Across all of the boroughs, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week:
The Orchestra of St. Luke’s annual Bach festival continues at Carnegie Hall June 13 with J.S. Bach’s third and fourth orchestral suites, and his two extant solo violin concertos, with soloist Gil Shaham. The second movement of the third orchestral suite became one of Bach’s best-known works in its 1871 arrangement by August Wilhelmj as “Air on the G String.”
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus will perform Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem at Carnegie Hall June 15, with soloists Lisette Oropesa and Quinn Kelsey. Met music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct the concert, which will also include the New York premiere of Luis Ernesto Peña Laguna’s Oraison. Quinn Kelsey will return to the Metropolitan Opera next season, singing the part of Count Anckarström in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera.
Carnegie Hall Citywide presents two free performances this week. Trio Fadolín, a trio comprising violin, cello, and a six-string violin relative called the fadolín, will perform in Times Square June 16; and Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano will perform June 17 at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park.
The New York Choral Society will present Adolphus Hailstork’s oratorio A Knee On The Neck June 13 at David Geffen Hall. Based on Herbert Martin’s poem “A Black Requiem” written in response to the death of George Floyd, the requiem “invite[s] us to reflect on pivotal moments in American history, addressing the systemic injustices and violence faced by Black Americans.” The New York premiere of A Knee On The Neck will feature soloists Gabriella Reyes, Cierra Byrd, Bernard Holcomb, and Kenneth Overton.
The New York Philharmonic’s annual Concerts in the Parks series returns this year, beginning June 13 at Van Cortlandt Park, and continuing with concerts June 14 at Central Park, June 15 at Cunningham Park, and June 16 at Prospect Park. The free concerts, conducted by NY Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden, will feature popular staples of the orchestral repertoire, including Beethoven’s fifth symphony, Rossini’s overture to William Tell, and Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man.
June 14, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene presents a concert at SummerStage in Central Park. New York Sings Yiddish! will feature the Grammy Award-winning klezmer ensemble The Klezmatics alongside Yiddish theater and concert stars including Joanne Borts, Daniel Kahn, and more.
Bryant Park Picnic Performances continue June 15 and 16 with two modern dance performances. The June 15 program will feature performances by Terk Lewis and Kayla Farrish. The June 16 program will feature performances by Josh Johnson and Soles of Duende.
Choreographer Kyle Abraham has curated a two-night dance festival for Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City. June 16 and 17, Abraham “pairs choreographers with composers, charging them to create original site-specific works on Hearst Plaza for a mini-festival of music and dance.”
June 16 and 17, Teatro Grattacielo presents Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Riverside Theater. Still set in Spain, the production updates the action to the ‘90s, drawing inspiration from Pedro Almodovar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. The June 17 performance is made free and open to schools and underprivileged and underserved communities in New York City.
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