EKEP NKWELLE 

Wednesday, July 24 at 6:00 PM
Madison Square Park 
Between 23rd and 26th Streets and Fifth and Madison Avenues | Manhattan

A rising-star vocalist on the New York City jazz scene, Ekep Nkwelle has already worked with artists ranging from veterans like Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut, and Kenny Washington to a new generation of first-call musicians such as Emmet Cohen and Endea Owens. She’s been featured at the Newport and DC jazz festivals, performed at such nationally prestigious venues as The Library of Congress and The Kennedy Center, and is widely considered one of the future voices in jazz today. 
 

MICHAEL OLATUJA AND LAGOS PEPPER SOUP 

Friday, July 26 at 7:00 PM
Bryant Park
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan

The London-born, Lagos-raised Michael Olatuja returns to Carnegie Hall Citywide with a free, Friday-night concert. As one of today’s most inventive bassists, Olatuja has worked with Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Angelique Kidjo, Shakira, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Hugh Masekela, Terence Blanchard, Joe Lovano, and many others. He’s also a major presence in the bands of Broadway, films scores of directors like Lin-Manuel Miranda, and more. In this outdoor performance, he shares selections from his acclaimed Lagos Pepper Soup album and brand-new songs that blend energetic Afrobeat, jazz, and funk into what Olatuja calls “a zesty, sonic stew that honors the ancient Xulu word ‘umbuntu,’ which means, ‘we are all connected.’”

LA EXCELENCIA 

Friday, August 2 at 7:00 PM
Bryant Park 
Between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues | Manhattan

New York City’s La Excelencia is an award-winning salsa dura band inspired by the sounds of the ’70s and the sociopolitical landscape of today. Combining traditional salsa elements with a modern and unabashedly hard-hitting energy, La Excelencia inspires dancers and invigorates listeners alike. On this Friday night in Bryant Park, enjoy a free hometown performance by these internationally renowned salsa stalwarts. 

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