The Town Hall to Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Live Concert in Bryant Park

The Town Hall has announced a special Evening Concert Event on Monday, September 20 at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate the venue's 100th Anniversary as part of Bryant Park's picnic performances.

Featuring Grammy-winning musician Chris Thile and special guests Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner, Zakir Hussain and Ganesh Rajagopalan, Damon Daunno, and Timo Andres (with more to be announced soon), the concert will commemorate the remarkable history of The Town Hall.

The Town Hall's centennial concert in Bryant Park commences the storied hall's centennial season. The evening, hosted mandolinist singer-songwriter Chris Thile, will pay tribute to the great artists and art forms that the hall nurtured and introduced to New York City. Known for being at the vanguard, the Town Hall held the concert hall debuts of many great artists like Marian Anderson, Isaac Stern, Billie Holiday, Glenn Gould, Leontyne Price, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Coretta Scott King and João Gilberto, among others. From 1935 - 1956, The Town Hall hosted America's Town Meeting of the Air, one of the first of the radio "talk shows," a program which featured guests, scholars, and experts who discussed important issues of the day. Over its two decade run, the program's guests included Eleanor Roosevelt, Langston Hughes, Earl Browder, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Carl Sandburg, Pearl Buck and Mary McLeod Bethune.

MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter Chris Thile, who The Guardian calls "that rare being: an all-round musician who can settle into any style, from bluegrass to classical," and NPR calls a "genre-defying musical genius," is a founding member of the critically acclaimed bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite Live from Here with Chris Thile (formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion). With his broad outlook, Thile creates a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike, giving the listener "one joyous arc, with the linear melody and vertical harmony blurring into a single web of gossamer beauty" (The New York Times). Most recently, Chris released Laysongs on Nonesuch.

"It is very exciting to mark our 100th landmark year for The Town Hall with this celebratory concert in Bryant Park, hosted by the great Chris Thile," said Artistic Director Melay Araya. "As live entertainment in New York gets re-energized for a Fall opening, we know our centennial season will be our best yet with varied programming, thought-provoking conversations, and most of all, our live audiences."

For anyone unable to attend in person, a free livestream broadcast of the performance will be available nationwide via Bryant Park's website and social media platforms, thanks to the generous support of Bank of America. Additional support for on-site events is provided by Amazon.

The event is free and open to the public. Advance ticket registration is no longer required and the Park opens at 5:30pm for in person attendance.

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