This July, Music fills Washington Square Park

Last night, the 55th Washington Square Music Festival held its first of four free concerts in Washington Square Park. The music festival is sponsored by the Washington Square Association, an organization founded in 1906 as a neighborhood civic organization working to preserve the neighborhood’s residential character.

The concerts are one of several cultural events that the Association sponsors in the park. An annual tree-lighting ceremony and holiday carols evenings are offered as well. Last evening’s concert featured a Baroque opera by British composer John Eccles, called “The Judgment of Paris.”

The Festival, which always presents unique and distinct acts hard to find elsewhere, will present three more concerts in July. Up next, on Tuesday, July 16, is a performance by toy piano virtuoso Margaret Leng Tan. On Tuesday, July 23, Washington Square Music Festival music director Lutz Rath with lead his ensembles in a salute to both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, marking the 200th anniversary of the births of both composers. The last performace, taking place on Tuesday, July 30, will feature Rwandan Civil War survivor and composer/singer/guitarist Nepo Soteri.

All concerts take place near the center of the park and begin at 8:00 PM. In case of rain, concerts will take place at nearby St. Joseph’s Church, on Sixth Avenue between Waverly Place & Greenwich Avenue. Find out more information about the festival on its website or learn more about the history of the Washington Square Association.