There are certain conversations that simply belong in New York, and putting Gustavo Dudamel and Lin-Manuel Miranda together beneath the stars in Central Park feels like one of them.

On September 23, The Public Theater will bring back its Public Forum Duets with Public Forum Duet: Gustavo Dudamel & Lin-Manuel Miranda, a free, one-night-only event at the revitalized Delacorte Theater. The evening will combine conversation with live musical performances as two very different musical forces talk about music, life and, most intriguingly, what both mean in New York City.

Dudamel arrives at a fascinating moment in his relationship with the city. The celebrated conductor is the incoming Tang Music & Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic, bringing with him not simply an international reputation but a deeply held belief in music as something that should reach beyond the traditional walls of the concert hall.

Miranda hardly requires an introduction to a New York theater audience. The creator of Hamilton has become one of the city’s most recognizable artistic voices, but his connection to The Public makes this particular pairing especially appropriate. Hamilton began its New York life at The Public before moving to Broadway, making The Delacorte an unusually fitting place for Miranda to join a musician beginning his own major new chapter in the city.

What makes the evening particularly appealing, however, is the word duet.

The Public Forum series has long been built around the idea that conversation itself can be a form of performance. The Public describes the program as a place where “art, ideas, and action collide,” bringing artists, thinkers and public voices together to examine the larger questions moving through the culture.

Dudamel and Miranda should have plenty to discuss.

One comes from the world of orchestras, where hundreds of years of musical tradition meet the challenge of attracting the audiences of tomorrow. The other helped take American history, hip-hop, musical theater and immigration and turn them into one of the defining theatrical phenomena of the 21st century. Both have spent much of their careers challenging assumptions about who certain kinds of music belong to and who should be invited into the room.

New York has always been a city that absorbs musical languages and makes something new from them. Classical music, Broadway, jazz, salsa, hip-hop, opera and countless sounds carried here by generations of immigrants coexist within a few subway stops of one another. Yet arts institutions everywhere are confronting the same question: How do you honor tradition without allowing tradition to become a gatekeeper?

Dudamel and Miranda have approached that question from very different directions. Bringing them together isn’t simply an appealing celebrity pairing. It offers the possibility of a conversation about where music goes next—and who gets to come along.

Best of all, the evening remains rooted in one of The Public’s defining principles: access.

Free tickets will be distributed on September 23 in several ways. Distribution outside The Delacorte begins at noon; an in-person lottery will be held at noon in The Public Theater lobby at 425 Lafayette Street; the TodayTix digital lottery remains open until noon that day; and a standby line at The Delacorte can begin distributing available tickets as early as 6 p.m. Public Theater members can also reserve seats with an additional donation.

Public Forum Duet: Gustavo Dudamel & Lin-Manuel Miranda — tickets and information

There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about the whole proposition: gather New Yorkers in Central Park, put two extraordinary musical minds onstage, add live music and see where the conversation goes.

In a city increasingly divided into algorithms, audiences and carefully targeted demographics, perhaps there is still something radical about simply gathering together to listen.

On September 23, New York gets one hell of a duet.

The New York Pops is heading into its 2026–27 season with James Bond, Broadway stars, holiday glamour and the cinematic worlds of John Williams and Steven Spielberg. Under Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, the orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with five programs that move easily between Broadway, Hollywood and popular music—exactly the territory The New York Pops has made its own.

The season begins October 23 with 007: James Bond Forever, featuring Tony Award winner Lena Hall. Few film franchises have produced music as instantly recognizable as Bond, where the songs have become almost as important as the Aston Martins, villains and martinis. From Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones to Adele and Billie Eilish, Bond music has always demanded singers with personality, and Hall certainly has that. With a voice capable of moving from rock to Broadway without losing its edge, she is an inspired choice for an evening devoted to 007.

On November 20, Broadway takes center stage with One Night Only: An Evening with Denée Benton and Jordan Donica. Benton, the Tony-nominated star of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and Donica, whose Broadway credits include The Phantom of the Opera and Camelot, join The New York Pops for an evening built around two formidable voices. It is also the kind of pairing Carnegie Hall does particularly well: performers we know from the theatre given the room—and the orchestra—to show us something beyond the roles in which we first discovered them.

Christmas arrives December 18 and 19 with Sleigh Bells Ring, starring Tony Award winner Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena. The Pops’ holiday concerts have become a New York tradition, and this year’s combination is particularly appealing. Mendez brings one of Broadway’s most distinctive voices and a wonderfully grounded sense of humor, while Klena has the soaring leading-man vocals the season practically demands. Add a full orchestra, Carnegie Hall dressed for Christmas and two nights just before the holiday, and this has all the makings of one of December’s lovelier escapes.

The new year introduces two powerhouse voices on February 5, 2027, with Introducing…Jimmie Herrod and Marisha Wallace. Herrod, who reached a huge national audience through America’s Got Talent, possesses a remarkable range, while Wallace has established herself as a force on both the West End and Broadway. The evening is part of The New York Pops’ Debut Series, placing the spotlight on artists ready for a major Carnegie Hall moment.

The Carnegie Hall season concludes March 5 with John Williams and Steven Spielberg: Movie Magic. This one barely needs explaining. Williams and Spielberg created one of the great director-composer partnerships in film history, producing music and images that became inseparable from one another. Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List—for generations, we have heard Williams’ music and immediately seen Spielberg’s worlds. Hearing those scores played by The New York Pops in Carnegie Hall should be glorious.

Deborah Cox

Before all of that, however, The New York Pops goes underground—quite literally. On October 5, Grammy and Tony-nominated singer Deborah Cox headlines the annual New York Pops Underground cabaret fundraiser at 54 Below. Cox, currently appearing on Broadway in Titanique as the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown and serving as a co-producer of the production, has built a career that crosses R&B, dance music and Broadway. Her extraordinary “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, while her dance career has produced 13 No. 1 hits on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

The evening begins with a 6 p.m. reception followed by dinner, wine pairings and the 6:30 p.m. performance. Also appearing will be the PopsEd Alumni Ensemble, made up of young musicians who previously participated in The New York Pops’ Kids on Stage program. That connection is important: proceeds from the evening support PopsEd, the organization’s music-education programs, which have reached more than 100,000 New York City students since 1991.

What makes this Pops season particularly attractive is its range. Bond one month, Broadway the next, Christmas in December, emerging voices in February and Spielberg and Williams in March. It doesn’t require audiences to choose between popular culture and great musicianship. The New York Pops has long understood that the two were never mutually exclusive in the first place.

In a city where fall calendars become impossible almost overnight, consider this your warning: Carnegie Hall just gave us five dates worth putting on the calendar before Fashion Week makes us forget what month it is.

The New York Pops 2026–27 season and tickets

New York Pops Underground with Deborah Cox

Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day weekend also symbolizes the end of summer.

In the late 1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. They often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities or breaks.

Labor unions, first appeared in the late 18th century and began organizing strikes and rallies to protest poor conditions and compel employers to renegotiate hours and pay. Many of these events turned violent and several workers were killed. On September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off to march from City Hall to Union Square holding the first Labor Day parade in U.S. history. Many states passed legislation recognizing it, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later, when on May 11, 1894, employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives.

On June 26, the American Railroad Union, called for a boycott of all Pullman railway cars, crippling railroad traffic nationwide. To break the Pullman strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers.

In an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories. On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

Labor Day is celebrated with parades, picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays and other public gatherings, but we have forgotten that there was a time when laborers were not treated well. This holidays should be in memory of all those who forged a path for justice.

Labor Day has arrived, which means retailers would very much like you to believe that absolutely everything you have ever wanted is suddenly a bargain. It isn’t. Some of these sales are genuinely excellent; others are merely ordinary prices wearing very enthusiastic red signs. The trick is knowing what is worth buying now, where the deepest discounts actually are and what should stay firmly in your shopping cart until later.

Fashion is surprisingly strong this Labor Day, particularly if you shop the sale racks rather than the shiny new Fall 2026 collections arriving just in time for Fashion Week. Bloomingdale’s is one of the standouts, with selected designer clothing, shoes and handbags marked down as much as 70%. Nordstrom has thousands of markdowns, including Free People, Paige, Spanx and Tory Burch, with some reductions reaching 80%. Macy’s is advertising savings up to roughly 60–65%, depending on the department.

For a less expensive wardrobe refresh, this is also a very good weekend for basics. Gap has knitwear, denim, outerwear and other pieces marked down as much as 50%, while J.Crew is offering an additional 40% off already-reduced sale merchandise. Banana Republic has selected wardrobe pieces discounted as much as 40%, and Levi’s has 30% off selected styles. Those are the places to look for denim, shirts, trousers and transitional pieces that will carry you into fall without paying full September prices.

Home is where Labor Day gets serious. Williams Sonoma has one of the most aggressive offers we’ve found, with its Warehouse Sale reaching 75% off and an additional 20% off clearance. Pottery Barn and West Elm have markdowns reaching 70%, while Crate & Barrel is offering discounts up to 60%. If you’ve been waiting to replace bedding, cookware, furniture or something substantial for the apartment, these are considerably more interesting than buying another sweater simply because it is 30% off.

Furniture shoppers should also look at Wayfair, where the Labor Day Clearance reaches 70% off rugs, furniture, storage and décor. Ashley has selected furniture up to 70% off, while CB2 is offering reductions up to 50% across furniture, mirrors, lighting, rugs and tabletop. The usual warning applies: never buy a sofa because the percentage looks impressive. Measure the room first. There is nothing chic about discovering your fabulous 70%-off sectional blocks the front door.

For appliances and home improvement, The Home Depot has more than 1,000 Labor Day sale items across appliances, tools, grills, outdoor equipment and patio furniture; some current individual discounts exceed 40%. Lowe’s is offering discounts reaching 50% across selected appliances, outdoor products, tools and home merchandise. This is exactly the kind of purchase Labor Day is good for: the refrigerator you actually need, not the air fryer that somehow becomes irresistible at 11:47 p.m. because it is $28 cheaper.

Mattresses are another genuine Labor Day buy. Saatva, Casper, Avocado, Bear and Mattress Firm all have significant promotions running. Casper’s discounts reach 35%, Bear’s 35%, Avocado’s 20%, while Mattress Firm is offering savings of up to $700 on selected mattresses and related products. Labor Day remains one of the few sale weekends when waiting to replace a mattress can actually pay.

Outdoor merchandise is another buy now. Patio furniture, grills and summer entertaining pieces need to disappear from stores before holiday merchandise takes over. The Home Depot has current patio and grill reductions exceeding 50% on selected products, and other home retailers are clearing outdoor collections as well. Buy the patio set in September and enjoy feeling terribly clever when you pull it out next May.

There are, however, things I would not rush to buy. The newest Fall 2026 designer fashion is arriving now, and unless something is likely to sell out, paying close to full price during Fashion Week season makes little sense when markdowns will come later. The same applies to holiday toys and many electronics: Black Friday and Cyber Monday will bring another enormous round of competition. There are exceptions—Best Buy and Walmart do have legitimate electronics promotions this weekend—but don’t replace perfectly functional technology merely because Labor Day has given it a sale sticker.

The best Labor Day strategy is therefore wonderfully simple: buy what retailers are trying to get rid of, not what they’re excited to sell you. Summer fashion, outdoor furniture, mattresses, appliances, furniture and clearance merchandise are where the leverage is. Brand-new fall collections, holiday merchandise and impulse electronics can wait.

Remember 70% off something you actually wanted is a bargain. Seventy percent off something you never needed is still money spent.

Labor Day has become the unofficial farewell to summer—a final long weekend of beaches, barbecues and the terrible realization that September has arrived. But underneath the holiday is something considerably more important: the people who built, cleaned, taught, carried, cooked, stitched, drove, served and kept this country moving. American music has always told their stories, and musical theatre has done it particularly well. So before we say goodbye to summer, T2C turns up the volume with ten songs about work, money, ambition, exhaustion, dignity and that glorious fantasy every worker has entertained at least once: telling the boss exactly where the job can go.

1. “I Hear America Singing” — Working
This is where I would begin. Stephen Schwartz’s musical adaptation of Studs Terkel’s Working is built around the voices of ordinary American workers, and this number makes labor itself the American chorus. Different jobs, different lives, different dreams—but together they create the sound of a country.

2. “9 to 5” — Dolly Parton or in my version the musical
Nearly half a century later, that opening typewriter rhythm still means business. Parton made workplace inequality funny, furious and irresistibly catchy. It also made its way to Broadway, so Dolly gets to belong to both sides of our playlist.

3. “A Shtetl Iz Amereke” — Ragtime
For the immigrant worker, America promised possibility—but possibility came with a price. Tateh arrives believing in that promise and discovers the grinding reality of factory labor. Ragtime understands that the American Dream and the American workplace have always had a complicated relationship.

4. “She Works Hard for the Money” — Donna Summer
Summer’s anthem was inspired by a real woman she encountered working as a restroom attendant late at night. Beneath the irresistible beat is something Labor Day ought to remember: dignity belongs to the worker regardless of the job.

5. “The Factory Girls/Come Up to My Office” — Parade
This takes the playlist somewhere darker. Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry’s musical places us inside an industrialized Atlanta where young women work in a pencil factory, reminding us that American labor history includes exploitation, dangerous workplaces and workers with very little power.

6. “Sixteen Tons” — Tennessee Ernie Ford
“I owe my soul to the company store” may be one of the most economical descriptions of worker exploitation ever put into a song. Coal, debt and a system designed to make sure the worker can never quite get ahead.

7. “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” — Americana
And here’s our Broadway history lesson. E.Y. Harburg and Jay Gorney’s Depression-era masterpiece originated in the 1932 Broadway revue Americana. Its worker helped build the railroads, buildings and country—and then found himself discarded when the economy collapsed. More than 90 years later, it still hurts.

8. “Take This Job and Shove It” — Johnny Paycheck
After all that exploitation, somebody was eventually going to quit. There is nothing subtle about this one, which is precisely why it belongs here.

9. “Brotherhood of Man” — How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Now we get wicked. Frank Loesser’s great corporate satire turns the workplace hierarchy into musical comedy as everybody scrambles up the ladder while pretending they’re all one happy corporate family. Broadway knew about office politics long before anyone invented LinkedIn.

10. “Bang the Drum All Day” — Todd Rundgren
And after celebrating the American worker, documenting exploitation, surviving the factory, climbing the corporate ladder and contemplating resignation, there is really only one sensible way to spend Labor Day.

Don’t work.

Turn up the music.

You’ve earned the day off.