The Metropolitan Spirit

Bandshell in Central Park, left, viewed from Bethesda Terrace

Classical Music at the
Central Park Bandshell

Free Classical Music Concerts as attended and described by E. B. White in Here is New Yorkhave been presented at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park since 1905.

Performances have included Enrico Caruso, Irving Berlin, and the famous Goldman Orchestra.

Naumbaum Bandshell | Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

The Bandshell can be found at the northern reach of the Mall or at the top of steps of Bethesda Terrace and can also be reached from 72nd Street.

Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

About Us

Celebrating the culture and life of New York and the people who have relished the city in their work and in their lives.


Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

Walks

Some of the most magical walks in New York begin at Cedar Hill in Central Park near 5th Av. and 79th St.


Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

Metropolitan Museum

The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue at 82nd Street breathes life and joy to visitors from around the world.


Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center annually presents the works of Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini.


Concert Reviews

The Who played Madison Square Garden and Jones Beach Theatre.  Van Morrison returned to Forest Hills Stadium.


Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

Writers

E. B. White and Paul Goldberger stand with F. Scott Fitzgerald as perhaps the most enchanting writers of New York.


Photo of Rosemary Williams by Stanley Kubrick, LOC

Women of the
Beat Generation

In the 50's a few high spirited women haunted the Beat cafes in Greenwich Village and went on to live as ex-pats in Paris.


Piazza Navona | Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

The Streets of Rome

The Metropolitan Spirit of the Eternal City is evoked in Bob Dylan's “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”


Films

Ric Burns’ film The Center of the World  is one of the most graceful and moving responses to the events of September 1, 2001.


Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

September 11

In the days after September 11 thousands of flyers and bulletins went up in public places around New York City.


Photo: Byron Company, MCNY

Metropolitan Spirit

F. Scott Fitzgerald recalls his experience of New York, defining the Metropolitan Spirit and his three symbols of the city.


Photo of Tallulah Bankhead by Cecil Barton, Getty Images

The Jazz Age

Fitzgerald reveals how sudden good fortune, flappers, and the midnight frolic belied the secrets of the Jazz Age.


Photo: Rothstein, Brooks, Elde, Look Magazine, LOC

The Roaring Twenties

Fitzgerald recalls how the uncertainties of the 1920’s were drowned in a steady, golden roar.


Photo of Empire State Building

Fitzgerald's Lost City

Fitzgerald reveals the significance of the Empire State Building and how he came to take leave of the city he loved.

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The Metropolitan Spirit


The Bandsell in Central Park - Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit
In Here is New York, E.B. White tells of strolling the Mall and attending a concert at the Bandshell (left).   |    Photo: The Metropolitan Spirit

Classical Music at the Bandshell in Central Park

Free Classical Music Concerts as attended and described by E. B. White in Here is New Yorkhave been presented at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park since 1905.

 

Performances have included Enrico Caruso, Irving Berlin, and the famous Goldman Orchestra.

The Bandshell can be found at the northern reach of the Mall or at the top of steps of Bethesda Terrace and can also be reached from 72nd Street.

During the restoration of the Bandshell in the summer of 2019, the concerts were moved to Temple Emanu-El.

~ Intimations of The Metropolitan Spirit ~