- Jan 9 Walter Piston's 3rd Symphony in E, premieres in Boston
- Jan 10 "Call Me Mister" closes at National Theater NYC after 734 performances
- Jan 13 1st country music TV show, Midwestern Hayride, premieres on WLW Cin
- Jan 24 "Music in My Heart" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 124 performances
- Jan 29 "Look Ma, I'm Dancin'" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 188 performances
- Feb 7 "Cradle Will Rock" closes at Mansfield Theater NYC after 34 performances
Event of Interest
Mar 16 Billie Holiday is released from prison early because of good behaviour
Billie Holiday
- Mar 20 1st live televised musical Eugene Ormandy on CBS followed in 90
- Mar 21 "Stop the Music" with Bert Parks premieres on ABC radio
- Mar 27 Just 11 days after being released from prison, Billie Holiday plays in front of a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall
- Apr 30 "Inside USA" opens at Century Theater NYC for 339 performances
- May 6 "Sally" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 36 performances
- May 18 "Ballet Ballads" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 62 performances
- May 24 Benjamin Britten's "Beggar's Opera" premieres in Cambridge
- Jun 3 The musical "Sleepy Hollow" opens at St James Theater NYC for 12 performances
- Jun 5 "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" single released by Stan Jones
- Jun 8 "Sally" closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 36 performances
- Jun 12 "Hold It!" closes at National Theater NYC after 46 performances
- Jun 12 The musical "Sleepy Hollow" closes at St James Theater NYC after 12 performances
- Jun 12 "William Tell" French opera by Gioachino Rossini premieres in Salle Le Peletier, Paris
- Jul 10 "Allegro" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 318 performances
- Jul 10 "Ballet Ballads" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 62 performances
- Jul 10 "Look Ma, I'm Dancin'" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 188 performances
- Jul 18 "Marinka" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 168 performances
- Jul 31 "Brigadoon" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 581 performances
- Aug 8 "Hold It!" opens at National Theater NYC for 46 performances
- Sep 4 "Angel in the Wings" closes at Coronet Theater NYC after 308 performances
- Sep 6 "Mr Strauss Goes to Boston" opens at Century Theater NYC for 12 performances
- Sep 9 "Hilarities (of 1949)" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 14 performances
- Sep 15 "Small Wonder" opens at Coronet Theater NYC for 134 performances
- Sep 16 "Heaven on Earth" opens at Century Theater NYC for 12 performances
- Sep 16 "Mr Strauss Goes to Boston" closes at Century NYC after 12 performances
- Sep 18 "Hilarities (of 1949)" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 14 performances
- Sep 20 "Magdalena" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 48 performances
- Sep 25 "Heaven on Earth" closes at Century Theater NYC after 12 performances
- Sep 27 "Carib Song" opens at Adelphi Theater NYC for 36 performances
- Oct 2 "Finian's Rainbow" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 725 performances
- Oct 6 "Polonaise" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 113 performances
- Oct 11 "Love Life" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 252 performances
- Oct 11 "Where's Chartev?" opens at St James Theater NYC for 792 performances
- Oct 16 "Red Mill" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 831 performances
- Oct 19 "My Romance" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 95 performances
- Nov 13 "As the Girls Go" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 420 performances
- Nov 29 1st opera to be televised, "Othello", broadcast from the Met (NYC)
- Dec 4 "Magdalena" closes at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC, after 48 performances
- Dec 8 "Marinka" closes at Winter Garden Theater NYC after 168 performances
- Dec 16 "Lend an Ear" opens at National Theater NYC for 460 performances
- Dec 29 "Rape of Lucretia" opens at Ziegfeld Theater NYC for 23 performances
- Dec 30 "Kiss Me, Kate" opens at New Century Theater NYC for 1077 performances