Rite of Summer Music Festival

Governors Island gets experimental as hell once a month this summer, bringing fringes of the contemporary classical avant-garde together for three highly anticipated open-air engagements: the ambitious multimedia artist Pamela Z, neoprog band Contemporaneous and a performance of John Cage’s “Sonatas & Interludes.”

Governors Island, a short ferry ride away from Manhattan, has been home to this rambunctious festival, which presents free afternoon concerts of top-tier musical performers.

The shaded grassy area at Colonels’ Row is an ideal setting for an outdoor classical concert, without the distracting traffic noises that inevitably interrupt many summer events.

A summer ferry ride to Governors Island is a great way to get out of town without actually leaving Gotham. This series has found a comfortable niche, with a varied schedule of concerts for both connoisseurs and families.