Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Metropolitan Opera
When it comes to opera, the Met is the biggest (240 shows a year, each with seating for
nearly 4,000) and the best, with elaborate productions and unrivaled star power. Seats start around $25 and soar
from there to over $400. In addition to the free summer shows (see “High Culture for Free,” below), standing-
room-only tickets can be found. Prices tend to be $22 for orchestra and $17 for family circle (if you buy online,
expect a $7.50 surcharge on top of the $2.50 facilities fee). If you can't weather a 4-hour show on your feet, you can
vie for
Varis Rush Tickets.
You'll get a seat in the orchestra for just $20 for a Monday-through-Thursday show.
Distribution starts at the box office 2 hours before curtain. (For weekend shows, online replaces on line, with $25
tickets made available in a virtual drawing on the Met's website.)
Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, btw. W. 62nd and 65th sts.
and Columbus and Amsterdam aves.
212/362-6000.
www.metoperafamily.org
.
Subway: 1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center.
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
The Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park hosts this short concert series,
which sets aside 700 seats for classical music fans (you can also hear the shows from the nearby benches). The
series is one of the oldest in the country, with over a century's worth of experience in entertaining New Yorkers.
Shows are on four Tuesday nights at 7:30pm, with no rain dates, no tickets or reservations necessary.
Midpark, Central
Park, just below 72nd St.
718/340-3018.
www.naumburgconcerts.org
.
Subway: B/C to 72nd St.; 6 to 68th St./Hunter College.
New York Grand Opera
Conductor Vincent La Selva has spent the last 30 years performing the quixot-
ic—or Sisyphean—task of mounting fully staged grand operas for no charge. He's pulled it of, too, with compel-
ling performances that shine despite the occasional lack of polish. Shows are held over 2 or 3 nights in summer
at Central Park's Naumburg Bandshell, weather permitting.
Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, midpark, just below 72nd St.
212/
245-8837.
www.newyorkgrandopera.org
.
Subway: B/C to 72nd St.; 6 to 68th St./Hunter College.
New York Philharmonic
The Philharmonic has been satisfying New Yorkers since 1842. The symphony's inter-
national fame translates into pricey tickets (usually it's over $100 to sit in the orchestra), but pikers needn't des-
pair. In addition to free summer shindigs in the parks (see “High Culture for Free,” below), there are low-priced
kid-friendly shows, $12.50 student rush tickets, and the
Open Rehearsal
program. Watching a piece take shape
under a conductor's molding is a fascinating process, and it's only $18 (plus a $2 handling fee if you don't stop
by the box office) to sit in.
Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza.
212/875-5900.
www.nyphil.org
.
Subway: 1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center.
Peoples' Symphony Concerts
A good bet on IBM stock in 1923 is the basis for the endowment of these popular
populist concerts. Three separate groupings, the Festival, Mann, and Arens Series, give the people the world-
class ensembles they demand. Festival shows are held at Town Hall, and the two others are at Washington Irving
High School (with a 1,500-seat capacity and good acoustics, this is not your high school's auditorium). Most
single tickets are around $13, but if you invest in a series subscription, the per-show price dips to the $6 to $9
range.
Washington Irving High School, 40 Irving Place, at 16th St.
212/586-4680.
www.pscny.org
. Subway: L/N/Q/R/4/5/6 to 14th St./Union Sq. Other loc-
ation:
Town Hall,
123 W. 43rd St., btw. Sixth Ave. and Broadway. Subway: B/D/F/M to 42nd St.; N/Q/R/S/1/2/3/7 to 42nd St./Times Sq.
Summer HD Festival
The central plaza of Lincoln Center becomes a giant open-air opera house for this
August and September series. Although the performances aren't live, they were shot in HD, and both sound
and picture quality are excellent. The operas run on 10 consecutive nights, with first-come, first-served seating.
Some 3,100 chairs are made available, and another thousand people can join the overflow crowd. Start times are
staggered between 7:15 and 8pm; in case of bad weather shows are canceled.
Lincoln Center, Broadway btw. 63rd and 64th sts.
212/362-6000.
www.metoperafamily.org
. Subway: 1 to 66th St./Lincoln Center.
Third Street Music School Settlement
The oldest community music school in the country, this institu-
tion helps reach thousands of students with musical instruction. The talented faculty shows of their own chops
at weekly free concerts. Classical pieces predominate, although jazz, folk, and dance are also represented. The
Anna-Maria Kellen Auditorium does the hosting, Friday nights at 7pm, September through April, no reserva-
tions or tickets necessary. Thursday afternoons in June and July also look for Music in Abe Lebewohl Park, a
series of free concerts held at 12:30pm in front of St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery (Second Ave. and 10th St.).
235
E. 11 St., btw. Second and Third aves.
212/777-3240.
www.thirdstreetmusicschool.org
. Subway: L to Third Ave.
Wall to Wall at Symphony Space
This long-running giveaway is also a long runner, filling the Symphony
Space stage with some 12 hours of music. The focus changes from year to year, with one source singled out for
comprehensive exploration. The range is extensive, from Bach to Beethoven to Joni Mitchell to Kurt Weill. Per-
formances start at 11am, but folks will line up hours before that. Openings in the general admission seating come
