New York - Music and Performing Arts
- By Smithsonian.com
- Smithsonian.com, November 06, 2007, Subscribe
Manhattan’s Central Park welcomes about 25 million visitors annually, making it the most visited city park in the United States. The park, designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, has been a National Historic Landmark since 1963. Courtesy of Jeff Greenberg/NYC & Company
New York's Theater District has been famous since the mid-19th century. Today, more than three dozen theaters line Broadway, offering musicals and classic and contemporary plays. Nearby Lincoln Center—which includes the Metropolitan Opera House—is the world's largest performing arts complex, featuring classical music, opera, theater, film and dance.
In Harlem, the Apollo Theater offers jazz and popular music. Amateur Night, held every Wednesday since 1934, launched the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Michael Jackson and many other stars. For jazz off the beaten path, there are smaller venues like St. Nick's Pub, a charming dive in Harlem's Sugar Hill district, and the historic Lenox Lounge, where legends like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane once played.
Upstate, Saratoga Springs is home to the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame, which has photos, videos, artifacts and archives chronicling the history of dance. Nearby is the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, summer home of the New York City Ballet.
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