American Symphony Orchestra to Launch Season With Free Concerts In Bryant Park And Kupferberg Center

The American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will open the Orchestra's 65th season with a free concert on September 11 at 7 pm as part of the Picnic Performances series at Bryant Park. Conducted by Music Director Leon Botstein, the performance occurs on the 25th anniversary of September 11 and offers a memorial program with music by Copland, Walker, Ives, Haydn, and Mahler. The free concert will be repeated at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts in Queens on September 13. 

The ASO will next perform in Manhattan with the Bard Festival Chorale in a program focusing on Mozart and the composers who influenced him on November 5 at Riverside Church.

New York Resounds Details

Friday, September 11, 2026, at 7:00 PM, Bryant Park
Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 3:00 PM, Kupferberg Center

American Symphony Orchestra
Leon Botstein, Conductor
Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
George Walker: Lyric for Strings
Charles Ives: The Gong on the Hook and Ladder
Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 44 in E minor “Trauersinfonie”
Gustav Mahler (arr. Cliff Colnot): Adagio from Symphony No. 10

While serving as an occasion for remembrance, this program also celebrates the strength of the human spirit. The majesty of Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, the beauty of Mahler's Adagio from Symphony No. 10, the poignancy of George Walker's Lyric for Strings, the imagery of Ives's The Gong on the Hook and Ladder, and the intensity of Haydn's Symphony No. 44, (“Mourning Symphony”) together pay tribute to the contributions of everyday Americans, as well as the courage and sacrifice of 9/11 heroes.

Attendance for both performances is free. RSVP to Kupferberg is required. Bryant Park staff lends out hundreds of free picnic blankets, provides bistro chairs, and offers a curated selection of food and drink to purchase from local vendors. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.