92nd Street Y

A world-class Jewish cultural and community center in the Upper East Side that serves all communities

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92nd Street Y Tickets

1395 Lexington (at 92nd St) | Upper East Side
92y.org | 212-415-5500

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The 92nd Street Y is where greatness begins

The 92nd Street Y is a unique institution. It is a community center serving the Upper East Side. From core Jewish values, the 92nd Street Y welcomes and serves people of all races and faiths. Don’t worry if you are not Jewish. You are welcome.

Kaufmann Concert Hall

Kaufmann Concert Hall is one of New York City’s sacred spaces. The hall regularly hosts performances and talks with the world’s cultural and thought leaders. That’s what makes it sacred space, the repeated presence of genius over the years.

There is an intellectual character within Jewish culture that is very influential in American life. The 92nd Street Y is one of the places in New York City where world-class artists announce and promote their latest works, or give retrospective looks back at history.

You find events at the 92nd Street Y like the Spaniard Ferran Adrià, one of the world’s most influential chefs, talking about his new book; or Fern Mallis, the founder of New York Fashion Week, talking with legendary Italian fashion icon Valentino about his legacy.

When Puerto Rican-American Jennifer Lopez announced her new book True Love, she did it at the 92nd Street Y in a conversation with Hoda Kotb, the Emmy® Award-winning Egyptian-American television personality.

Jazz in July

The 92nd Street Y hosts New York City’s summer jazz festival, Jazz in July. World-renowned jazz pianist Bill Charlap runs it these days. He took over from Dick Hyman. Great artists play the Festival every year.

The roots of Jazz are Black and Latin from the Caribbean. The ferry from New Orleans to Havana used to run twice a day. Jazz in July presents mostly Jewish artists. Their jazz has an Eastern European tinge. It’s sort of Bartok meets Marsalis. It’s definitely something you want to hear.

92nd Street Y Guitar Institute

The 92nd Street Y Guitar Institute trains all levels of guitarists. The world’s best guitarists regularly perform for 92Y’s Art of the Guitar subscription series.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Started Here

The 92nd Street Y is a place where greatness begins. One of the artists who got his start there is Alvin Ailey (1931-1989). Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater popularized modern dance around the world. Alvin Ailey became known as “the Cultural Ambassador to the World.”

When Ailey and twelve other dancers performed together for the first time at the 92nd Street Y in 1958, they were just a bunch of unknown African-American dancers. Something magical happened that night in the first performance of Blues Suite. Today it is an American classic. But this was before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In that time, who else would have given them the chance to perform? It happened here.

Harkness Dance Center

Many other pioneers of Modern Dance developed and taught at the 92nd Street Y, people like Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. Today the Harkness Dance Center School of the Arts is an important part of the 92nd Street Y’s programs.

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Previously at the 92nd Street Y

jewish | theaters | community centers | upper east side