What to Know
- The Chelsea Music Festival is kicked off its 15th season Friday -- making it the longest-running festival celebrating music, art, and food in New York City.
- Its co-founders and co-artistic directors Ken-David Masur and Melinda Lee Masur, both professional musicians, spoke with NBC New York about the milestone.
- Each year, the Chelsea Music Festival brings together fields in the arts, getting together leaders in the performing, visual, and culinary worlds. In doing so, it creates a cross-cultural platform for both collaboration and playful experimentation.
The Chelsea Music Festival is kicked off its 15th season Friday -- making it the longest-running festival celebrating music, art, and food in New York City.
Its co-founders and co-artistic directors Ken-David Masur and Melinda Lee Masur, both professional musicians, spoke with NBC New York about the milestone.
“It’s been neat for us to explore venues south of the Lincoln Center and just bring people into concerts where they wouldn’t normally go to,” Masur told NBC New York.
Each year, the Chelsea Music Festival brings together fields in the arts, getting together leaders in the performing, visual, and culinary worlds. In doing so, it creates a cross-cultural platform for both collaboration and playful experimentation.
This festival features different, often overlooked, musical genres, from chamber music to jazz to everything in between, in non-traditional spaces in the vibrant neighborhood of Chelsea. This edition brings art to life in the High Line, the Czech Center, and St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church, to name a few.
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With each season built around a theme, this year’s “Connecting the Dots” focuses on the arts’ role in healing, strengthening brain health, and connecting people to one another. The exploration of this topic will spotlight invited neuroscientists giving pre-concert lectures, doing family events, and more.
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The one-week thoughtful programming lives up to its motto “Hear Taste See,” being a true delight to the senses. It includes exhibits, conversations, family-friendly events, free performances open to everyone, receptions, and even a distinct curated dinner.
Some highlights include the Opening Night featuring Aizuri Quartet and WindSync and the release concert of The Lee Trio album “Midsummer Night Magic.”
“The 15th season is something that we never thought possible,” Masur shared. “It’s been amazing to watch and to grow together with the neighborhood into a place where people enjoy the music, enjoy the arts and enjoy, most importantly, one another.”
The Chelsea Music Festival runs until Saturday.
