Greetings from the Events side of VP+C Partners! With the warm weather finally starting to arrive in NYC, so comes one of the city’s most fun events. No, not the ability to wear short shorts (although that does make this team a little excited), but the Lower Manhattan River to River Festival!
For the tenth year now, lower Manhattan has played host to some of the best artists many have never heard, and all for free! (Although some events require tickets).
Just a few of this year’s highlights include:
June 19– Bang on a Can Marathon
11am – 12am, World Financial Center Winter Garden, 220 Vesey St
With 12+ hours of music, over 150 musicians play pieces from all over the world. This year will include Philip Glass playing with the Bang on a Can All-Stars; and performances of pieces composed by Bryce Dessner of The National, David Byrne/ Annie Clarke, Yoko Ono and Frank Zappa, just to name a few.
June 24- Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger
7pm, South Street Seaport, Pier 17
Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Mull will perform songs from their debut album, The Acoustic Sessions, which mixes Brazilian rhythms and French pop.
June 28– Rufus Wainwright Goes to the Opera!
7pm, World Financial Center Winter Garden, 220 Vesey St
Rufus Wainwright is joined by New York City Opera singers and pianist Kevin Murphy to perform pieces from his favorite arias, as well as excerpts from his own opera Prima Donna.
July 7-My Brightest Diamond
7pm, Castle Clinton, Battery Park, State Street and Battery Place
Shara Worden’s project, My Brightest Diamond, mixes elements of opera, cabaret, chamber music, and rock. She has performed as part of Sufjan Stevens Illinoismakers as well as been featured on the David Byrne & Fatboy Slim album Here Lies Love. She will be joined by yMusic, a sextet of players who combine the classic and pop worlds with ease.
July 11- The Brother from Another Planet
8pm, The Elevated Acre, 55 Water Street, between Broad & Williams Streets
Cult Classic director John Sayles wrote and directed this 1984 sci-fi movie about a mute alien slave who lands in Harlem and is chased through the streets, making for subtle commentary on society and race relations.
July 14- 16- Extraordinary Moves: STREB: Human Fountain
6pm, World Financial Center Plaza, 220 Vesey Street
Performers, inspired by the Bellagio Fountain, leap as high as 30 feet from an open three-story honeycomb structure to create a cascade of airborne liquid muscle.
July 14- Patti Smith
7pm, Castle Clinton, Battery Park, State Street and Battery Place
Legendary punk queen Patti Smith brings her inspiring works to Castle Clinton in a hometown performance that will be a memorable evening.
These are just a few of the over 30+ cultural events encompassing art, music, dance, film and more. For more information on performances and tickets( where necessary), check the River to River Festival website at http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/.
