Rochester offers many cultural events including museums, theatre, and music.
Explore the assortment shown below:

Museum Section
Memorial Art Gallery
Rochester Museum And Science Center
Strong Museum

Theatre Section
Geva Theatre

Music Section
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

Museum Section

Memorial Art Gallery
A visit to the Memorial Art Gallery is a journey through more than 5,000 years of art history. From the relics of antiquity to works in the vanguard of contemporary movements, the Gallery offers a panorama of the world's art. The Gallery's permanent collectionof more than 10,000 objects has been called the best balanced in the state outside of metropolitan New York City. In addition to its collection, the Gallery offers a year-round schedule of temporary exhibitions, lectures, concerts, toursand family activities. The Gallery was founded in 1913 by Emily Sibley Watson as a memorial to her son, architect James Averell. Given in trust to the University of Rochester, it is one of the few university-affiliated art museums in the country that also serve as community art museums. Today it is supported primarily by its membership, the University of Rochester and public funding from Monroe County, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Institute of Museum & Library Services, a Federal agency.

Rochester Museum & Science Center
The Rochester Museum has been a part of Western New York's cultural and educational landscape for almost 90 years. To say we started out "small" might be an understatement. As part of the celebration of the centennial of the 1812 settlement of Rochester, we opened in Exposition Hall at Edgerton Park on September 13, 1912 to share with the public our one and only object - an ox yoke! Subsequent to those modest beginnings, we moved into our own building on East Avenue in 1942. We were known by that time as the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences, and the inscription on the front of the new building proclaimed that we were "Dedicated to the Better Understanding of the Laws of Nature and the Cultural Achievements of Mankind." Toward that end, we continued to develop scientific and cultural collections, created quality exhibits, developed outreach programs within the Rochester community, and instituted adult courses as well as special interest programs for our visitors.

Strong Museum

At Strong Museum, children and adults alike have fun learning about the past through interactive learning environments, world-renowned collections, creative educational programs, and special events.

Theatre Section

Geva Theatre
Geva Theatre was established in 1972 by William Selden and Cynthia Mason Selden. The theatre was originally housed in the Rochester Business Institute building at 168 South Clinton Ave. (now the site of Frontier Corp.), with the first performances being a lunch time series of plays in November 1973. When the RBI building was scheduled to be sold, a permanent home was sought. In 1982, Geva bought and renovated the Naval Armory (built 1868) at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Woodbury Boulevard. Following a $2.85 million renovation, Geva opened our new home in March 1985. In March of 1985, Geva Theatre moved to its new facility, the Naval Armory Building, adjacent to Washington Square Park. Redesigned by the firm of Lawson, Knapp and Pulver Architects of Rochester, NY, the theatre's new interior reflects an ornate elegance in keeping with the Structure's Victorian lines. The 500 seat theatre features a modified thrust stage designed by the nationally known theatre design and consultation firm, Roger Morgan Studio Inc.

Music Section

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Since its founding by George Eastman in 1922, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has maintained a standard of artistic excellence demonstrated by extensive touring, performances at Carnegie Hall and recording projects. As one of the great American orchestras, the RPO's mission is to perform and present a broad range of quality music; attract, entertain and educate audiences with superior musical performances; maintain and build the Orchestra's national reputation; and enhance the reputation of the Rochester community as a place in which to live, work, play, visit and learn.