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New York

Classical nights out

A guide, checked Oct 2

Classical nights out in New York

A concert is a good way to spend time with someone: you have something to talk about before and after, and nobody has to fill the silence in between. Here are ways to go that don’t cost much, don’t take all night, or are a little out of the ordinary.

Go for free

Low stakes, nothing to book, and easy to leave at the interval. These happen week after week:

Bargemusic

Visitor Center at the Boathouse, Brooklyn Bridge Park

Free chamber music every Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM, an hour to an hour and a half, no tickets or reservations. The barge itself is retired for now, so concerts are on land; doors open 20 minutes before.

Details on their site

Manhattan School of Music student recitals

130 Claremont Ave, Morningside Heights

Hundreds of student recitals a year, free and open to everyone. Some of the best young players in the city.

Details on their site

Juilliard

Lincoln Center

Many performances are free. Some need a free ticket booked online, others are first come, first served; there is no standby line, so check for released tickets.

Details on their site

Trinity Wall Street, Wednesdays at 1

Trinity Church, Financial District

Free lunchtime concerts most Wednesdays at 1 PM, including Bach at One.

Details on their site

Midtown Concerts

St. Malachy’s, 239 W 49th St, Theater District

Free early-music and chamber concerts on Thursdays at 1:15 PM, from September to June.

Details on their site

Music Mondays

Advent Lutheran Church, Broadway at 93rd St

Free Monday-evening chamber concerts several times a season.

Details on their site

Coming up, free or casual

Fri

Oct

The Juilliard School

Historical Performance Chamber Music at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

11:00 AM · The Met Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side

Up close · Cheap seats

Harlem Chamber Players

2:00 PM · Bargemusic, DUMBO

Up close · Free

Sat

Oct

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Orpheus for All with Lucas & Arthur Jussen

Nabors · Mozart · Schumann

4:00 PM · Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium, Midtown

Concert hall · Some of each · Free

★ Our pick

Sat

Oct

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Festival of Firsts: LOL: Laughing Out Lonely (solo opera, Morten Grove Frandsen)

Böcher & Kudahl

5:00 PM · David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center

Up close · Adventurous · Free

Everything free and casual

A big night on a small budget

The Met, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center all hold back cheap seats. They take a little planning, which is half the fun.

Met Opera rush tickets

$25 seats sold online on the day of the performance, first come, first served (from noon on weekdays). One pair per person.

Details on their site

Carnegie Hall rush tickets

$10 same-day tickets for selected concerts in Stern Auditorium, bought in person at the box office, two per person.

Details on their site

Chamber Music Society: 40 & Under

Free to join if you’re 18 to 40, then two $20 tickets to most concerts at Alice Tully Hall. Full-time students can also get $10 rush tickets an hour before.

Details on their site

Opera at the cinema

The Met’s Live in HD broadcasts play on Saturdays at Film at Lincoln Center, a block from the opera house: big voices, close-ups, popcorn, and a much cheaper ticket. Next up:

Saturday, October 17: Macbeth

Saturday, December 5: Samson et Dalila

Saturday, January 23: La fanciulla del West

Saturday, March 20: Silent Night

Walter Reade Theater, Film at Lincoln Center, 165 W 65th St

Showtimes and tickets

Make it more than a concert

Sing it yourselves. December brings Messiah sing-alongs where the audience sings the choruses; no audition, and a score if you have one. Every Messiah in New York.

Lunch-hour concerts. Forty-five minutes of Bach on a weekday, and you can walk to lunch after.

A student recital, then dinner nearby. Conservatory recitals are short, free and full of people who will be famous later.

If you both play, play. Book a practice room and read through a duo. It’s the fastest way to find out whether you play well together. Practice rooms with pianos · Play together.