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Free events for Wednesday, 12/13/23
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on December 13, 2023?

34 free events take place on Wednesday, December 13 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out December 13 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of December . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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that only New York provides:
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free events to go to,
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34 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, December 13, 2023

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc A Jewish Guide to the Met: The History of Chanukah (online)
free events nyc Holiday Favorites: A Festive Cabaret Performance
free events nyc The Controversialist: Arguments with Everyone, Left, Right, and Center (in-person and online)
free events nyc Jazzy Christmas Favorites from Austria with Grammy Nominee
More Editor's Picks for 12/13/23
        

Tour | 13 Tours, All City Neighborhoods, Any Time Of The Day, Choose One Tour Or Many -- Includes Holiday Lights Tour


These free tours take place at various times during the day, all day long. You can make reservations for as many tours as your schedule allows. SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights + DUMBO 3 Hour Lower Manhattan Harlem Chelsea and the High Line 6 Hour Downtown Combined Greenwich Village Central Park Lower Manhattan Midtown Manhattan Grand Central Terminal Graffiti and Street Art Tours World Trade Center Holiday Lights Tour
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Lecture | A Jewish Guide to the Met: The History of Chanukah (online)


Historian Jonathan Goldstein gives for a very special Chanukah lecture telling the story of the Maccabees through the Greco-Roman rooms.
   New York City, NY; NYC
10:30 am
Free

Talk | Aging Well: Legal and Ethical Issues at the End of Life (online)


The experience of death and the conditions under which death occurs are different for every person. For the lawyer guiding their client about end of life concerns, or for the physician caring for their patient nearing the end of life, specific legal and ethical challenges characterize the measures and decisions that need to be made at a time when they and their families and loved ones may be experiencing intense emotional stress. In this virtual seminar, lawyer and law professor Norman Cantor will focus on ways the law relates to efforts to avoid a prolonged, painful or unacceptably debilitated dying process. Additionally in this program, Alan Lippman will bring his expertise in medical ethics, speaking about some of the situations that frequently arise during this fraught time in a patient's life.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Pay-what-you-wish ($1 minimum)...

Discussion | Domestic Support for Russia’s War on Ukraine: What We Know (online)


Many polls suggest that the majority of Russians consistently approve of Russia’s war on Ukraine. However, various experts and activists have argued that polling in an authoritarian regime, especially during the war, may be unreliable. How much should we trust these surveys, and what evidence of Russians’ support of or opposition to the war do we have? At this panel, scholars of Russian public opinion will present their new findings on support for the invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s regime, talk about how these attitudes changed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and discuss what we can and cannot learn from survey research in these circumstances. Speakers: -- Grigore Pop-Eleches, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Politics; Co-Director of the Princeton Workshop on Post-Communist Politics -- Timothy Frye, Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy at Columbia University -- Katerina Tertytchnaya, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics at the Department of Politics and International Relations; Tutorial Fellow at Brasenose College, University of Oxford -- Maxim Alyukov, Leverhulme Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Manchester; Research Associate at King’s Russia Institute at King’s College London; Researcher with the Public Sociology Laboratory
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Festival | Holiday Extravaganza: Photo Ops with Favorite Characters, Classic Movies, Interactive Activities for Kids, and More!


Santa Claus is coming to town! This venue is transforming into a wonderland of family entertainment, with a lineup of events that will make your holidays unforgettable. From the whimsical world of My Little Pony to the high-flying antics of the Harlem Globetrotters, there's something for everyone. Step into a Peanuts paradise for a cozy holiday experience or join Rosie Fuentes from PBS Kids' Rosie's Rules for a festive celebration. Each event offers exclusive screenings, photo ops, and interactive activities for the kids. November 25 - January 7, Wednesdays to Sundays. CFT members have to use a code (provided below the location) to get free admission.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
$21.50...

Jazz | Improvisational Artists Ensemble


Your body, your voice, your music, your humor and your fear. This is the DNA of an improvisational encounter and the departure point for the work of the Improvisational Artists Lab. This collaboration explores the outer reaches of how student performers from different disciplines interplay using the common language of improvisation and draw inspiration from personal narratives through weekly explorations of text, composition, soundscape and movement. Students are guided on a journey through spontaneous improvisation, dramatic text, music composition and intuitive play. By exploring diverse inter-art collaboration and improvisational process this collaboration provides students with new resources to meet contemporary performance challenges.
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:00 pm
Free

Tour | Tour of New York City Hall


One of the oldest continuously used City Halls in the nation that still houses its original governmental functions, New York's City Hall is considered one of the finest architectural achievements of its period. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, the building was an early expression of the City's cosmopolitanism. City Hall is a designated New York City landmark, and its rotunda is a designated interior landmark as well.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Bach at Noon (In Person and Online)


Take a momentary respite from a busy day to enjoy a selection of organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach in an intimate venue.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:20 pm
Free

Concert | Holiday Caroling with The Broadway Carolers


With over 25 years of experience, Broadway Carolers perform across the region and are committed to bringing light into people’s lives during the holiday season. They have performed at houses and apartments, parks and country clubs, and NYC landmarks.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Concert | Holiday Harmonies


Featuring: The guitar duo Aerial Acoustics has been delighting audiences for over 25 years with their spirited original and cover instrumentals. Described as “electrifyingly acoustic,” Dorothy Wagner and Dennis Smith play complex arrangements of classic tunes, as well as original compositions, infused with elements of rock, jazz, classical and Spanish guitar. Ilya Shneyveys (accordion) and Jake Shulman-Ment (violin) are two of the leading contemporary musicians breathing new life into old-world klezmer, the celebratory music of East European Jews. This performance for Hanukkah will be filled with soulful Hasidic spirituals and rollicking dance melodies.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Adult Chorus


Directed by Church Street School of Music, the chorus is open to all who love to sing. Learn contemporary and classic songs and perform at community events throughout the year.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | The Golden Path: Maimonides Across Eight Centuries: Exhibition Tour


Ilana Benson, Director of Museum Education, gives for a guided tour of the exhibition, illuminating the life and impact of the multifaceted luminary and great Jewish sage across continents and cultures through rare manuscripts and books. Exhibition highlights include manuscripts in Maimonides’s own handwriting, a carved 11th century door to the Torah ark from Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue, and beautifully illuminated medieval manuscripts.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Film | The Joy Luck Club (1993): drama


Adaptation of Amy Tan's bestseller about four immigrant Chinese women and their American-born daughters. The story begins in San Francisco, where three of the women have gathered to bid farewell to their deceased friend's daughter, who's departing for China to meet her long-lost half sisters. Director: Wayne Wang Cast: Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, Ming-Na Wen, Michael Paul Chan, Andrew McCarthy, Christopher Rich, Russell Wong, Vivian Wu
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Cabaret | Holiday Favorites: A Festive Cabaret Performance


Exquisite, award-winning cabaret/concert performer Shana Farr and the "Crown Prince of New York Cabaret" Steve Ross take you on a sleigh ride through the great American songbook to celebrate the holiday season together. They perform traditional songs, including "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Let It Snow," "Sleigh Ride," "White Christmas," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Silver Bells," "I Saw Three Ships," "O Holy Night," several sing-along selections, and many others to amplify your holiday cheer.
   New York City, NY; NYC
2:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Oboe Works by Mendelssohn and More (In Person AND Online)


Kate Wegener, Oboe. Program York Bowen (1884-1961), Sonata for Oboe and Piano Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), Six Metamorphoses after Ovid Reena Esmail (b. 1983), Pranayam for Oboe and Piano Mendelssohn (1809-1847), Six Duets, Op. 63
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Slide Lecture | Organogenesis: Building Blocks of Life (online)


Andrei Duman will be showcasing and discussing his most recent personal photography project which he created in partnership with LEGO Master Builder Nathan Sawaya. The pair built huge scale versions of 13 integral human organs over the course of 16 months and then photographed them with Phase One cameras. In terms of physical scale, the skull organ alone is over 40” tall, uses over 36,000 bricks and weighs over 65lbs. Come listen and learn about the inspiration for the project and how it came to be, what gear was used to create these photographs, and what’s next for the project.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Book Club | Poetry Discussion: Constantine Cavafy


Reading and discuss a selection of Constantine Cavafy's work, translated by Edmund Keeley. Cavafy (1863–1933) is widely considered the most distinguished Greek poet of the 20th century. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, where his Greek parents had settled in the mid-1850s. Cavafy lived in England for much of his adolescence, and developed both a command of the English language and a preference for the writings of William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. W.H. Auden noted as much in his introduction to the 1961 volume The Complete Poems of C.P. Cavafy when he wrote, “Cavafy was a homosexual, and his erotic poems make no attempt to conceal the fact.”
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:30 pm
Free

Lecture | The Evolution of Racial Inequality in the United States


Dr. Ellora Derenoncourt will deliver the Heilbroner Lecture on the evolution of racial inequality in the United States, its consequences, and its historical determinants. Derenoncourt is Assistant Professor of Economics at Princeton University and the founder and faculty director for the Program for Research on Inequality.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:30 pm
Free

Jazz | Electric Miles Ensemble


This ensemble covers arrangements of mid-to-late 80's Miles Davis repertoire, including material from We Want Miles, You're Under Arrest, Tutu, Amandala, and Live Around The World. The ensemble will use the music and format of Miles' later bands as a framework for exploring fresh approaches to comping and soloing: modern rhythm section ideas, superimposing chords over static harmonies, polytonal street grooves, and more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Understanding Urban Warfare


As Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, the challenges of conducting a military operation in one of the most densely populated areas in the world have become clear. To help us understand the characteristics and complexity of this conflict, Col. Liam Collins (ret.), former Director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and co-author of Understanding Urban Warfare, will be in conversation with Museum Director Clifford Chanin. Col. Collins will discuss his career as a special forces officer, the lessons learned from similar operations, and the future of warfare in an increasingly urban world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Independent Accounts: Covid-19 and NYC's Finances


In June of 2020, New York City was reeling as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, an extraordinary medical emergency that some believed might also require severe cuts to city services at precisely the time when so many ordinary people were already hurting. Uncertainty loomed over the city's finances while the deadline for a new budget approached, and just then a series of global protests against police violence followed the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. In NYC, activists occupied a park across from City Hall demanding deep cuts to the NYPD and more money for other services. This talk revisits that moment in recent history and investigates some of the larger historical forces that made the budget process a site to focus protests and calls to reimagine the city and society. Speaker: Dan Bouk, Associate Professor of History at Colgate University
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Play | Jado Jehad: Family Secrets in Tight Quarters


Mashal is back in her grandmother’s house. It was never a comfortable place to be, but after attending college abroad, the many rules of Manzoor’s house and Pakistan’s patriarchal culture feel even more suffocating. As if that weren’t enough, Mashal’s mother Kareema, struggling post-divorce, has also moved back home. In their tight quarters, lifetimes of grief and long-held secrets rise to the surface. Will their shared history bring the women closer together or drive them further apart? Fatima Maan's play is a coming-of-every-age story about acceptance across generations, perseverance, and love.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Book Discussion | The Controversialist: Arguments with Everyone, Left, Right, and Center (in-person and online)


To mark the publication of Martin Peretz's autobiography, this is a conversation between Peretz and longtime New Republic literary editor, Leon Wieseltier. From 1974 to 2012, during his years as publisher and editor-in-chief of The New Republic, Martin Peretz was a familiar presence on the American political scene. In its time under his leadership, the magazine was always fresh, erudite, contrarian, and brave. Anyone interested in finding out the most distinctive expert takes on the issues that mattered--whether they be domestic or international, cultural, or political--knew that the New Republic was required reading. In addition, Peretz spent over 40 years as a teacher in the Social Studies program at Harvard. The list of his former students is a who's who of American political life, including former vice president Al Gore, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and many more. The Controversialist begins in a vibrant but tragedy-stricken community of Yiddish Jews in his native Bronx and takes Peretz, blessed with that rare trait of always being in the right place at the right time, into the same rooms as some of the most prominent writers, thinkers, businessmen, activists, and politicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. Peretz's insights into his relationships with these men and women--many of them his students, teachers, colleagues, friends, and, of course, enemies--are both original and illuminating. Through his examination of the personalities, not least his own, at the center of the events that have defined the postwar and neoliberal decades, Peretz makes a rich and compelling argument for the ideals that have been the focus of his life: liberalism, democracy, and Zionism. In revisiting this rich life, he considers, too, what will come next now that those ideals are no longer assured.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Pay-what-you-wish

Discussion | Facts Matter: Championing the Work of Today’s Investigative Journalists


An evening of conversation about telling the truth. The evening program features: Tina Brown (Tina Brown Media) and Matthew Purdy (New York Times) discussing the future of investigative journalism in a conversation moderated by Linda Kinstler (The Dial).  John Avlon (CNN) and Paul Tash (Tampa Bay Times) discussing speech and polarization in the digital age in a conversation moderated by Nabiha Syed (The Markup). The evening explores the dissemination of truth – and untruth –  in today’s world, the future of serious journalism and investigative reporting, and the critical importance of truth-telling to public discourse in the digital age.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Screening | Short Film and Folk Music Performance Celebrating Sicily


Internationally renowned singer, percussionist, and teacher Alessandra Belloni, author of Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna, together with I Giullari di Piazza, Italian Music and Dance company, present the short film Black Madonna Pilgrimage & Summer Solstice Musical Celebration in Sicily (2023, Italy, Documentary, 23 min.), directed by Francesco Piccolo. This will be preceded by a Santa Lucia celebration performance of Sicilian folk music, featuring: Alessandra Belloni, artistic director, vocals & percussion John La Barbera, music director, guitarist & composer, chitarra battente & mandolin Steve Gorn, bansuri flutes, saxophone & clarinet Wilson Montuori, guitar Joe Deninzon, violin With the participation of special guests from the Sicilian group Sudcantica joining via Zoom Following the performance: A Christmas celebration featuring the one and only authentic Zabaglione del Direttore, made on the spot by Director Stefano Albertini
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Performance | King Lear: Act IV, Scene VII


An 80-minute one-person adaptation of a scene from King Lear, in which Eric Krebs will play 16 characters as well as the aged professor who is foolish enough to insist on this fanciful, quixotic adventure. Afterward, celebrate and socialize at the theater as you see fit, with drinks and food.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook


Change the way you think about cooking! In this epic guide to better eating, the chef, recipe developer, and video producer Sohla El-Waylly reimagines what a cookbook can be, teaching home cooks of all skill levels how cooking really works. A practical, information-packed, and transformative guide to becoming a better cook and conquering the kitchen, Start Here is a must-have master class in leveling up your cooking. Across a dozen technique-themed chapters—from “Temperature Management 101” and “Break it Down & Get Saucy” to “Go to Brown Town,” “All About Butter,” and “Getting to Know Dough”—Sohla El-Waylly explains the hows and whys of cooking, introducing the fundamental skills that you need to become a more intuitive, inventive cook.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$5 ticket required

Lecture | Atlantic Marginalia: A Performance-Lecture


A performance-lecture by artist, writer, archivist and scholar Adjoa Armah. Armah will extend her ongoing research into what she terms “Atlantic Marginalia.” Applying ideas developed from the Ghanaian coastline to the East Coast of the United States, Armah makes tentative steps into consolidating the circum-Atlantic perspective that this work, concerned with African diaspora history and epistemology, insists on. Atlantic Marginalia are innumerable; they form unstable ground; they are found at points of contact between land and water, as simple as any speck of sand on any of the beaches that connects the African diaspora. Atlantic Marginalia is always composite and potentially transformative, the things we build with, simultaneously particular and universal. Through this performance-lecture, Armah shares a series of narrative vignettes, spatiotemporal reflections, and material remnants of her research and artistic interests.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Jazzy Christmas Favorites from Austria with Grammy Nominee


Get into the holiday spirit with Simone Kopmajer?s jazzy Christmas collection of seasonal favorites like "Jingle Bells", "The Christmas Song" and "Baby, It?s Cold Outside" alongside with songs from her home Austria like "Stille Nacht" and "Leise rieselt der Schnee" beautifully performed by the Austrian singer, accompanied by American pianist and Grammy nominee John di Martino, American bassist Yoshi Waki, Austrian drummer Reinhardt Winkler and Austrian accordionist Philipp Egglmeier.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Journaling Workshop


Celebrate the end of the year by reflecting on your successes, the joy you found this year, and the light in your life with a workshop hosted by Isla Martinez -- writer, podcast host of Renew Your Soul. This workshop is designed for beautiful souls who are ready to tap into the power of journaling and creative writing to ignite personal growth, self-discovery, and renewal.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$5 suggested donation...

Book Discussion | New Fiction: The Stolen Heir / Wild Spaces


Holly Black's The Stolen Heir Return to the opulent world of Elfhame, filled with intrigue, betrayal, and dangerous desires, with this first book of a captivating new duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black. S. L. Coney's Wild Spaces An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog Teach. But when the boy’s eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Cello Works by Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Brahms (In Person AND Online)


Lukas Goodman, Cello. Program Beethoven (1770-1827), 7 Variations from Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’ Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Five Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102 Brahms (1833-1897), Violin Sonata No. 3 in d Minor, Op. 108
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Coltrane Ensemble


In this ensemble, significant Coltrane compositions are chosen as vehicles towards understanding why and how the music of John Coltrane, an icon of Jazz whose breadth of creation spans modern music from traditionalal to futuristic and beyond, pioneered concepts of harmonization. His innovative system was predicated on novel uses of the minor third fourth progression, which attributed to the expanded use of whole tone scales and the twelve-tone system, giving more flexibility to the improviser. Coltrane’s logical resolutions of extended chromatic passages, articulating densely notated compositions and tasteful note placement in slower compositions, have become defining factors in Jazz and improvisation. All of the above represent challenges unique to Coltrane compositions and an understanding of this great artist.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Piano Works by Beethoven and Chopin (In Person AND Online)


Kevin Jansson, Piano. Program Beethoven (1770-1827), Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 Chopin (1810-1849), Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free
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