New York Philharmonic Announces 50th Anniversary 'Share the Stage' Concerts in the Parks

As part of the New York Philharmonic's celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of its historic Concerts in the Parks, the Philharmonic will present Share the Stage in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island, inviting local musicians to perform on the stage in their home boroughs before the Orchestra's performances.

Share the Stage performers will be: the Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir, led by Frank Haye (Prospect Park, Brooklyn, June 19); jazz percussionist Steven Kroon (Cunningham Park, Queens, June 22); Afro-Puerto Rican drummers BombaYo, led by Jose L. Ortiz, also known as Dr. Drum (Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, June 23); and historic Richmond Town favorites, folk musicians Bob Conroy and Norm Pederson with Bill Doerge (Free Indoor Concert in Staten Island, June 24). Share the Stage in Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx begin at 6:30 p.m.; Share the Stage in Staten Island begins at 7:00 p.m.

Other celebratory events include food trucks in Brooklyn and Queens, including Carpe Donut and Nuchas in Prospect Park and Andy's Italian Ices, Big D's Grub Truck, and Souvlaki in Cunningham Park, among others. Starting June 10, social media fans are encouraged to participate in a scavenger hunt in each of the five boroughs, with clues delivered through Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr leading participants to locations that are of special significance to each borough or to the Concerts in the Parks. Participants will post a photo of the location with the hashtag #nypparks50 to complete a clue. Grand Prize winners will receive a pair of VIP tickets to Concerts in the Parks, a picnic basket from Picnycs to enjoy during the concert, and a pair of tickets to a Philharmonic concert in the 2015-16 season. Follow the Philharmonic on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to receive more information and to participate.

The New York Philharmonic has also announced details for the Free Indoor Concert at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on June 24, 2015. The program will feature New York Philharmonic musicians performing Mozart's Serenade in G major, Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46; and Spohr's Nonet. Tickets are free, but required for this event and will be available at brownpapertickets.com.

Also in celebration of the 50th year of Concerts in the Parks, the New York Philharmonic Archives has partnered with the Department of Education to engage New York City public school elementary through high school students from all five boroughs in classical music and history, linked to the Concerts in the Parks. Students have been provided with a multi-media resource packet, including suggested activities and copies of archival materials like photographs, printed programs, and historical newspapers.

Throughout June, in partnership with the Queens Library, the New York Philharmonic Archives will present 50 Years of the New York Philharmonic in Queens Parks, multimedia talks about the Philharmonic's history and the Orchestra's relationship with Queens through the Concerts in the Parks. The talks will take place at the following Queens Library branches: Fresh Meadows (June 6, 2:30 p.m.), Flushing (June 7, 2:00 p.m.), Windsor Park (June 11, 2:30 p.m.), Central Library (June 11, 6:00 p.m.), Forest Hills (June 13, 3:00 p.m.), and Glen Oaks (June 19, 1:30 p.m.). The Philharmonic Archives, in conjunction with the Queens Library, will present a photo exhibit in Cunningham Park about the Philharmonic's history performing in Queens, and the evening of the Cunningham Park concert (June 22) the Archives will collect attendees' memories of past concerts in Queens. The Archives will also present photo exhibits at the Concerts in the Parks in Brooklyn's Prospect Park and Bronx's Van Cortlandt Park.

As previously announced, the Philharmonic has launched Crowdsourcing Memories: 50 Years of the Philharmonic in New York City's Parks, an online portal through which the public can share their personal Concerts in the Parks memories. These submissions will be preserved forever in the New York Philharmonic Archives (which maintains the Orchestra's historical treasures dating back to its founding in 1842), and many will be featured throughout the Concerts in the Parks 50th anniversary celebrations, including on the Philharmonic's website. Members of the public are invited to contribute their memories of the Philharmonic's parks concerts since 1965 -- not only favorite musical moments under the stars, but also family outings, reunions with friends, elaborate picnics, first dates, marriage proposals, and more -- through photographs, home movies, and personal recollections. For information on how to submit material, visit nyphil.org/parks50memory.

The 50th anniversary summer of the New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks will open June 17 with Music Director Alan Gilbert conducting an all-American program that features violinist Joshua Bell performing the suite from Bernstein's West Side Story that he played in his previous Concerts in the Parks appearances, in July 2001; the program also includes Barber's The School for Scandal Overture, Gershwin's Lullaby, Copland's Appalachian Spring, Leroy Anderson's Fiddle-Faddle, Rodgers's The Carousel Waltz, and Sousa's The Liberty Bell. Charles Dutoit then conducts the Orchestra in Franco-Russian concerts: Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture; Saint-Sae?ns's Violin Concerto No. 3, with Renaud Capuc?on in his Philharmonic debut; Stravinsky's Petrushka (1911 version); and Ravel's La Valse. Alan Gilbert returns in a variant of the all-American program featuring Bernstein's West Side Story Concert Suite No. 1, performed by soprano Julia Bullock and tenor Ben Bliss, both in their Philharmonic debuts. In addition, musicians from the New York Philharmonic will perform a Free Indoor Concert in Staten Island at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (June 24), featuring Mozart's Serenade in G major, Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46; and Spohr's Nonet.

The performances begin at 8:00 p.m., and the outdoor concerts will be followed by fireworks by Bay Fireworks.

The 2015 New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks are presented, for the ninth year, by Didi and Oscar Schafer. The iconic series of free outdoor performances has been enjoyed by more than 14 million concertgoers since it was introduced in August 1965.

New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks: A Brief History

The New York Philharmonic Free Concerts in the Parks -- the dream of Carlos Moseley, the Orchestra's then-Managing Director -- were launched on August 10, 1965, when 70,000 listeners arrived in Central Park's Sheep Meadow to hear the World Premiere of William Schuman's Philharmonic Fanfare -- a New York Philharmonic Commission that was composed for the event -- along with Wagner's Die Meistersinger Overture and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the last featuring soprano Ella Lee, mezzo-soprano Joanna Simon, tenor Richard Cassilly, bass John West, and the Manhattan Chorus, conducted by William Steinberg. According to Time magazine on August 20, 1965, the crowd of 70,000 was the largest audience for a musical event in the city's history.

The ensuing 11 concerts that summer took place in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Crocheron Park in Queens, the Bronx Botanical Gardens, and Clove Lake Park in Staten Island with a total audience of 457,000. The second week of concerts featured clarinetist Benny Goodman performing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, and the third week featured Aaron Copland performing his own Piano Concerto. When Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Eroica, and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring the following year, one official estimated the crowd at close to 90,000. The Central Park concerts moved from The Sheep Meadow to The Great Lawn in 1980.

The first season of the Parks Concerts was funded by a contribution of $57,500 from the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company (which continued its sponsorship of the series for ten years); the City of New York, which spent $100,000 for the stage and other equipment and $90,000 more for operating costs; and by Schlitz and the Philharmonic, which provided almost $120,000 for the remaining expenses. The trailer-ized orchestral shell was named the "Minnie" Guggenheimer Shell in honor of Mrs. Charles Schafer Guggenheimer of the Philharmonic's Board of Directors and Auxiliary Board, as well as the great-aunt of today's presenter, Oscar Schafer; she had been a leader in presenting outdoor music in the city at the Lewisohn Stadium Concerts.

The popularity of the Parks Concerts and the breadth of its audiences have attracted more than 50 U.S. and international conductors to the Orchestra's summer stage. Among their ranks are Philharmonic Music Directors Lorin Maazel, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Kurt Masur, and Alan Gilbert, in addition to conductors Andre Kostelanetz, Alfred Wallenstein, Lukas Foss, Seiji Ozawa, Josef Krips, Julius Rudel, Rafael Fru?beck de Burgos, Jean Martinon, Michael Tilson Thomas, Thomas Schippers, Erich Leinsdorf, James Conlon, David Zinman, Andrew Davis, Yuri Temirkanov, Marin Alsop, Valery Gergiev, Bobby McFerrin, Bramwell Tovey, David Robertson, and Andrey Boreyko.

More than 50 soloists have also joined the New York Philharmonic in these al fresco concerts. In addition to Benny Goodman, who played Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Aaron Copland performed his own Piano Concerto, Marian Anderson narrated Copland's A Lincoln Portrait, and Music Director Leonard Bernstein was the conductor and soloist for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25 and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. The artists who have made their New York Philharmonic debuts in the Parks Concerts include violinists Leonidas Kavakos, James Ehnes (who proposed to his girlfriend in Central Park on the occasion), and Leila Josefowicz; cellist Alisa Weilerstein; and alto saxophonist Bradford Marsalis. The numerous pianists who have joined forces with the Philharmonic in its summer outings include Rudolf Firkusn?y, Andre? Watts, John Browning, Byron Janis, Grant Johannesen, Earl Wild, Alicia de Larrocha, Lorin Hollander, Gina Bachauer, Misha Dichter, Jorge Bolet, Gary Graffman, Horacio Gutierez, and Lang Lang, along with violinists Michael Rabin, Ruggiero Ricci, Isaac Stern, Yura Lee, and Karen Gomyo. Many musicians of the New York Philharmonic have also performed as soloists.

The vast repertoire -- which has ranged from Tchaikovsky and Brahms to Shostakovich, Barber, and Lutos?awski -- included the U.S. Premiere of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 4, performed by Ruggiero Ricci and conducted by James DePreist in August 1971, and the New York Premieres of arrangements of music from Bernstein's West Side Story, On the Town, and Candide in July 2001, with soprano Kristin Chenoweth and violinist Joshua Bell, conducted by William Eddins.

On August 24, 1965, an editorial in the New York World-Telegram exclaimed: "The Philharmonic has proved that great music is a thrilling experience to a lot of people who can't pay their way into Lincoln Center. Bravos to the orchestra and to the city and the Schlitz Brewing Co. for bringing it into the parks. Let's make this a regular part of summertime New York."

Share the Stage Artists

The Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir (BIC) has performed with the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Philharmonic; at Celebrate Brooklyn!; and in performances televised on CBS, NBC, HBO, TBN's 15th Street Live, and Easter in New York. BIC sang at the Barclays Center's Back to School Bash, and in January 2013 the choir was a featured artist at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 27th Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with keynote speaker Harry Belafonte. BIC has reached out to the community by offering classes in fitness (zumba), vocal performance, music theory, ear training, and private music lessons. In April 2014 BIC earned second place honors at the International Choir Competition in Verona, Italy.

Percussionist Steven Kroon grew up in St. Albans, Queens, also the home of Lester Young, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Count Basie, and Henry Glover. He has performed on seven platinum albums; in fifteen world tours; on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and the Grammy Awards; and in the United States and Japan, including the Village Vanguard, The Irridium, and the Blue Note Jazz Club. He has recorded with musicians including Ron Carter, Roberta Flack, Luther Van Dross, Bill Cosby, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, and Lady Gaga. Under his label Kroonatune Records, LLC, Steven Kroon has released the albums In My Path, Sen?or Kroon, El Mas Alla (Beyond), Without a Doubt, and On the One.

BombaYo ignites the ancestral rhythms of Bomba, an African-derived music-and-dance tradition developed in Puerto Rico. In the spirit of Sankofa, looking to one's past for a better future, BombaYo members draw from the Bomba tradition to enrich their lives and embrace their cultural legacy. Through workshops, cultural presentations, performances, and partnerships, BombaYo engages communities throughout New York City to raise awareness of Afro-Puerto Rican culture and to connect Bomba to the vast traditions of the African Diaspora. BombaYo recently presented at Lincoln Center's Meet the Artist program, and collaborated with Dan Zanes, Corbin Bleu, and William Cepeda. In 2011 BombaYo received the Union Square Art Award for promoting social change through the arts.

Bob Conroy and Norm Pederson with Bill Doerge are skilled storytellers and instrumentalists on banjo, guitar, fiddle, and mandola from Staten Island's Historic Richmond Town. They lift traditional songs out of the faraway past into the vibrant present.

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2015 NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC CONCERTS IN THE PARKS PRESENTED BY DIDI AND OSCAR SCHAFER

All concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.

Program I

Alan Gilbert, conductor

Joshua Bell, violin

BARBER The School for Scandal Overture
GERSHWIN Lullaby
BERNSTEIN/Arr. Brohn West Side Story Suite for Violin and Orchestra
COPLAND Appalachian Spring Suite
ANDERSON Fiddle-Faddle
RODGERS The Carousel Waltz
SOUSA The Washington Post

Great Lawn, Central Park, Manhattan
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Westside entrances: West 81st or 86th Streets at Central Park West
Eastside entrances: East 79th or 85th Streets at Fifth Avenue

Program II

Charles Dutoit, conductor

Renaud Capuc?on*, violin

***Share the Stage performance by the Brooklyn Interdenominational Choir, 6:30-7:00 p.m., before the Prospect Park concert***

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture
SAINT-SAE?NS Violin Concerto No. 3
STRAVINSKY Petrushka (1911 version)
RAVEL La Valse

Great Lawn, Central Park, Manhattan
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Westside entrances: West 81st or 86th Streets at Central Park West
Eastside entrances: East 79th or 85th Streets at Fifth Avenue

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Friday, June 19, 2015
Enter at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park West at 9th Street or Bartel-Pritchard Circle at the intersection of Prospect Park West, Prospect Park Southwest and 15th Street

Program III

Alan Gilbert, conductor

***Share the Stage performance by Steven Kroon, 6:30-7:00 p.m., before the Cunningham Park concert***

***Share the Stage performance by BombaYo, 6:30-7:00 p.m., before the Van Cortlandt Park concert***

BARBER The School for Scandal Overture
COPLAND Appalachian Spring Suite
ANDERSON Fiddle-Faddle
RODGERS The Carousel Waltz
BERNSTEIN West Side Story Concert Suite No. 1
GERSHWIN Lullaby
SOUSA The Washington Post

Cunningham Park, Queens
Monday, June 22, 2015
Enter at 193rd Street, near 81st Avenue or Union Turnpike. Concert site is at 193rd Street Field

Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Enter the park from Broadway, near West 251st Street. Concert site is north of the baseball fields

FREE INDOOR CONCERT PRESENTED BY DIDI AND OSCAR SCHAFER

Musicians from the New York Philharmonic

***Share the Stage performance by Bob Conroy and Norm Pederson with Bill Doerge, 7:00-7:30 p.m., before the Free Indoor Concert in Staten Island***

MOZART Serenade in G major, Eine kleine Nachtmusik
GRIEG/Arr. J. Linckelmann Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46
SPOHR Nonet

Staten Island
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
Wednesday, June 24, 2015

More information is available at nyphil.org/parks50.

* denotes New York Philharmonic debut

Pictured: Alan Gilbert conducting the New York Philharmonic in Central Park. Photo by Chris Lee.