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There’s nothing quite like taking in live music or theater in the great outdoors, especially in NYC’s gorgeous parks. More often than not, these al fresco shows are free and that’s the case with Little Island’s Glade Series, which kicks off on July 10.
The fairly new 2-acre venue, which opened in 2021 as NYC’s first “floating” park, announced earlier this summer that it’d have a summer lineup of star-studded performances, including nine commissioned world premieres of live performances across music, dance, theater, opera, comedy, jazz, pop and funk.
RECOMMENDED: Childish Gambino is performing a one-night-only concert on Little Island this weekend
From July 10 to 14, the Glade Series will feature a concert each night that will be paired with a conversation between Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and an expert of some kind. “Greens & Blues” will feature blues legend Ruthie Foster and a talk between Parks and Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, designer Daisy Wang, freestyle emcee Corey James Gray, Columbia astronomy professor Jane Huang, harpist Brandee Younger and historian Eric Foner. Parks will also put on a Psychedelic Soap Box—a post-bop jazz collective with spoken word. Then on June 13, she’ll do one of her “Watch Me Work” sessions, where she holds a creative writing workshop and discussion, with a special guest, then she’ll perform with her band Sula & the Joyful Noise.
Other performances will include dancer Melissa Toogood between July 17 and 21; cabaret from Mx Justin Vivian Bond from July 24 to 28; comedy from acts such as Morgan Jay, Jay Jurden, Neel Gosh, and Sarah Tollemache between August 7 and 11; and a show about the world’s most linguistically diverse city with the Endangered Language Alliance and speakers from endangered, Indigenous, and minority languages alongside poetry, music, and movement. There will be a multilingual soundscape using sounds from more than one hundred languages and visuals from ELA’s digital landscape map and creative translanguaging translation strategies.
Interestingly, Little Island will also host an Oyster Market with local vendors, July 31-August 4, curated and overseen by New Amsterdam Market’s founder. There will be live oyster shucking and an The Oyster Radio Hour in The Amph.
Later on, August 21-25, Grammy Award-winning artist Cécile McLorin Salvant will curate performances that include jazz vocalist Vanisha Gould, folk artist June McDoom, multi-instrumentalist Lua Noah, pianist Sullivan Fortner, and more.
Finally, from August 28 to September 1, Gio Escobar will host a series of concerts, including a bomba and a salsa night, before taking the stage with his own avant-garde collective, “Standing on the Corner.”
Here’s the full lineup at Little Island:
THE GLADE SERIES
JULY 10-14 / SUZAN-LORI PARKS: "Tell Me More"
A series of performances and conversation curated and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks. Each evening, conceived around a pair of ideas, will feature a musical act and a conversation between Parks and a cultural luminary.
Wednesday, July 10, 7pm
Blues & Greens: Conversation with Suzan-Lori Parks and Majora Carter / Performance by Ruthie Foster
Thursday, July 11, 10pm
The Runway & The Street: Conversation with fashion designer Daisy Wang / Performance by MC Corey James Gray & Freestyle Monday
Friday, July 12, 10pm
Outer Space & Inner Space: Conversation with Columbia Astronomy Professor Jane Huang / Performance by Psychedelic Soap Box
Saturday, July 13, 7pm
Work & Play: Watch Me Work w/ Suzan-Lori Parks & Special Guest / Performance by Suzan-Lori Parks's Sula & the Joyful Noise
Sunday, July 14, 2024, 7pm
Past & Future: Conversation with Suzan-Lori Parks and Eric Foner / Performance by Brandee Younger
JULY 17-21, 9:30pm / MELISSA TOOGOOD: “Epilogue: Pam Tanowitz’s ‘Day For Night’”
Melissa Toogood dances an epilogue to choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s Day for Night, playing at 8:30pm each night in The Amph.
JULY 24-28 / JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND: A Week of Cabaret
Wednesday, July 24 & 25, 28, 6:30pm
Friday, July 26 & 27, 10pm
July 31-August 4 / NEW AMSTERDAM OYSTER MARKET
A week of food. Curated by Roberta LaValva & the New Amsterdam Market
AUGUST 7-11 / MORGAN JAY & FRIENDS: A Week of Comedy
Wednesday, August 7, 7pm
Morgan Jay, Usama Siddique, Isa Medina, Daniel Bridgegadd
Thursday, August 8, 7pm
Morgan Jay, Sean Donnelly, Tatiana Frank, Myq Kaplan
Friday, August 9, 10pm
Morgan Jay, Sahib Singh, Shane Torres, Jordan Jensen
Saturday, August 10, 7pm
Morgan Jay, Jay Jurden, Carmen Lynch, Neel Gosh
Sunday, August 11, 7pm
Morgan Jay, Sarah Tollemache, Leclerc Andrew, Erin Jackson
AUGUST 14-18 / ENDANGERED LANGUAGE ALLIANCE: “Language City”
Wednesday, August 14 & 15, 17 & 18, 6:30pm
Friday, August 16, 2024, 10pm
Sunday, August 18, 2024, 6:30pm
AUGUST 21-25 / CURATED BY CECILE MCLORIN SALVANT
A Week of Celebrated Jazz and Folk Artists
Wednesday, August 21, 8:30pm
Vanisha Gould (ASL Interpreted)
Thursday, August 22, 8:30-9:30pm
June McDoom
Friday, August 23, 10pm
Lua Noah
Saturday, August 24, 8:30pm
Sullivan Fortner
Sunday, August 25, 8:30pm
TBA
AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 1 / CURATED BY GIO ESCOBAR
A Week of Music and Performance Art
Wednesday, August 28 & 29, 31, September 1, 7pm
Friday, August 30, 2024, 10pm