June 12th, 2009
The Music of New York in the Summertime
One of the splendid things about New York in the summertime, is that there is a myriad of options for entertainment, that are free. In this economy many people are finding it difficult to afford nights out like they used, but travelers are finding that there are many discounts being offered by the airlines, and the top New York City hotels, and once one gets to the city, the list is just about endless. Beginning last week was the River to River Festival. This is the largest of New York’s free music festivals. River to River began in 2002 in Lower Manhattan and has succeeded in making the list of the top 10 Cultural Institutions of New York, that Time Out Magazine states the New Yorkers can not live without. This festival hosts several different genres of music, food and the works of up and coming artists. Each year thousands come to stroll along the Seaport, Battery Park and Rockefeller Park and take in the music, the art, the dance and the culture of their city. Performances this summer include the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, to Arlo Guthrie, to Brian Stokes Mitchell.
This festival is encompasses the spirit, the creativity and the energy the city has, in the people and the cultures. New York has seen good times, and those that were more challenging, as in the financial crisis that is affecting so many people currently. The VP of Marketing for the Alliance states the now is a time when people need to be inspired, they need art and music and dance more so than ever before, and that the goal of the festival is to bring that to the visitors and the citizens of New York City. The Bang on a Can Marathon opened the festival on May 31, 2009. This is a high light not only of the festival but of the entire music scene in the city. The contemporary musicians play for twelve hours, an experimental, and boggling, and exciting beginning that sets the tone for the rest of the festival. There will be indie bands, local music, international artists as well as the New York Opera. New works by innovative choreographers will debut as well as the celebration of Merce Cunningham’s 90th birthday. The festival will continue through August 7, 2009.
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