The celebrated NY Phil is about to play for free at the largest Gothic cathedral in the world located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. The historic Cathedral of Saint John the Divine will welcome a one-off classical concert on Wednesday, May 13, featuring conductor Enluis Montes Olivar and trumpeter Pacho Flores in their Philharmonic debut. Tickets have sold out, but there is still a chance to grab last-minute seats—here’s how.
Free Concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine: program and tickets
The performance will take place at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, one of the most beautiful churches in NYC. Located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the Cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York is also the largest Gothic cathedral in the world with a whopping 121,000-sq ft area—and it’s technically unfinished to due major stylistic changes, work interruptions, and unstable ground on the site.
The concert will begin at 7:00pm and it will last around 75 minutes. The program includes Elgar’s Serenade for Strings, Johann Baptist Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.
Although the concert is free, tickets are required and unfortunately already sold out the day of their release (May 1). But all hope is not lost because you can still secure last-minute tickets in case someone can’t make it. They will be released online the day before at 12:00pm on the church’s official page.
Two Venezuelan musicians make Philharmonic debuts
Just like the Philharmonic’s newest Music and Artistic Director, both musicians come from Venezuela’s groundbreaking music education program—El Sistema. Montes Olivar joined Dudamel’s conducting fellowship program at the LA Philharmonic in 2019-2020 and later served as his assistant conductor. He also won the Glenn Gould Protégé Prize in 2024 and is currently Conducting Fellow at San Diego Symphony.
On the other hand, Flores, former principal trumpet of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, has performed as soloist under Dudamel’s baton, including at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023. He is a First Prize Winner at the Maurice André International Trumpet Competition, Philip Jones International Competition and the Cittá di Porcia International contest.
More low-cost classical concerts in NYC churches
If you’re looking for more classical concerts set at churches across the city, Trinity Church Wall Street presents a free series on Tuesdays called Bach at One. St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue holds both free and ticketed organ recitals every season. What’s more, the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is hosting Candlelight tributes to Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven this summer season. Also, St. Patrick’s Cathedral hosts a concert series with varied pricing, featuring performances like Mozart’s Requiem and tribute concerts.
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