For me, the start of each New Year is a time to evaluate all of the various subscriptions that I’ve signed onto over the previous 12 months. Culling my least-used services is sensible, practical, budget-wise, but not always fun.
If you go through a similar process to take control of expenses, here’s some good news: There are quite a few excellent venues that provide streaming entertainment at no charge. One of my favorites is The Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.
Here’s an example concert that gets all kinds of great at 12:40.
The Millennium Stage is a free performance series that features a broad spectrum of national and international performing arts companies, from dance and jazz, to chamber music and folk, comedy, storytelling and theater, every day of the year. Performances always begin at 6PM.
You’ll find upcoming Millennium Stage performances here.
Performance archives are here.
Another favorite of mine is Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
As part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s mission “to entertain, enrich, and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy,” they utilize streaming video, coupled with social media, to expand audiences for jazz and for their organization. Jazz at Lincoln Center streams hundreds of concerts each year in HD video, with a pro-quality studio audio mix, at no cost.
Jazz at Lincoln Center has broadcast more than 1,000 concerts to a world-wide audience and has reached virtually every country on Earth, an unprecedented success—and a first for a major performing arts organization. They are driven to share jazz with the world. And they do it exceedingly well.
Sign up for their newsletter and get:
- Exclusive music downloads,
- Concert and tour information,
- A first look at concert videos and original web series, and
- News about the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
Enjoy. Cheers!