Music and Theater
Visit Columbia University's Arts Initiative and Columbia University's School of the Arts Miller Theater for more options.
- Village Vanguard: This 78-year-old subterranean West Village temple to jazz, referred to by some musicians as "the Carnegie Hall of jazz", boasts excellent acoustics and perfectly subdued mood lighting to accompany the often thrilling performances.
- Brooklyn Museum Target First Saturdays: Join the Brooklyn Museum for "Target First Saturdays" and enjoy free music, performances, art and entertainment every month from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Bowery: Enjoy great concerts in various Bowery venues throughout NYC, including Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Terminal 5.
- Broadway Shows: Witness theatrical Broadway performances presented in about 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway.
- Barge Music: Enjoy chamber music in an unlikely and startlingly beautiful venue—a floating Barge at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge with the dramatic backdrop of the East River and lower Manhattan skyline.
- Upright Citizens Brigade: Check out an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group, UCB, performing in Chelsea and the East Village for as little as $5.
- New York Philharmonic: Enjoy a night listening to the symphony orchestra based in New York City, in Avery Fisher Hall, located in New York's Lincoln Center.
- Off-Broadway: With seating capacity between 100 and 499, these Off-Broadway theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but generally larger than Off-Off-Broadway theatres.
- New York City Ballet: See one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with a roster of spectacular dancers and an unparalleled repertory.
- Metropolitan Opera: Spend a day with the largest classical music organization in North America, the Metropolitan Opera, presenting about 27 different operas each year in a season which lasts from late September through May.