- Jan 5 "Show Boat" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 417 performances
- Jan 9 "Would-Be Gentleman" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 77 performances
- Jan 12 "Polonaise" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 113 performances
- Jan 21 "Nellie Bly" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 16 performances
Metamorphosis
Jan 25 Richard Strauss' "Metamorphosis" premieres in Zurich
Music Premiere
Feb 8 Béla Bartók's 3rd Piano Concerto premieres in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy with György Sándor as piano soloist
- Feb 13 "The Duchess Misbehaves" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 5 performances
- Feb 16 Frank Black's musical "The Duchess Misbehaves" closes at Adelphi Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
- Mar 7 "Three to Make Ready" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 323 performances
- Mar 16 "Would-Be Gentleman" closes at Booth Theater NYC after 77 performances
Ebony Concerto
Mar 25 1st performance of Igor Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto", by Woody Herman and His Thundering Herd, at Carnegie Hall, New York City
St Louis Woman
Mar 30 Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's musical "St Louis Woman", starring Pearl Bailey and featuring the Nicholas Brothers, opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 113 performances
Music Premiere
Apr 5 1st performance of Charles Ives' 3rd Symphony
Music History
Apr 24 One-act ballet "Symphonic Variations" choreographed by Frederick Ashton with music by César Franck danced by Sandler's Wells Ballet debuts at Covent Garden, London
Music History
May 14 Paul Hindemith's "For Those We Love" premieres
Annie Get Your Gun
May 16 Irving Berlin, Dorothy and Herbert Fields' musical "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Ethel Merman and featuring "There's No Business Like Show Business" opens at Imperial Theater, NYC
Music Concert
May 26 Darius Milhaud's 3rd Concerto for Piano and Orchestra premieres in Prague
Lute Song
Jun 8 Raymond Scott and Bernard Hanighen's musical "Lute Song", starring Mary Martin, Yul Brenner, and Nancy Davis, and directed by John Houseman, closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC, after 142 performances
The Christmas Song
Jun 14 Nat King Cole records "The Christmas Song" (written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells) for the first time
- Jun 29 "Are You with It?" closes at Century Theater NYC after 264 performances
- Jun 29 "Billion Dollar Baby" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 219 performances
- Jul 6 "St Louis Woman" closes at Martin Beck Theater, NYC, after 113 performances
- Jul 8 "Tidbits of 1946" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 8 performances
Rape of Lucretia
Jul 12 Benjamin Britten's "Rape of Lucretia" premieres at Glyndebourne Opera Festival
- Jul 13 Musical revue "Tidbits of 1946" closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC. after 8 performances
Music History
Jul 25 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stage their first show as a comedy team at 500 Club in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Liturgique
Aug 17 Arthur Honegger's 3rd Symphony "Liturgique" premieres in Zürich, Switzerland with Charles Munch conducting the Suisse Romande Orchestra
Music History
Sep 5 "Yours Is My Heart", an adaptation of Franz Lehar's operetta "The Land of Smiles", opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 36 performances
- Sep 17 Arthur Kay's musical revue of highlights from Victor Herbert operettas "Gypsy Lady" opens at Century Theater, NYC; runs for 79 performances
- Sep 17 David Raksin and June Carroll's musical "If the Shoe Fits", featuring Gail Adams and Joe Besser, opens at Century Theater ,NYC; runs for 20 performances
- Oct 5 "Yours Is My Heart" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 36 performances
- Oct 7 Charles Ives' 2nd string quartet premieres
Music Premiere
Oct 18 Aaron Copland's 3rd Symphony premieres
Park Avenue
Nov 4 Arthur Schwartz, Ira Gershwin, and George S. Kaufman's musical "Park Avenue" opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 72 performances
- Nov 7 Katherine Dunham's song and dance revue "Bal Nègre" opens at Belasco Theater, NYC; runs for 54 performances
- Nov 23 "Gypsy Lady" closes at Century Theater NYC after 79 performances
- Nov 30 Philip Yordan's stage drama "Anna Lucasta", starring Hilda Sims, Canada Lee, and Alice Childress, and featuring the Broadway debut of Ruby Dee, closes at the Mansfield Theatre, NYC, after 957 performances
Music History
Dec 11 Hank Williams begins to record on Sterling label
- Dec 14 "Three to Make Ready" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 323 performances
Pacific 1860
Dec 19 Noël Coward's musical "Pacific 1860" premieres in London
- Dec 20 Darius Milhaud's 2nd Symphony, premieres with the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer; the work was commissioned as a memorial to the wife of group's music director Serge Koussevitzky
- Dec 21 "If the Shoe Fits" closes at Century Theater NYC after 20 performances
Music History
Dec 21 Morton Gould's "Minstrel Show" premieres in Indianapolis
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