Live Music Returns to MoMA with SUMMERGARDEN 2015 and MoMA NIGHTS

The Museum of Modern Art announces its lineups of free live music events in The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden for summer 2015.

The annual Summergarden: New Music for New York free concert series returns for four Sunday evenings beginning July 5. Summergarden, a tradition since 1971, is part of MoMA's long history of presenting contemporary classical music and jazz. MoMA once again welcomes the collaboration of its programming partners, The Juilliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Members of the New Juilliard Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Joel Sachs, perform on July 5 and 19, offering two distinctive programs of contemporary compositions that are receiving their New York premieres. The New Juilliard Ensemble specializes in presenting new music in the most diverse styles from the United States and all over the world; it has commissioned nearly 100 pieces and has performed in the U.S., Britain, France, Israel, Japan, Poland, and Russia. Jazz at Lincoln Center has selected two jazz groups whose concerts on July 12 (Dahi Divine Quintet) and July 26 (Ulysses Owens Jr. and Friends) emphasize original works, each featuring one world premiere.

On Thursday evenings in July and August, the Museum presents MoMA Nights, with each month featuring a distinct thread of musical performances.

Beginning July 2, the Museum will remain open until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays and present concerts in the Sculpture Garden, free with Museum admission. MoMA Nights performances in July are presented in conjunction with the exhibition One Way Ticket: Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series and Other Visions of the Great Movement North and are organized in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center and Harlem Stage.

Each musician featured reflects the next generation of rising stars who will have an impact on jazz for years to come, and each has her or his own personal tale of migration. Drawing from genres including hip-hop, R&B, Latin, soul, jazz, and gospel, these artists are expanding musical boundaries with contemporary soul and swing.

Musicians include Jon Batiste-performing July 23 with his band Stay Human-who was recently announced as the music director and band leader for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

In August, MoMA Nights features performances by buzzworthy bands, organized in collaboration with PopRally, MoMA's cross-departmental committee that programs events at MoMA and MoMA PS1. A broad array of emerging talent, the musical acts range from R&B to post-punk, and include the indie rock band Lower Dens and singer-songwriter Tei Shi. Each performance will be preceded by an opening set at 5:30 p.m. by a DJ from Newtown Radio, a Bushwick, Brooklyn-based Internet radio station dedicated to sharing the best local music of tomorrow.

See moma.org/summergarden or moma.org/nights for details.