Lincoln Center Introduces Yondr To Present First Phone-Free Classical Music Performances

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts today announced that select performances during the White Light Festival's 10th anniversary season will offer audiences Yondr, a service that creates phone-free experiences.

While use of Yondr is growing in pop music, theater, and comedy, the Lincoln Center performances mark the first-ever utilization for classical music concerts.

The system places cell phones and other smart devices in a secured pouch for the duration of the performance, allowing us to connect more fully, undistracted by our own and other's digital devices.

"The promise of a hyper-connected existence through technology has, in many ways, made us far less connected to ourselves, to one another, and-importantly-to what can be deeply moving, communal experiences offered by live performing arts," said Jane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic Director of Lincoln Center. "Music offers us a way into the broad range of human experience, across generations and cultures. Central to the White Light Festival's mission is connecting us deeply to what we all have in common."

"I'm struck every day by the communities created in our halls, theaters, and outside across the campus," said Henry Timms, President and CEO of Lincoln Center. "Our aim with this experiment is to strengthen and connect that community in new ways."

Audiences will secure their phones in Yondr pouches before entering the hall and keep the pouches with them throughout the performance. The service is free to any ticket holder. There will be a designated "phone use area" in the lobby where patrons can access their devices should they need to. Each of the performances will be followed by a White Light Lounge, during which audiences may mingle with artists and fellow concertgoers while enjoying enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or sparkling water.

Limited tickets are still available for 2019 White Light Festival performances by visiting WhiteLightFestival.org, calling CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or at the David Geffen or Alice Tully Hall Box Office (Broadway and 65th Street).