Billy Porter, Allison Williams, Norm Lewis & More Set for Lincoln Center's AMERICAN SONGBOOK 2015 Season!

Now in its 16th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook will continue to expand its scope in celebrating the best in American singing and songwriting, beginning with a free opening night concert in the David Rubenstein Atrium on Wednesday, January 21, 2015. Live From Lincoln Center, the Emmy Award-winning program broadcast nationally on PBS stations, will shoot two of the first week's concerts by Broadway stars Norm Lewis and Billy Porter in The Appel Room. These performances will be broadcast nationally in the Spring of 2015.

For the 2015 season, American Songbook will again partner with Prudential Investment Management with "Invest in the Future of American Song." This program empowers the public to pick who will give the opening American Songbook concert in the David Rubenstein Atrium on January 21. Three performers have been nominated by American Songbook curators, these three are then voted for via social media, primarily through a Facebook tab on the American Songbook Facebook page. The three artists selected for the program this year are chamber pop group Owel, singer-composer Grace McLean, and Americana stars The David Mayfield Parade. The voting starts on October 29 and the selection of the winner will be announced on December 12. The two runner-up artists will perform in the David Rubenstein Atrium in the spring or early summer of 2015.

"American Songbook is a unique, exciting series that celebrates the breadth of American music performed by a blend of legendary performers and emerging talent. It reflects the best of American music past and present, music that deserves to be preserved, promoted and performed in one of the world's finest venues," says David Hunt, CEO and President of Prudential Investment Management. "We are proud to partner with Lincoln Center to keep this legacy of the American Songbook growing and vibrant."

American Songbook in The Appel Room will run from January 28 through February 28, 2015 and will present 16 nights of music from Broadway old and new, jazz, Americana, pop, Latin, hip hop, and folk. From March 11 ? 28, American Songbook will continue with American Songbook in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, a series of 6 concerts presented in an intimate, elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. With a seating capacity of just 225, the Kaplan Penthouse allows acoustic performers to be heard to best advantage - near to the audience and without elaborate amplification. Complimentary glasses of wine and bottled water will be served to audience members, who will be seated at cocktail tables. The Kaplan Penthouse has stunning city views.

The "American Songbook in The Appel Room" starts off with the incredible voice of Tony Award-winner Billy Porter, who will sing music from his latest album of jazz-inflected Broadway standards, Billy's Back on Broadway. The music of Broadway gets added exposure from a performance by one of its most sought-after leading men, Norm Lewis. Lewis will do an encore performance of his American Songbook show last year.

There will be a night of Latin music, whose rhythms have infused so much of the American songbook canon. "The National Voice of Puerto Rico," Danny Rivera, along with guitarist Nelson González, will present Obsesión, a celebration of classic bolerolove songs. In the mix of musical genres will be an evening of country classics performed by John Reilly & Friends, featuring actor John C. Reilly, joined by Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond and folksinger Tom Brosseau. Folk music will be winningly performed by Dawn Landes, whose latest recording, Bluebird, will be the musical focus.

Two tributes will be celebrated this season: Meshell Ndegeocello will perform a tribute to the great Nina Simone, and downtown denizen Joey Arias will bring his vocal skill and dramatic theatricality to his celebration of Lady Day, Billie Holiday. Another downtown doyenne, Lea DeLaria, will bring her impressive voice and terrific scatting technique for an evening of jazz.

The enduring popularity of hip-hop has earned it a place in the American songbook. Internationally-known rapper Talib Kweli will bring his verbal gymnastics and hard-hitting lyrics to The Appel Room stage. People Get Ready's Steven Reker will bring his unique brand of choreographed rock to the series, and the duo Shovels & Rope will perform their award-winning Americana. Baroque pop's San Fermin, the project of composer-performer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, will join with Metropolis Ensemble for a night of orchestral, fanciful pop.

In the American Songbook tradition, composers and lyricists will be honored with nights highlighting their contributions to the canon of American popular music. Three generations of the Rodgers family - Richard Rodgers, his daughter Mary Rodgers Guettel, and her son Adam Guettel - will be celebrated with the lush voice of Broadway star Judy Kuhn. And two giants of American music - theater composer Stephen Sondheim and classical composer Steve Reich - will appear together on stage for the first time for an evening of conversation and performance.

The Appel Room series closes with a night with Barbara Cook, called "the greatest singer in the world" (Financial Times)performing upbeat tunes with a swinging band. The legendary Cook has found new ways to explore the rhythm and lyrics of America's best popular songs.

"American Songbook in the Penthouse" will embrace contemporary Latin music with an evening of incendiary violins and vocals by The Villalobos Brothers. Magos & Limón, a duo made up of "the Cassandra Wilson of Mexico" singer Magos Herrera and Spanish flamenco guitarist Javier Limón, will perform a program of elegant jazz.

The composer Ben Toth will be in the spotlight when Broadway performers Cheyenne Jackson, Lindsay Mendez, Darius de Haas, Alexandra Silber, and others premiere several exciting new musical works by Toth. Also from the musical theater world is Jose Llana, known for his "chillingly seductive" (New York Times) portrayal of Ferdinand Marcos in the David Bryne and Fatboy Slim collaboration, Here Lies Love. Shaina Taub, a rising star in musical theater for both her singing and composing, will perform an evening of original songs. The Kaplan Penthouse series will close with the New York solo concert debut of Allison Williams, one of the stars of HBO's Girls who also has the leading role in Peter Pan Live! on NBC.