U.S. Premiere of Rubén Blades’ MAESTRA VIDA & More to be Presented at Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has revealed additional Free and Choose-What-You-Pay programming throughout the winter and spring. The season features international premieres and returning favorites that reflect vibrant global perspectives and the cultural diversity of New York City.
 
Spanning genres, audiences are invited to experience classical, contemporary, and experimental artworks on their terms — both indoors and outdoors across the iconic campus.
 
“Building on our history and in conversation with our contemporary community of artists, this season features works of deep spiritual resonance, creative curiosity, and innovative experimentation. We hope neighbors and New Yorkers from across the city will come to Lincoln Center and find artistry that inspires, speaks to their humanity, and galvanizes hope for our shared future.” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of LCPA.
 
The beloved American Songbook series returns with a focus on uplifting the voices of women and non-binary artists who have contributed to the ongoing history of the American music canon through innovating and defying expectations. Curated in partnership with Kathleen Hanna and Tamar-kali, the series features a bold and eclectic lineup of powerhouse voices from across the punk, pop, jazz, classical, R&B, and theater worlds, including Meshell Ndegeocello, Shaina Taub, Joan as Police Woman, Ana Tijoux, Gossip, and Julia Bullock performing History’s Persistent Voice, as well as tribute performances to Poly Styrene, The Slits and Mixtape: Women in Punk.
 
Each season, LCPA honors one extraordinary artist whose impact, vision, and values embrace the transformative power of the arts across many of the disciplines represented on campus. The celebration of Lincoln Center 2024-25 Visionary Artist Rubén Blades continues with the U.S. premiere of the large-scale musical work Maestra Vida, a soaring, genre-defying urban drama centered on the Latin American lived experience. Performed by musicians of the New York Philharmonic and conducted by Diego Matheuz at David Geffen Hall, with Rubén Blades as lead singer, the work fuses Afro-Caribbean music, symphonic arrangements, and a uniquely Latin American story.
 
LCPA has commissioned EyeJack for a series of Augmented Reality installations throughout Lincoln Center’s outdoor campus. Three distinct exhibitions feature the artwork of Miles Regis, new poetry by Mahogany L. Browne, and videos from the dance archives of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in celebration of the Library’s 60-year anniversary. Part of a series of tech-driven initiatives, Lincoln Center Immersive, these installations are free and open to the public.

Audiences can enjoy more returning series and favorites — including Under the Radar; globalFEST; Voices of a People’s History; ¡VAYA!; Seen, Sound, Scribe led by Poet-in-Residence Mahogany L. Browne; family programming for all ages; Lincoln Center Moments and Passport offerings; relaxed performances across campus; and ASL-interpreted and captioned events across genres.

The 2025 Big Umbrella Festival, welcoming kids, teens, and young adults for programming designed with and for neurodiverse audiences, returns for three weeks in April 2025. Highlights include the Teatro la Plaza production of Hamlet for its New York premiere; Polygot Theatre and Oily Cart’s When the World Turns; the renowned ReelAbilities Film Festival, and events by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.
 
A series of new Create-athon events invite audiences of all ages to participate in hands-on art-making opportunities with exciting, cutting-edge artists and teaching artists across art forms. The first of these one-of-a-kind workshops will feature gong-making with the duo Elekhlekha, electronic experimentalist and Lincoln Center Collider fellow Kengchakaj Kengkarnka, and visual artist Nitcha Tothong. The second will be led by multi-instrumentalist, award-winning composer, and Lincoln Center Collider fellow Angélica Negrón, who will explore the acoustics and music of plants and other organic materials.
 
This fall, LCPA welcomed six artists working at the vanguard of their fields to the Collider at Lincoln Center. The fellows — director and transdisciplinary artist Celine Daemen; improvisor and composer Kengchakaj Kengkarnka; performer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón; creative director and choreographer Brandon Powers; multidisciplinary creator and director Annie Saunders; and theater, dance, and installation artist Andrew Schneider — are in the midst of an eight-month residency exploring how the arts intersect with different elements in our society that affect daily lives and well-being.

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