Lincoln Center Announces Out of Doors 2016 Lineup

Lincoln Center Out of Doors, one of the country's longest-running free outdoor summer festivals, opens this year on July 20 and runs through August 7, with a post-festival special event on August 13. In Lincoln Center's continuing commitment to making the arts available to all, the 46th edition of the popular festival will fill the plazas with a diverse range of music, dance, spoken word, and family events, featuring dozens of U.S., international, and local artists.

Opening night, July 20, marks the return of Patti Smith to Lincoln Center Out of Doors. The multifaceted artist last appeared on the Damrosch Park stage in 2008. This July, she'll take the stage with longtime musical collaborators Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan for a special acoustic evening of readings and music. Highlights across the three weeks include: July 24, salsa's pioneering duo, "El Embajador del Piano," Richie Ray, and celebrated vocalist Bobby Cruz; July 27, a second season of AFROPUNK @ Lincoln Center, this summer with Girrrl Riot, an all-women lineup that includes blues and hard-core rock singer-songwriter SATE; July 29, a double bill curated by Okayafrica that opens with pioneering New York Afrobeat group Antibalas, followed by Nigerian Afrobeats pop star Davido; August 3, internationally-acclaimed flamenco company Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca in a program featuring the premiere of a new work commissioned by Lincoln Center for Lincoln Center Out of Doors; and August 13, a post-festival, special event co-presented with the Mostly Mozart Festival: the world premiere of composer David Lang's the public domain, a site-specific work performed by a chorus of up to 1,000 volunteer amateur and professional singers on Josie Robertson Plaza.

Two additional co-presentations between Lincoln Center Out of Doors and the Mostly Mozart Festival take place this summer. The annual free preview concert by the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra will take place outdoors on July 22 in Damrosch Park. And between July 27 and August 7, a series of 15 free micro-concerts on the Hearst Plaza, each 15-minutes long, will feature Mostly Mozart Artists-in-Residence International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) performing world premiere works to mark the 50th anniversary of the Mostly Mozart Festival.

As previously announced, July 30 is the date of The Bells: A Daylong Celebration of Lou Reed, featuring a mass tai-chi session, a sound installation, afternoon concerts, readings, and an evening concert in Damrosch Park followed by the late-night screening of Julian Schnabel's film Berlin. The special tribute to the late musician and consummate New Yorker is curated by Reed's wife, Laurie Anderson, and Hal Willner, his longtime producer.

South Africa's preeminent vocal ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo (July 21); a performance by Darlene Love (July 23) the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who is celebrating her 75th birthday; NPR Music Live in Concert (August 4), with the hosts of its popular shows All Songs Considered, and Alt.Latino introducing favorite artists; new editions of Lincoln Center Out of Doors' popular Family Day (July 23) and La Casita (July 30 and 31) programs; concerts curated by longtime community partners the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and the Center for Art, Tradition and Cultural Heritage (July 24) and Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (July 31); the return of hour-long, casual week-night concerts (with drinks available for purchase) on Hearst Plaza featuring Dane Terry (July 27), Jaime Woods (July 28), Eli "Paperboy" Reed (July 29), and Zé Renato (August 5) are just some of the additional offerings. The schedule of confirmed events follows.

Additional artists, including the full lineup for the Roots of American Music / Americanafest NYC weekend, August 6 and 7, will be announced at a later date.