April 23, 2009

Free Central Park Summerstage shows start June 12

The free Central Park SummerStage 2009 season will kick off June 12 with a performance by Josh Ritter and The New York Pops to be followed with a full season of shows including Q-Tip, Béla Fleck, M. Ward and a Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Paulo Szot.

The City Parks Foundation, which organizes SummerStage, has also commissioned new dances from Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Martha Wainwright that will premier in August.

In addition to the free concerts, there are a handful of benefit concerts.

The ticketed, benefit concerts:

June 5 - TV on the Radio and Dirty Projectors
June 16 - Indigo Girls and Matt Nathanson
June 25 - 311 and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers
June 30 - Explosions in the Sky and Constantines
July 9 - Matisyahu and Umphrey’s McGee

All other non-benefit shows are free, but a SummerStage membership (from a tax-deductible $150,) will get you and a guest access to the Members’ Entrance and reserved bleacher seats at all free concerts.

See the full free schedule after the jump.

Friday, June 12 at 8 p.m.
Josh Ritter and The New York Pops

Saturday, June 13 at 3 p.m.
Smokie Norful, Tye Tribbett & G.A., Ruben Studdard

Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Wally Lamb, Zoë Heller

Thursday June 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Sharon Olds, Thomas Sayers Ellis

Friday, June 19 at 8 p.m.
Comedy Central Park: Gabriel Iglesias, Pablo Francisco

Saturday, June 20 at 3 p.m.
Definitely Poetry Hosted by Majora Carter; Earthdriver, Staceyann Chin, Jennifer Johns, Artbattles, Urban Word NYC

Sunday, June 21at 3 p.m.
Fête de la Musique: Yannick Noah, Coralie Clément, Mayra Andrade

Saturday, June 27 at 3 p.m.
Istanbulive: The Sounds & Colors of Turkey with Mazhar-Fuat-Özkan, Painted on Water featuring Sertab Erener & Demir Demirkan, NY Gypsy All-Stars with Hüsnü Şenlendirici and special guests

Sunday, June 28 at 3 p.m.
Ledisi / Esperanza Spalding, Jonathan Batiste

Sunday, July 5 at 3 p.m.
Oumou Sangare, Les Nubians, Aṣa

Wednesday, July 8 at 7p.m.
Juana Molina, Curumin, El G (ZZK)

Saturday, July 11 at 3 p.m.
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Eric Bobo

Sunday, July 12 at 3 p.m.
Family Day! with DJ Lance Rock & Brobee (of Yo Gabba Gabba!,) Iza Trapani, Sleeping Beauty puppet show

Monday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Featuring Paulo Szot with Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Alek Shrader (tenor), and Vlad Iftinca (piano)

Saturday, July 18 at 3 p.m.
Q-Tip, Chester French, Little Dragon, Benji B

Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m.
Alpha Blondy & The Solar System, Lee “Scratch” Perry & Dubblestandart, Subatomic Sound System

Friday, July 24 at 7 p.m.
Bettye Lavette, Budos Band, Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue

Saturday, July 25 at 3 p.m.
Jerry Rivera and special guests, N’Klabe

Sunday, July 26 at 3 p.m.
Ginuwine, Joe, Chico DeBarge

Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m.
Dance: RIOULT, Germaul Barnes/Viewsic Expressions

Saturday, August 1 at 7p.m.
M. Ward, Mike Watt & Nels Cline +

Sunday, August 2 at 7p.m.
CineFest Brasil: “If I Were You 2” (“Se eu fosse você 2”) directed by Daniel Filho; Silvia Machete

Monday, August 3 at 8 p.m.
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabaté

Wednesday, August 5 at 7p.m.
“I Am Cuba” directed by Mikhail Kalatozov; The Pedrito Martinez Project
Presented in association with the African Film Festival.

Thursday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Asbury Shorts: An Evening of the World’s Best Short Films; Mingus Dynasty Quintet

Friday, August 7 at 8 p.m.
Dance: Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, nathantrice/RITUALS dance theater

Saturday, August 8 at 3 p.m.
Boys Noize

Sunday, August 9 at 3 p.m.
Jazmine Sullivan, Chrisette Michele, Jon B

Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th at 8pm
Dance: Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company with musical guest Martha Wainwright

Sunday, August 16 at 3 p.m.
(Performance to be announced May 20.)

Earlier: No cutbacks at SummerStage; NY Pops kicks off June 12

April 23, 2009 9:41 AM in Cheap Stuff, Kids, Sightsology, Upper East Side, Upper West Side

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