The Performing Arts

While Broadway is the Big Apple's greatest hit, many other performing arts also flourish in this culturally rich and entertainment-hungry town.

See what's happening at Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, two of the most respected -- and enjoyable -- multifunctional performing-arts venues in the city. The marvelous 92nd Street Y also regularly hosts events that are worth considering. I've listed the operatic and symphonic companies housed at Lincoln Center; also check the center's full calendar for all offerings.

Last-Minute Ticket Buying -- Most seats at New York Philharmonic performances are sold to subscribers, with just a few left for the rest of us. But there are still ways to get tickets. Periodically, a number of same-day orchestra tickets are made available at the Philharmonic and sold first thing in the morning for $25 a pop (two-ticket maximum). They usually go on sale at 10am weekdays, 1pm Saturday (noon if there's a matinee). And when subscribers can't attend, they may turn their tickets back to the theaters, which then resell them at the last moment. These can be in the most coveted rows of the orchestra. Ticket holders can donate unwanted tickets until curtain time, so tickets that are not available first thing in the morning may become available later in the day. The hopeful form "cancellation lines" 2 hours or more before curtain time for a crack at returned tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. Senior/student/disability rush tickets may be available for $10 (two-ticket max) on concert day, but never at Friday matinees or Saturday evening performances. To check availability for any of these programs at all performances, call Audience Services at tel. 212/875-5656 before you head to the box office.

Note that Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall (where the Chamber Music Society performs and other concerts are held), the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, and Carnegie Hall offer similar last-minute and discount programs (the New York City Ballet offers Student Rush tickets only). It makes sense to call the box office first to check on same-day availability before heading to the theater -- or, if you're willing to risk coming away empty-handed, be there at opening time for first crack.

Opera

New York has grown into one of the world's major opera centers. The season generally runs September through May, but there's usually something going on at any time of year.

Dance

In general, dance seasons run September through February and then March through June, but there's almost always something going on. In addition to the major venues and troupes discussed, some other names to keep in mind are the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the 92nd Street Y, Radio City Music Hall, and Town Hall. For particularly innovative works, see what's on at the Dance Theater Workshop, in the Bessie Schönberg Theater, 219 W. 19th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues (tel. 212/691-6500 or 212/924-0077; www.dtw.org), a first-rate launching pad for nearly a quarter century.

In addition to regular appearances at City Center, the American Ballet Theatre (www.abt.org) takes up residence at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House (tel. 212/477-3030) for 8 weeks each spring. The same venue also hosts such visiting companies as the Kirov, Royal, and Paris Opéra ballets.

The weekly Time Out New York, available on newsstands around town, maintains a section dedicated to dance events around town that's an invaluable resource to fans.

Jazz at Lincoln Center: Not Actually at Lincoln Center

I'm usually a stickler for accuracy, but I'll make an exception for Jazz at Lincoln Center, which is not in Lincoln Center, but a few blocks south in the Time Warner Center at Broadway and 60th Street on Columbus Circle (tel. 212/258-9800; www.jalc.org). Though the move was slightly downtown, this was definitely a move up. Its complex on the fourth floor of Time Warner's northern tower features two amazing performance spaces, a jazz club, a mini jazz hall of fame, and a 7,000-square-foot atrium with views of Central Park.

The largest of the three venues is the Rose Theater, where you might see the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis, performing the swing music of Thad Jones. Acoustics are perfect and seating is spacious. The jewel of the Center is the Allen Room with its 4,500-square-foot glass backdrop behind the main stage offering glittering views of Central Park and the Manhattan night sky. Hard to believe that what was once played in smoky basements is now presented in venues as spectacular and opulent as these.

Also at Jazz at Lincoln Center is Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (tel. 212/258-9595), a stylish, intimate jazz club that's open every day.