Music and Theater

Visit Columbia University's Arts Initiative and Columbia University's School of the Arts Miller Theater(link is external and opens in a new window) 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"(link is external and opens in a new window), 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"(link is external and opens in a new window) 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 (link is external and opens in a new window)venues throughout NYC, including Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Terminal 5.
• Broadway Shows: Witness theatrical Broadway (link is external and opens in a new window)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(link is external and opens in a new window) 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(link is external and opens in a new window), performing in Chelsea and the East Village for as little as $5.
• New York Philharmonic: Enjoy a night listening to the symphony orchestra(link is external and opens in a new window) 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(link is external and opens in a new window) 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(link is external and opens in a new window) 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(link is external and opens in a new window), presenting about 27 different operas each year in a season which lasts from late September through May.