You have probably attended an MPF sponsored festival or concert without even knowing it. From New York City's free Metropolitan Opera concerts in Central Park each summer to the New Orleans free French Quarter Festival on Bourbon Street to the West Coast free jazz at the Rose Bowl and free opera in San Francisco's Yerba Gardens, how can you have missed us?

MET in Central Park

NEW YORK
MET in Central Park

Every year New York City's parks attract throngs of local residents as well as visitors eager to enjoy not just the natural beauty that is so hard to come by in big cities, but the splendid and diverse musical programs that enrich the summer season. Among these highlights at several parks-including the largest, Central Park-are the free concerts performed by the Metropolitan Opera made possible, in part, by MPF.

Lyric Opera
Photo by: Cheri Eisenberg

CHICAGO
Lyric Opera

The breathtaking Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park is the new host of the annual spectacular pre-season concert of Chicago's Lyric Opera. This free event is a gift to 30,000 spectators, Chicagoans and tourists who are treated to a star-studded event, set amidst the magnificent Chicago skyline at dusk, featuring the renowned Lyric Opera Orchestra in a wonderful selection of overtures, arias, and ensembles performed by leading international operatic artists. The concert is part of the "Blockbuster Weekend" of events every September hosted by the City of Chicago, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and MPF.

French Quarter Festival and Community Action

NEW ORLEANS
French Quarter Festival and Community Action

MPF, together with the American Federation of Musicians Local 174-496, joined forces with The New Orleans Musicians' Clinic this past year to keep the music flowing in all areas of the New Orleans community. Together we brought, and will continue to bring, music to public venues such as the New Orleans Museum of Art, St. George's Episcopal Church's Soup Kitchen, St. Bernard Relief Center and the Louis Armstrong International Airport. There was some doubt several months ago whether the annual French Quarter Festival, Louisiana's largest free and open music festival, would occur this year. But it certainly did, and with an attendance of over 350,000! Festival-goers reveled in the spirit of New Orleans while enjoying a cultural showcase of Crescent City's finest music and food of the soulful streets of the historic French Quarter. Fifteen stages showcased the best in New Orleans music, representing every genre from gospel to jazz, Latin to classical, Cajun & Zydeco, to brass band, while local restaurants serve up the best cuisine New Orleans has to offer during The World's Largest Jazz Brunch. Children's activities, fun exhibits and other festivities took place throughout.

Yerba Buena Festival - Opera in the Gardens

SAN FRANCISCO
Yerba Buena Festival - Opera in the Gardens

The annual summer program of the San Francisco Opera presented at Yerba Buena Gardens is made possible, in major part, by the Music Performance Fund in association with the American Federation of Musicians, Local 6. The program began in 1995 as a fundraiser for children affected by the Oklahoma City bombing and the response was so great that San Francisco Opera has reprised the event every year since. Opera in the Gardens is a mainstay of San Francisco Opera's outreach and education programs. Historically, attendance includes a high percentage of families, people from underserved communities and non-traditional opera-goers.

Playboy Jazz at the Rose Bowl

PASADENA
Playboy Jazz at the Rose Bowl

The Playboy Jazz Festival, established in 2005, is an extremely successful concert event held at-the-world-famous Rose Bowl stadium, presenting all day long live performances from contemporary/smooth and traditional jazz, to R&B, blues, Afro-Cuban, Latin/Salsa and Funk throughout Memorial Day Weekend. The concerts are one of five festival presentations that take place under the "Pasadena Summer Fest" banner. Music festivities begin at Noon each day and, as with all MPF events, they are FREE and open to the public!

Boston Landmarks Orchestra

BOSTON
Boston Landmarks Orchestra

The Boston Landmarks Orchestra in conjunction with the Music Performance Fund and AFM Local 9-535 celebrates summer with free classical concerts throughout the Boston area. The Boston Landmarks Orchestra was founded in 2001 to perform free concerts celebrating historical, geographical and architectural settings. By presenting exceptional music performances in significant settings, the Orchestra hopes to foster a broad appreciation of classical music while bringing together the diverse communities of the area. In addition to performing musical selections of more well-known classical composers, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra also premieres extraordinary young local composers and instrumentalists through a series called Landmark Firsts, while the Landmarks Concerts for Children programs cater to the interest and development of music appreciation for the young audience.