Cheap$kate: FREE events in NYC this week

Make Music New York's 'The Gershwin Hour'
It's time to make music, New York! As part of Arts Brookfield's Make Music New York series - which features about 1,000 free outdoor concerts in 424 public spaces throughout all five boroughs - pianist Simon Mulligan pays tribute to George Gershwin in "The Gershwin Hour" this Thursday. Tweet in your request with the tag #GershwinHour and see if Mulligan will play your favorite Gershwin tune. It may be a great way to hear some songs from "Porgy & Bess" if you can't make it to the Broadway hit. (Thursday, 12:30-1:30 p.m., FREE, Grace Building Plaza, 43rd St. & Sixth Avenue, 212-945-0505, makemusicny.org)

Sports

2012 U.S. Open ballperson tryouts
Get courtside seats to the U.S. Open this year, and get paid to boot. Stop by the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing this Thursday and try out to be a 2012 U.S. Open ballperson. About 80 spots are available, so stop by and test out your tennis chops. Anyone 14 years and older can try out. (Thursday, 3 p.m. registration, FREE, 14+, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718-760-6200, usta.com)