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Your subway platform soundtrack is heading above ground.
This summer, the MTA is bringing 50 free outdoor performances across Midtown Manhattan, bringing some of the best subway musicians out of the stations and directly onto Broadway plazas for lunchtime concerts and spontaneous dance breaks.
The seasonal series comes through partnerships between MTA Arts & Design, the Garment District Alliance and the Times Square Alliance, expanding the transit system’s long-running live music program (recently rebranded from Music Under New York to simply MTA Music) into the middle of some of Manhattan’s busiest pedestrian corridors.
The larger of the two series, Broadway Rhythm, runs from June 9 through October 22 along Broadway between West 39th and 40th Streets. Performances will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 pm, turning the Garment District plazas into a free midday concert venue for office workers, tourists and anyone looking to romanticize their lunch break a little bit.
Meanwhile, Times Square Live (TSQ LIVE) kicked off May 27 and runs through September 23, with Wednesday performances from noon to 2 pm on Broadway between West 44th–45th Streets and West 47th–48th Streets.
“MTA Music performers bring joy and energy to the transit experience, and this summer we’re thrilled to share that artistry above ground,” said Tina Vaz, director of MTA Arts & Design, in a statement announcing the program.
The lineup isn’t limited to one style of music, either. MTA Music’s roster spans more than 150 performers and ensembles playing everything from jazz and classical strings to folk, world music and a cappella. Depending on the day, you might hear Korean drums, West Indian steel pans, Andean pipes or even a musical saw drifting through Times Square.
The program itself has become one of the city’s most unexpectedly beloved cultural institutions. Since launching as a pilot in 1985, MTA Music has grown into a year-round operation staging more than 8,500 performances annually throughout the transit system.
Now, instead of hustling past performers while trying to catch the downtown express, New Yorkers can actually stop and listen for a while—it may just be the most luxurious thing the MTA has offered in years.