Lincoln Center's "Summer For The City" Series

Summary

All Of It Podcast Summary: Lincoln Center's "Summer For The City" Series

Podcast Information:

• Title: All Of It
• Host: Alison Stewart
• Episode: Lincoln Center's "Summer For The City" Series
• Release Date: May 21, 2025
• Description: ALL OF IT is a show about culture and its consumers, aiming to engage thinkers, doers, makers, and creators about the what and why of their work. Hosted by Alison Stewart, the podcast delves into the diverse cultural landscape of New York City, fostering a community that celebrates varied perspectives.

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Introduction to "Summer For The City"

In this episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart introduces listeners to Lincoln Center's annual "Summer For The City" series—a free, summer-long festival of events celebrating the rich cultural tapestry of New York City. The series, launching on June 11th and running through August 9th, is designed to be a cornerstone of Lincoln Center's programming, aiming to make the performing arts more accessible and reflective of the city's diverse communities.

Notable Quote:

Alison Stewart [00:29]: "We have some more free summer programming that you can add to your calendar."

Festival Overview

Alison Stewart is joined by Jordana Lee, Vice President of Artistic Programming at Lincoln Center, who provides an in-depth look at what attendees can expect from the festival. Emphasizing the festival's foundation in the city's global cultural traditions, innovative spirit, and sense of community, Jordana highlights the inclusive nature of the programming.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [01:25]: "We at Lincoln Center want our community to be the center of what we do."

Celebrating Cultural Diversity

"Summer For The City" is meticulously curated to showcase a wide array of cultural expressions, ensuring that the festival resonates with New York City's multifaceted population.

Opening Performances

The festival kicks off with a dynamic performance by Robert Glasper and Aline Perez, artists from different cultural backgrounds who first collaborated in Cuba. This performance symbolizes the festival's commitment to blending diverse musical traditions.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [01:25]: "The funny thing is they actually met in Cuba at a jazz fest and now they're going to be performing on the same stage together, opening up our festival."

Brazil Week

A significant highlight is Brazil Week, dedicated to celebrating Brazilian culture and art. The week features performances from multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Lenine and pop sensation Lineker, among others, showcasing the vibrant musical heritage of Brazil.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [02:45]: "We have everything from our opening night... to Brazil week. We have a whole week celebrating Brazilian culture and art."

I Am the Band: Celebrating Women in Music

Another key program is "I Am the Band," which honors women instrumentalists who have significantly influenced popular music. Featuring artists like Wendy and Lisa, who performed with Prince, and Bobbi Hall, who worked with Marvin Gaye, the program underscores the pivotal role of women in shaping musical landscapes.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [02:45]: "I Am the Band which is celebrating women instrumentalists who have really changed how we understand popular music."

Mahabharata Theatrical Production

The festival also includes a theatrical adaptation of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata. This multi-hour performance offers an immersive storytelling experience, allowing audiences to engage deeply with the narrative through interactive breaks and communal dining.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [04:18]: "It is an amazing storytelling piece. It is our Indian community, a piece that people know this story and it is really something that we're very proud to be presenting."

Collaboration with Artistic Partners

Zach Whitaker from the American Modern Opera Company discusses the collaboration and highlights his organization's role in curating performances at Lincoln Center. The partnership aims to bring innovative operatic productions, including twelve performances with ten New York City premieres, featuring renowned opera artists like Anthony Roth and Costanzo.

Notable Quote:

Zach Whitaker [05:13]: "We have a total of 12 productions, 10 New York City premieres, amazing opera artists including Anthony Roth, Costanzo."

Utilizing Lincoln Center's Spaces

The festival leverages various spaces across Lincoln Center's campus to host events, ensuring accessibility and a diverse range of experiences. From the transformed Damrosch Park, which will undergo renovations post-festival, to indoor venues like the David Geffen Hall hosting the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center under the direction of Jonathan Hayward, the festival promises a vibrant array of settings for attendees.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [05:59]: "We are looking at really how to make this space a more community-oriented space."

Accessibility and Free Programming

A cornerstone of "Summer For The City" is its commitment to accessibility. All outdoor events are free, and indoor performances adopt a "choose what you pay" model, removing economic barriers and welcoming a broader audience. This approach aligns with Lincoln Center's historical dedication to making the arts accessible to all.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [06:46]: "We want to break down that barrier to accessing Lincoln Center. The price point is accessing New York City and that people feel welcome."

Future Plans and Renovations

Jordana Lee announces a significant $335 million renovation project aimed at transforming Lincoln Center into an even more community-oriented space. The plans include creating a state-of-the-art outdoor area and an inviting park that will serve both during performances and as a general public space, enhancing the festival's long-term integration with the community.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [07:44]: "We are looking at really how to make this space a more community oriented space. And so the design is really attractive and really beautiful."

Attending "Summer For The City"

Listeners interested in attending can find more information and RSVP at summerforthecity.org. Early registration is encouraged to guarantee entry, especially for popular events where lines may be long.

Notable Quote:

Jordana Lee [08:39]: "Summerforthecity.org is the great place to find everything. And actually if people sign up on Monday, I believe they can do a fast track so they can actually get guaranteed entry into our summer programming."

Conclusion

Alison Stewart wraps up the episode by inviting listeners to participate in Lincoln Center's "Summer For The City," emphasizing the festival's role in celebrating and uniting the diverse cultural fabric of New York City. The collaborative efforts between Lincoln Center and various artistic partners ensure a rich and engaging lineup that is both accessible and reflective of the city's unique spirit.

Notable Quote:

Alison Stewart [09:08]: "We will see you there."

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the May 21, 2025 episode of All Of It, providing a comprehensive overview of Lincoln Center's "Summer For The City" series, its diverse programming, commitment to accessibility, and future development plans.

Transcript

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. We have some more free summer programming that you can add to your calendar. Moving from Little island up the Hudson River Greenway to the Upper west side at Lincoln Center. The performing arts venue will launch this year's edition of Summer for the city starting on June 11th. It's summer long festival of free events across Lincoln Square. Joining me now is Jordana Lee, Vice president of Artistic programming for Lincoln Center. Hi, Jordana.

[Jordana Lee]

Hi, Alison. It's so good to be back. How are you?

[Alison Stewart]

I am doing great. It's nice to talk to you as well. You know, you read the press release, but there's one line that stood out. It says a season grounded in the city's global cultural traditions, innovative spirit and a deep sense of community. How are the city's diverse traditions central to this year?

[Jordana Lee]

You know, we at Lincoln center want our community to be the center of what we do. And I think our summer programming, Summer for the City is really the crown jewel of all of our programming. So I am so excited to be sharing about what we're doing and we want that to reflect all of New York. So you have everything from our opening night which is with Robert Glasper and Aline Perez who is from Cuba. The funny thing is they actually met in Cuba at a jazz fest and now they're going to be performing on the same stage together, opening up our festival. Then we move on to Brazil week. We have a whole week celebrated celebrating Brazilian culture and art. You can also, and, and with that we start off with the multi Grammy Award winning artist Lenine and we bookend it with the pop sensation Lineker. We also have, you know, we see that we want to have celebration of all different styles of music and culture. So we have I Am the Band which is celebrating women instrumentalists who have really changed how we understand popular music, including artists like Wendy and Lisa who performed with Prince or Bobby hall who worked with Marvin Gaye. And then we have some amazing vocalists who are joining as well such as Bridget Evert. So it's so much that's there for you.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's go.

[Jordana Lee]

I can go on. I can go on.

[Alison Stewart]

I want to go back to Brazil Week. Tell me a little bit about Brazil Week.

[Zach Whitaker]

So we have some music from Osmutantes.

[Alison Stewart]

Actually, let's play a little bit and.

[Zach Whitaker]

We can talk about it on the other side.

[Jordana Lee]

Wonderful.

[Zach Whitaker]

Jordana. That sounds like a party already.

[Jordana Lee]

The whole week is going to be a giant party. We have jam packed from family programming on Saturday all the way through the whole week. We have amazing artists that actually that project is a collaboration with Brazil Summerfest who's been a long time partner. And that's actually one of the core elements of what we do is we partner up with different organizations across the city to help us curate and bring in the right artists that will really speak to our writ large. New York City.

[Zach Whitaker]

I understand there's going to be a theatrical work based on a Sanskrit epic. Who's involved? This is exciting.

[Jordana Lee]

That is the Mahabharata and that is a multiple hour performance. And that piece, you can actually, you come, you experience a bit of the theatrical piece. You take a break, you go have something to eat and then you come back and you enjoy it a little bit more. It is an amazing storytelling piece. It is our Indian community, a piece that people know this story and it is really something that we're very proud to be presenting. It is just an example of the diversity of the different styles of work that you're going to be seeing here with us.

[Zach Whitaker]

I am speaking with Jordana Lee, vice president of Artistic programming at Lincoln center about this year's Summer for the city. Their free festival running from June 11 through August 9, the American Modern Opera Company is going to put together something called Run Amoc Festival. All right, so who's the American Modern Opera Company?

[Jordana Lee]

Well, actually you were just speaking to Zach Whitaker who is part of American Modern Opera Company. So you can come and see his curation at Little island and then come up and see his artistic vision here. But it is going to be a total of 12 productions, 10 New York City premieres, amazing opera artists including Anthony Roth, Costanzo. So many powerful voices and it's all in different styles. So we really hope that people get a chance to experience this summer for.

[Zach Whitaker]

The city happens all across Lincoln Center's campus in all kinds of spaces. We hosted an event for the Public Song Project last year in a converted driveway on Columbus Avenue. How are you using the space this.

[Jordana Lee]

Year you will have our disco ball is back so you can come and dance underneath the stars with all of our amazing program there. We will still have Damrosch park and I don't know if you saw, but we have a big Announcement that after this summer we're going to start renovating that space and to make it even more open to the public and the community. So please come. There is space for everyone. We also have inside our halls, inside the David Geffen hall, we have our Festival Orchestra of Lincoln center returning with Jonathan Hayward as our musical director. So there is many touch points to come and enjoy. And also it's all free or choose what you pay.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, the events are free. I should mention that to people. Why is that important to the concept of this festival?

[Jordana Lee]

Well, it's been important to the concept of the festival from historically, even before Summer for the City started, we've had a long history of doing free programming. But since the last few years when we started Summer for the City and now recently with even in our halls, we really want to break down that barrier to accessing Lincoln Center. And so we feel like we want to make sure that the programming reflects New York City. The price point is accessing New York City and that people feel welcome. And so part of that is taking away that economic barrier for you to come and enjoy New Lincoln Center. So we have all of our outdoor programming is free. All of our indoor programming that is produced by Lincoln center, be it during the summertime or throughout the year, is choose what you pay.

[Alison Stewart]

And I did want to follow up on the announcement that you made. We kind of just glossed over it there. There's going to be this huge new center built at the $335 million project. Tell us what's planned.

[Jordana Lee]

So actually there are already on our website, lincoln center.org or actually if you go on even our Instagram page, you can see renderings of what it's going to look like. But the idea is for the last few years we've been talking to our community, especially our neighbors just across Amsterdam Ave. About what would bring them to Lincoln center and to literally tear down that white every tower wall. And so we are looking at really how to make this space a more community oriented space. And so and the design is really attractive and really beautiful. And so it is going to be a state of the art amazing space outdoors for our programming and also a park that really welcomes people and so that you can enjoy it throughout if there is a performance or not.

[Zach Whitaker]

Some of the city is happening June 11th through August 9th at Lincoln Center. Where can people find information? RSVP. Check it out.

[Jordana Lee]

So summerforthecity.org is the great place to find everything. And actually if people sign up on like Monday, I believe they can do a fast track so they can actually get guaranteed entry into our summer programming. So even though it's free, you can actually sign up in advance and that way we make sure that you get in because we know sometimes those lines are long.

[Zach Whitaker]

Jordana Lee is the Vice President of Artistic Programming. She has been walking us through Summer for the City at Lincoln center. It starts on June 11th through August 9th.

[Alison Stewart]

We will see you there.

[Jordana Lee]

Jordana, thank you so much and good luck with the pledge drive.

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