Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, her string ensemble Baroklyn, and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) perform music by J.S Bach and Philip Glass
The world’s oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series features five concerts June 9 – August 4, 2026
New York, N.Y. – On Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30 pm, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts kicks off its 2026 season with the GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, Baroklyn (the string ensemble she founded and directs) and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). The concert is free and will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR.
The program features music by Philip Glass and J.S. Bach – two composers whose music Dinnerstein sees a natural affinity between. The pianist says, “Glass’s music is multi-linear in a way that evokes the music of Bach. It is music on the horizontal, as opposed to the vertical. If anything, it is circular music.”
For the concert, Dinnerstein leads the artists from the piano for performances of Glass’s “The Hours” and a recomposition by Philip Lasser of Bach’s Air on the G String, and conducts Bach’s Cantata No. 9 “Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her” alongside selections from three other cantatas by Bach with Connecticut Choral Artists (CONCORA).
Launched in 1905, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts is the world’s oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series. The season continues with The Knights on June 23, Delirium Musicum (making their NYC debut!) on July 7, followed by Orchestra of St. Luke’s on July 21, and concludes on August 4 with Nosky’s Baroque Band. Full program details are below. Digital press kit available here.
Calendar Listing
Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30 pm
Simone Dinnerstein, director and piano
at the Naumburg Bandshell on the Concert Ground Central Park (72nd St, mid-park)
PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach: Herr Gott, BWV 617
Philip Glass: The Hours
J.S. Bach (continuo realizations by Philip Lasser): Cantata 9, Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her, BWV 9
J.S. Bach: Three Movements from Cantatas 99, 22, & 182
J.S. Bach/Lasser: In the Air
WQXR Host: Elliott Forrest
Admission is free and reservations are not needed.
Visit naumburgconcerts.org for more information and programs.
Coming up
June 23: The Knights
Colin & Eric Jacobsen, artistic directors
Tessa Lark, Violin (Walter W. Naumburg Int’l Competition Winner 2012)
Christina Courtin: Rhapsody on being Giant Proof
Lisa Bielawa: Violin Concerto No. 2: Pulse
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Caroline Shaw: The Mountain that Loved a Bird
Paul Simon (arr. Colin Jacobsen): American Tune
July 7: Delirium Musicum (NYC debut)
Etienne Gara, music director & violinist
Zoltán Kodály: Intermezzo from Háry János Suite*
Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre*
Gabriella Smith: Cactus-Yucca Scrub from Desert Ecology
Erik Satie: Gnossienne N.1*
Max Richter: Summer from The Four Seasons Recomposed
Philip Glass: Echorus
Franz Schubert: Erlkönig*
Jessie Montgomery: Banner for Solo String Quartet & String Orchestra
Antonio Vivaldi: Winter from The Four Seasons, Op 8 No.4, RV 297
*arranged for Delirium Musicum by Gianluca Bersanetti
July 21: Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Brad Lubman, conductor
Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano (Walter W. Naumburg Int’l Competition Winner 2021)
All works by W.A. Mozart
Divertimento in D major K. 136
Adagio and Fugue in C minor K. 546
Alma grande e nobil core, K.578
Vado, me dove?, K. 583
Voi che sapete from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
Porgi amor, from Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
Tutte nel cor vi sento, from Idomeneo, K. 366
Symphony No. 21 in A major K. 134
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K. 525
August 4: Nosky’s Baroque Band
Aisslinn Nosky, director & violin soloist
Steve Marquardt, trumpet soloist
Giuseppe Torelli: Trumpet Concerto in D (Roger 188)
Arcangelo Corell: Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 10
Giuseppe Torelli: Violin Concerto Op. 8, No. 9 in e minor
G. P. Telemann: Burlesque de Quixotte Suite TWV 55:G10
J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto BWV 1052r
G. P. Telemann: Concerto TWV 53:D5 for trumpet & strings
About the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts
Since 1905, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts has continuously presented free, outdoor classical music concerts to New Yorkers of all walks of life. It is the oldest such concert series in the world. Named after founder and philanthropist Elkan Naumburg, who donated the Naumburg Bandshell to New York City in 1923, and inspired by his own ardent love of music, the series seeks to stimulate and encourage new and expanded audiences for classical music in the informal and beautiful setting of Central Park.
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