Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage 2019 Season Announced

NEW YORK, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- City Parks Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2019 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City's largest free outdoor performing arts festival, bringing nearly 100 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 17 neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs. This year's festival will showcase 200 renowned artists and rising stars from around the world to local neighborhood parks, presenting distinctly New York genres -- salsa, jazz, and hip-hop -- alongside indie, reggae, Afrobeat, soul, dance, and more. View the official season announce video here.

Capital One is the festival's new multi-year title sponsor (Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage) and its official bank and credit card. A presenting sponsor since 2015, Capital One has helped SummerStage bring more than 500 artists to 800,000 audience members in parks all around New York City.

SummerStage has a long history of presenting artists on the verge of breaking big. The launch of the 2019 season will build on that legacy with the reopening of SummerStage in Central Park on Saturday, June 1 as a night of discovery with New York City native, the soulful R&B singer songwriter Emily King, deep soul revival band Durand Jones & the Indications, and more.

As a women-run festival with a mission of diversity and inclusion, SummerStage is helping to transform the future of the music industry by participating in the PRS Foundation's international Keychange pledge and presenting a lineup this season that features a 50:50 gender balance. SummerStage is one of the few local festivals that has achieved this goal.  

SummerStage will recognize a number of pivotal anniversaries citywide through specially-curated shows including the 100th birthday of the Harlem Renaissance; the 100th birthday of choreographer Merce Cunningham featuring the Stephen Petronio Company; the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and WorldPride with bounce queen Big Freedia and all-male ballet troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo; the commemoration of the Harlem Cultural Festival known as Black Woodstock with bandleader Igmar Thomas, MC Talib Kweli and trumpeter Keyon Harrold in Marcus Garvey Park; and the 40th anniversary of Queens-based, women-run reggae label VP Records with Elephant Man, Junior Reid, Estelle, and Raging Fyah.

The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, New York City's annual salute to the eponymous late saxophonist, will return for five days (Aug 20 – 25) featuring live jazz in the neighborhoods near where Parker worked and lived, including uptown in Harlem's historic Marcus Garvey Park and downtown in Tompkins Square Park.

SummerStage's flagship venue in Central Park will reopen after undergoing a major, $5.5 million transformation that includes a new stage and sound system, enhanced lighting, new and raised seating areas, and improved dressing rooms and production spaces.

For the most up-to-date lineup, follow SummerStage on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and visit www.SummerStage.org for festival information.

Capital One is the Title Sponsor of the 2019 SummerStage festival. iStar, Subaru, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Bell's Brewery, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Archer Roose Wines, Disney, AARP, Snapple, and West Elm are all official SummerStage sponsors.

Generous private support is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Shubert Organization, the J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation, and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. SummerStage is also supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the NYC Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; the NYS Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature; and the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson, including Council Members Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Diana Ayala, Bill Perkins, Keith Powers, Donovan Richards, Carlina Rivera, Debi Rose, Helen Rosenthal, and Rafael Salamanca. The Only in Queens SummerStage Concert is presented by Borough President Melinda Katz with NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and NYC Parks. Additional support is generously provided by our dedicated festival audience and SummerStage Members.

The refurbishment of SummerStage in Central Park is supported by the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson, The Thompson Family Foundation, the Jaharis Family Foundation, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Peter Shapiro & Dayglo Presents, the Troubh family, the Goodman Family Foundation, Alexander Durst, and many generous donors who have purchased seat plaques.

In all of its programming and activities, City Parks Foundation partners with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to improve neighborhood parks and the communities they serve.

About SummerStage
Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is New York's largest free outdoor performing arts festival. SummerStage annually presents approximately 100 performances in 15-18 parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin, world music, dance and theater, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City's summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception 34 years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage. Capital One is the Title Sponsor of SummerStage. For more information, visit www.SummerStage.org.

Press Contact 
Shoshie Aborn | Big Picture Media
(212) 675-3103 | [email protected]

SOURCE City Parks Foundation