New York Festival Of Song To Present FUGITIVES

New York Festival of Song will present its critically acclaimed program Fugitives on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 8:00pm at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall.

The program brings together songs from the concert stage, movies, Broadway, and Berlin's cabarets, highlighting the artistic lives that were shaped, uprooted, and sometimes extinguished during the rise of fascism in Europe. The New York Times wrote of Fugitives: "The poignant ache of numerous songs accumulated throughout, abetted by the strong, stylish singing. ... I can recall many Festival of Song programs as illuminating and entertaining, but none so profoundly moving."

Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey joins baritone Justin Austin alongside pianists Steven Blier and Bénédicte Jourdois to perform works by Kurt Weill, Franz Schreker, Alexander Zemlinsky, Friedrich Hollaender, Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Korngold, and Hanns Eisler, among others. Together, their music showcases a moment of extraordinary resilience and creativity forged under immense pressure.

Steven Blier shares, "This revival of Fugitives is a supercharged event for me. It brings one of my most cherished colleagues, Kate Lindsey, back to NYFOS after a long absence, during which time she's enjoyed international triumphs from La Scala to The Met. And any chance to make music with the superb, multi-faceted Justin Austin is a red-letter day for me. Finally, it marks the first NYFOS concert with pianist Bénédicte Jourdois since she assumed the official capacity of Associate Artistic Director.

"Fugitives couldn't be more timely. It tells the story of Jewish composers who found asylum in the United States during World War II. It also pays tribute to some of the gifted musicians who weren't so blessed, meeting their deaths in concentration camps. The power and beauty - and humor - of Fugitives is especially poignant in our current times, and its message is even more urgent than when we first presented it 18 years ago."

The 2025-26 NYFOS season continues with To The Sea on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 8:00pm at Merkin Hall; Poulenc/Sondheim on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 8:00pm at Merkin Hall; NYFOS's annual Spring Gala on May 11, 2026, and the NYFOS Next Series, a special event created in collaboration with Luna Composition Lab, on June 1, 2026.

New York Festival of Song: Fugitives