Carnegie Hall to Host Musical Explorers Family Concerts in May

On Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., dynamic artists from around the world perform in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall as part of the Musical Explorers Family Concerts, interactive performances that celebrate unique musical cultures and traditions around the globe.

The upcoming concerts feature folk music from three different cultures: Sephardi Ladino folk with Lily Henley, Chilean folk with Claudia Acuña, and Iranian folk with Mehrnam Rastegari. Free pre-concert activities will be offered one hour prior to each performance, preparing parents, caregivers, and children to sing and dance along with the artists.

Earlier in the week, from May 5–8, thousands of schoolchildren in grades K–2 visit Carnegie Hall to sing and dance in high-energy culminating concerts. Musical Explorers reaches more than 7,000 New York City public school students in classrooms each year through a curriculum that teaches singing, listening, and basic music skills as children study songs from these musical traditions and reflect on their own communities.

TV crews and reporters are invited to cover Musical Explorers school performances at Carnegie Hall at 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. on Friday, May 8. Please email Meg Boyle (mboyle@carnegiehall.org) for more information.