The Washington Square Music Festival
A Village Tradition Since 1953
Free Al Fresco Concerts Tuesday nights in June at 8 pm
Washington Square Park -Garibaldi Plaza, (Rainspace The New School, 55 West 13th Street, Steiful Hall, room 1400)
The Washington Square Music Festival stands as one of New York City’s most enduring and quietly transformative cultural treasures, a rare institution that has managed to remain both historically grounded and artistically restless for almost seventy years. Formed under the auspices of the Washington Square Association, the Festival has from the very beginning asserted that world‑class music belongs not behind ticketed doors but in the public square, free and accessible to anyone who happens upon Washington Square on a concert night.
Over time, the Washington Square Music Festival has evolved from an excellent, relatively traditional classical series into an adventurous presenter with offerings that track the expanding musical map of New York City itself. In 2024, the Festival appointed a strikingly young new Music Director, Ahmed Alom, a Cuban‑born conductor, jazz musician, composer, and piano prodigy who was just 25 at the time, under whose direction the series continues to champion global, genre‑crossing artists at pivotal moments in their careers. The Festival also remains committed to its classical foundations, alongside an ever‑expanding range of global and contemporary work.
June 9: Baroque and Renaissance music with the Festival Chamber Ensemble and soloist Eriko Sato, violin
June 16: Cuban jazz with Latin Grammy–nominated Kali Rodriguez Peña, one of only ten artists nationwide to receive the prestigious Empowerment for Impact and Growth grant from Chamber Music America
June 23: Afro‑Caribbean and Middle Eastern jazz fusion with Itai Kriss and Telavana Ensemble
June 30: Festival Chamber Orchestra with mezzo‑soprano Rosario Armas
To make a donation for the Washington Square Music Festival, please send a check to:
WASHINGTON SQUARE ASSOCIATION MUSIC FUND,
Washington Square Music Festival
PO Box 1066, Village Station
New York, NY 10014-0706
Peggy Friedman — Executive Director
Ahmed Alom — Music Director
Suzette Jacobs — Associate Music Director
Eric Carlson — Stage Manager
Lilliana Brochu — Festival Manager
Email: washsqmusicfest@gmail.com
The Washington Square Music Festival is made possible with public funding from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. Generous grants from Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The New School, Music Performance Trust Fund, The Washington Square Association, The Margaret Neubart Foundation Trust, New York University Community Affairs & NYU Community Fund, Salamon-Abrams Family Fund, the Washington Square Park Conservancy, BAMRA, and Greenwich House Music School, and many individual contributions are deeply appreciated as is invaluable help from NYC Parks and Recreation.