On Sunday, July 16, at 7 pm, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum will host the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on the museum’s Great Lawn. Guests can enjoy a summer evening outdoors with musical theater masterpieces and watch the Great Lawn come to life for its first public program following the museum’s campus expansion and development project. Lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics are encouraged!

The BPO will perform popular music from Broadway and the big screen in this free concert for the Buffalo community. Led by frequent BPO guest conductor and audience favorite Bradley Thachuk, the program features vocals from Buffalo native Jay Dref in fun, familiar theatrical selections.

Tickets and registration are not required for this event. Restrooms will be available for public use in the Seymour H. Knox Building during the concert. To enjoy the entire campus and collection, please arrive during the museum’s regularly scheduled hours of 10 am to 5 pm. Unfortunately, the Buffalo AKG’s Parking Garage will be offline until July 20. Please allow time to explore alternatives, including street parking in the neighborhood surrounding the museum, ride-sharing, and public transportation.

Daniel Hart, BPO President and Executive Director, comments: “The orchestra, staff, and I are looking forward to this concert on the AKG Great Lawn, debuting the city’s newest outdoor event space. Like all of Western New York, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the museum’s reopening, and we are thrilled to be part of this historic moment in our community.”

“Art and music have a profound impact on our lives. They transcend cultural boundaries, fostering deeper understanding, expanding horizons, and inspiring creativity. Bringing the BPO to the Great Lawn of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum is just one way we’re helping our region access the unique power of the arts,” said Bob Bojdak, M&T Bank Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. “Community lies at the heart of everything we do at M&T, and one of the markers of a thriving community is the strength of its cultural institutions. This event showcases the exceptional vitality of our cherished Buffalo AKG and BPO while celebrating the reimagining of spaces that bring art and inspiration within everyone’s reach.”

“We are thrilled to be presenting this free concert with the BPO as the first public program on the Great Lawn,” said Janne Sirén, Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director of the Buffalo AKG. “This is the first of many thought-provoking events and community-focused programs that the museum will present on the Great Lawn, and we are delighted to be sharing this moment with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, a global beacon of excellence and one of the most distinguished cultural organizations in our region.”

About the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra 

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. provides a resident, professional, major symphony orchestra of artistic excellence and integrity to enrich the quality of life in Western New York through the presentation of live symphonic music and other musical events which educate and entertain the broadest possible audiences within and beyond the Western New York region. Since 1940, the orchestra’s permanent home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen with an international reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the United States. Since its inception in 1935, the BPO has served as Buffalo’s cultural ambassador. JoAnn Falletta is the Music Director of the GRAMMY Award–winning orchestra, which presents more than 120 Classics, Pops, Rock, Kids, and Youth concerts each year.

For more information, visit bpo.org.

About the Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Founded in 1862, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is the sixth-oldest public art institution in the United States. For more than 160 years, the Buffalo AKG has collected, conserved, and exhibited the art of its time, often working directly with living artists. This tradition has given rise to one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of modern and contemporary art.

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Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on the Great Lawn is made possible by M&T Bank and The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation.

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