Verdi Square Festival

The Verdi Square Festival, an annual series of free outdoor concerts by outstanding young talent, has been bringing great music back to New York’s historic Verdi Square (Broadway & 72nd Street) since 2006. Conceived of and managed by Upper West music lovers in partnership with the New York City Dept. of Parks and Recreation, the Festival traditionally opens its season with an Opera program. Concerts also have included Jazz, American Musical Theater, Klezmer, and Bluegrass. Originally only artists from New York’s conservatories appeared at the Festival. In recent years they have been joined by students from Boston's New England Conservatory who regularly journey to New York to appear in one of the city's most unique venues.

Participating artists express great appreciation for the chance to hone performing skills before a highly receptive audience. The Festival has garnered recognition from the media (see Press page) and the support and praise of government officials, including the Mayor of Parma, Italy, who hailed the link the Festival created between New York and Verdi’s birthplace.

The modest annual budget of the Festival covers artists’ expenses, sound equipment, insurance, videography, printing, and website maintenance. The Dept. of Parks & Recreation provides concert seating, stage, and manpower. There are no administrative overheads. The Festival is entirely volunteer-staffed. Supported by tax-deductible contributions made through the City Parks Foundation, the Festival now also offers special corporate sponsorship opportunities.