Ruth Cunningham, soprano and former member of the vocal ensemble Anonymous4, and cellist James Waldo, founder and artistic director of the Listen Closely Inwood Chamber Music Initiative, will perform English Renaissance consort songs by Dowland and others.  This summer, The Met Cloisters will again offer extended hours on Friday evenings. From Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend (May 26 – September 1).  Light fare and beverages will be available for purchase in the Museum’s Trie Café until 7 p.m.   Friday evening closing time this summer will be 7:30 p.m. (The regular summer closing time of 5:15 p.m. will be observed on all other days of the week.) The Met Cloisters is the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of the Middle Ages.

Extended Summer Hours at The Met Cloisters are made possible in part by the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, Inc. and The Helen Clay Frick Foundation.

“Our remarkable collection, beautiful gardens, peaceful setting, and spectacular views have drawn daytime visitors from around the world for many years. And we hope that our longer summer hours will now encourage visitors with busy schedules to come and enjoy this wonderful place in the evening,” said C. Griffith Mann, the Michel David-Weill Curator in Charge of the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters. “Building on the success of last summer’s inaugural season of extended hours, we are delighted to offer this opportunity again, along with a series of compelling programs—including live music, tastings, and more—all specially organized to give our visitors a unique and memorable summer experience.”

Nancy Wu, Museum Educator, added: “All of the events on our Friday-evening schedule relate either to the history of The Met Cloisters or to the collection itself. In the area of live music, we are delighted by the unexpected opportunity to present young singers from the renowned Escolania de Montserrat, whose origins date to the Middle Ages. We are also especially grateful to the accomplished singers and musicians from our Washington Heights neighborhood—highly regarded for their achievements in a variety of musical styles—who will be performing here as well.”