The United Palace at 4140 Broadway will fill its stage with orchestra players, a community choir, conservatory students and a turntablist on Sunday, October 25, for the Crackalackin' Concert of Classical Music, a free afternoon show built around Northern Manhattan performers. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the show starts at 5 p.m. General admission tickets cost nothing but are issued through the theater's box office site, so reserving a seat ahead of time is the way in.

This year's edition carries the theme Bringing It Back Home, Uptown. The program is produced by the United Palace of Cultural Arts, the nonprofit arm of the Washington Heights theater that runs its arts and community programming.

Who Is on the Bill

The lineup draws almost entirely from the neighborhood and its neighbors to the north. According to the United Palace event page, the afternoon features:

  • The Crackalackin' Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble assembled for this event out of community musicians of every skill level and age
  • DJ Boo, who mixes classical recordings with current beats throughout the show
  • Leadlights Ensemble
  • The Washington Heights Community Choir
  • The Washington Heights Community Conservatory of Fine Arts
  • The Association of Dominican Classical Artists

What the Program Covers

The first act opens with the new community orchestra playing fresh arrangements of songs by Celia Cruz alongside William Grant Still's Poem for Orchestra. The pairing of salsa standards with an American orchestral work sets the tone for an evening that moves between traditions.

Students from several local community programs, working under the Association of Dominican Classical Artists, will dance the Bacchanale from Camille Saint-Saëns' opera Samson and Delilah. That segment doubles as a world premiere of a video collage made from footage Northern Manhattan residents shot of their own community, screened while the students perform.

Leadlights will play The Seasons of Inwood, a piece by violinist Evelyn Petcher built from stories, musical ideas and reflections gathered from Inwood. The Washington Heights Community Choir follows with songs that have local ties and a sing-along that brings the audience in.

The second act looks ahead. The United Palace turns 100 in 2030, and the evening debuts four songs from a work in progress called Wonder Theatre Revival, a musical history of the building and the people who have filled its seats. It is written by Mike Fitelson, who has overseen arts programming at the United Palace since 2012 and co-created The Hip Hop Nutcracker more than a decade ago. Six singers and about a dozen local musicians will perform the new material.

Why a Free Classical Show Uptown

The United Palace of Cultural Arts lists opening classical music to new audiences, particularly by combining it with other art forms, as one of its programming goals. The concert name borrows 1990s slang for something new and happening, and the organizers say on the event page that they picked it to signal how they want people to think about the genre. The show is funded by public money from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, and an anonymous donor.

The setting is part of the draw. The United Palace was built in 1930 as one of the Loew's Wonder Theatres, designed by architect Thomas Lamb, and describes itself as Manhattan's fourth largest theater. Its ornate auditorium and the Wonder Organ remain the building's signatures, and the theater has spent recent years presenting concerts, film screenings and community events for Washington Heights and beyond.

More Free Music at the Palace in Early November

Two other free events are on the United Palace calendar in the following days, both in the theater's Grand Foyer:

La Guitarra Iberoamericana, Monday, November 2 (doors 7 p.m., show 7:30 p.m.). Madrid-born, New York-based classical guitarist Dan García closes the first New York series presented by Fundación Hispania Música with a program of Tárrega, Albéniz and Rodrigo alongside Villa-Lobos, Ramírez and Barrios Mangoré. Entry is free until the room fills.

Jazz WaHi Presents La Orquesta Esa, Wednesday, November 4 (doors 6 p.m., show 6:30 p.m.). As part of the Washington Heights Jazz Festival, the Afro-Latin mambo orchestra led by vocalist and trombonist Ginita plays salsa, bolero, cha cha chá, tango and cumbia along with original compositions. General admission is free.

Getting There

The United Palace sits on Broadway at the corner of West 175th Street. The A train stops at 175 St, about a block and a half away at Fort Washington Avenue. The 1 train stops at 181 St and 168 St, each a short walk. The M4, M5, M100 and several Bronx buses also serve the area, and the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, three blocks away, has buses to and from New Jersey.

How to Go

The Crackalackin' Concert of Classical Music takes place Sunday, October 25, at the United Palace, 4140 Broadway at West 175th Street in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the show begins at 5 p.m. Admission is free; reserve general admission tickets through the United Palace box office site (unitedpalace.org). Musicians who want to join the Crackalackin' Symphony Orchestra in future editions can find a sign-up link on the event page. The box office can be reached at 212-568-6600.

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