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Lincoln Center Presents brings you closer to the performing arts.

Each week, discover something new, with hundreds of programs across dance, theater, music, and work that defies expectations. Here, tradition meets what’s next with community-rooted, global, and contemporary voices as expansive as our audiences. You’ll find our programs on stages and in gathering spaces throughout Lincoln Center, home to eleven iconic resident arts organizations. And all of our Lincoln Center Presents programs are Free or Choose-What-You-Pay, because experiencing the arts should be within everyone's reach.

Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer, shares what's ahead this season.

Q+A: Shanta Thake

Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer
Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer; photo by Lawrence Sumulong

First, what makes Lincoln Center such an iconic place to experience a performance?

There's always something incredible happening here, and it never happens the same way twice. What I love is that this place really feels like New York. On any given night, neighbors, old friends, and first-timers are sitting side by side, and they change the experience every time. You can go from eclectic weekly shows in the David Rubenstein Atrium to our mainstage performances in the Alice Tully Hall — and you're always steps from our resident arts organizations including the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, the Met Opera, and Jazz at Lincoln Center — a density of great art-making that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world. I think there's a real energy from being surrounded by it all. It can draw us toward new voices and new perspectives, and closer to the people next to us experiencing it all together.

What are some of this season's highlights for you?

This year's Lincoln Center Presents is built around artists I can't wait for you to see: groundbreaking voices from around the world alongside visionary creators from New York City and beyond. This January, we're back with JanArtsNYC, the city's largest gathering for new work in theater, dance, opera, music, and performance. For a few weeks, Lincoln Center will be a hub for it all, starting with the second Lincoln Center Contemporary Dance Festival, our new biennial festival exploring what's next in contemporary dance. We're also thrilled to welcome back the citywide Under the Radar Festival, with the latest in cutting-edge theater, and globalFEST, which brings some of the world's most vital music to David Geffen Hall for a one-night takeover. And later in the season is our annual American Songbook series, once again curated by Lincoln Center Artist-in-Residence, designer, creative director and producer, Clint Ramos.

With so much going on, how do you know what to choose?

Our programming is so varied that I always encourage people to start with our featured performances, and check out the series and festivals that run throughout the year. One of our programs that I'm especially looking forward to is La Obra from Mariano Pensotti and Grupo Marea, a daring piece about memory, complicity, and the strange power of performance to make us believe. Because all of our events are Free or Choose-What-You-Pay, you can come back often, bring friends, and try something new all season. That variety extends to access, too: from relaxed performances to our Big Umbrella festival for neurodivergent audiences, we want everyone to find what's right for them. And there's plenty for families, too. This winter, Wakka Wakka's Dead as a Dodo sends two best friends on a puppet adventure through the underworld. And in the spring, DIRT invites kids to rebuild New York City after the East River disappears, using snacks and 15 pounds of real pudding.

 

How does Lincoln Center Presents programming connect with the neighborhood Lincoln Center calls home?

As we break ground on a new park on the west side of campus, this season is rooted in all the ways Lincoln Center has already been transformed by artists, audiences, neighbors, and stories. Over the past few years, audiences have joined us in learning the layered, living history of San Juan Hill, encountered boundary-crossing performances from around the world, discovered their own artistry, and helped plant seeds that are now beginning to bloom. This year, those seeds burst open — a season built on deeper relationships with our city, our artists, and you. Beyond attending performances, there are countless ways to get closer to artists and to sing, dance, and create. Our Come & Sing community choir is open to everyone, with songs this season ranging from Broadway showstoppers to pop punk anthems. Everyone is invited to try something new, because in coming together, I think we become part of something larger than ourselves.

What does this season mean for you?

Every season feels like its own creative journey, but this one is especially close to my heart — it marks five years at Lincoln Center. In that time, I've had the joy of working alongside extraordinary artists, audiences, and colleagues who never stop pushing us to dream bigger about what the performing arts can be. Our programming team is the heart of it. They champion artists early, stay with them as they grow their careers, and make room for new voices to lead. Together, we've opened up new doors for artistic experimentation, introduced new generations of creators, and welcomed hundreds of thousands of first-time visitors. I can't wait to see how this season stretches us again — come closer and experience it for yourself.

 

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