Public Projects

Public Performance Projects

Vivo Performing Arts’ free outdoor public performance projects, launched in 2013 in celebration of our 75th anniversary season, get us out of the concert halls and into the public realm, and bring audiences and artists together in exhilarating, surprising, and memorable ways.

To date, our public projects – from Street Pianos to Le Grand Continental to Let’s Dance Boston to Jazz Along the Charles to Concert for One – have employed hundreds of local artists, generated over 200 new partnerships with community organizations, and engaged hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life who live in, work in, and visit Boston.

What began as a celebration of a milestone anniversary has now developed into a more permanent initiative. Vivo Performing Arts produces these free, outdoor, public events on an almost-yearly basis.

“Stumbled upon #letsdanceboston and it was the happiest bunch of people swing dancing I’ve ever seen.”
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Let's Dance Boston

Let's Dance Boston returns in 2026! Our next Public Performance Project will be the return of the five-day social dance extravaganza with five live bands and expert dance instructors.

Concert For One

1 Musician, 1 Listener, 1 Minute of Music. September 20-29, 2019 For 10 days in September 2019, Vivo Performing Arts gave powerful, free music experiences to 4,000+ people, one listener and one musician at a time. Concert for One paired individual listeners with solo musicians for 60 seconds of focused live performance and concentrated listening, fostering one-on-one connections between performers and audience members.

Jazz Along The Charles: 2018 and 2023

In 2018 and in 2023, 25 jazz ensembles gathered at a series of connected, walkable locations along the Charles River Esplanade, interpreting the same curated list of Boston-related tunes in one collective concert that celebrated the great jazz community in Boston today.

Let's Dance Boston 2017

First appearing on the Greenway in 2015, Let’s Dance Boston was one of the most vibrant free outdoor dance and music parties ever to take place in the city. This return engagement took place at the Rose Kennedy Greenway's Dewey Square Park.

Street Pianos Boston 2016

The return of Play Me, I’m Yours, a public art installation created by British artist Luke Jerram, featured 60 pianos -- with at least one placed in each of the 23 neighborhoods in the City of Boston -- decorated by 60 local artists for the public to play and enjoy.

Let's Dance Boston 2015

Let’s Dance Boston was one of the largest, free outdoor dance and music parties that Boston has ever experienced! Located on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Let’s Dance Boston featured five consecutive nights of electrifying music and dance.

Le Grand Continental 2014

Le Grand Continental® was a free, outdoor public dance event in the Spring of 2014 created by the Montreal-based company Sylvain Émard Danse. The 30-minute dance performance, enjoyed by an audience of more than 5000, consisted of 100+ everyday Bostonians, and was inspired by line dancing and contemporary movement.

Street Pianos Boston 2013

To celebrate its 75th anniversary season, Vivo Performing Arts presented Play Me, I’m Yours. Located in public spaces in Boston and Cambridge, 75 pianos decorated by local artists were available for anyone to play and enjoy. Over 500,000 people enjoyed the pianos during the 18-day event.