MCNY - Songs of New York 100 Years of Imagining the City Through Music
Sat, May 17
|Museum of the City of New York
Dive into NYC’s musical soul with Songs of New York—a vibrant, interactive journey through a century of sound, rhythm, and culture.
Time & Location
May 17, 2025, 7:00 PM – May 17, 2031, 7:05 PM
Museum of the City of New York, 1220 5th Ave, New York, NY 10029, USA
About the event
Songs of New York is an energetic and immersive exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, celebrating 100 years of music inspired by—and created in—the five boroughs. This genre-spanning experience brings together sound, visuals, and movement to explore the city’s unparalleled influence on global music culture, from be-bop to K-pop, punk to salsa, and everything in between.
Spanning the 1920s to the 2020s, the exhibition features over 100 artists, with music reflecting the highs, lows, and soul of NYC living—covering themes like subways, apartments, nightlife, and neighborhood pride. Expect to hear voices as diverse as Suzanne Vega, Lil’ Kim, Merle Haggard, Yoko Ono, Tito Puente, and LCD Soundsystem, creating a playlist that truly captures the city’s eclectic identity.
Complementing the audio experience is a powerful visual story told through photography by Allan Tannenbaum, Joe Conzo, Fred W. McDarrah, Janette Beckman, and others, showcasing legendary artists like LL Cool…