Lincoln Center Unveils January 2026 Programming Highlights

Lincoln Center will ring in the new year with a slate of presentations that will bring premieres, returning festivals, and cross-disciplinary performances to its stages and public spaces.

All events will continue to be offered for free or with choose-what-you-pay access, extending the institution’s commitment to broad public participation.

Programming will take place across David Geffen Hall, the David Rubenstein Atrium, Alice Tully Hall, and additional campus venues throughout January.

UNDER THE RADAR

The Under the Radar festival will return with two featured works. Benevolence (January 7–18) will offer an intimate storytelling experience focused on themes of community and legacy. Birdie (January 14–18) will present a multimedia reflection on migration, using genre-blending techniques to examine resilience and displacement.

GLOBALFEST

David Geffen Hall will host the twenty-third annual globalFEST on January 11, featuring an international slate of artists spanning multiple musical traditions. The program will include Al-Qasar, Dale Watson & His Lone Stars with special guest Celine Lee, David Rivera & La Bámbula, Insun Park & Generals, Maria Mazzotta, The Naghash Ensemble, Nidia Góngora, Raiatea Helm, Saami Brothers featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, and Vopli Vidopliassova. The event will highlight globally rooted sounds alongside music developed within the United States.

PASTORAL

Renowned choreographer Pam Tanowitz will return to Lincoln Center with Pastoral (January 11–13), an evening-length work created with composer Caroline Shaw and painter Sarah Crowner. Originally set to Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, the piece will feature Shaw’s newly composed score, reframing Beethoven’s themes through a contemporary lens. Crowner’s large-scale designs will serve as the visual environment for the production, which integrates dance, music, and visual art.

SONGWRITER/STORYTELLER

Lincoln Center will continue its focus on singer-songwriters at the David Rubenstein Atrium with Songwriter/Storyteller (January 22–31). The series will feature No-No Boy, Luna Li, River Whyless, Dámaris Bójor, Wild Pink, and Miriam Elhajli, each offering performances centered on narrative craft and musical authorship. The program will highlight artists whose work spans folk, indie, and contemporary songwriting traditions.

SONGS FROM LIQUID DAYS

Lincoln Center and New Latin Wave will present the first staged revival in decades of Philip Glass’s Songs from Liquid Days on January 25. The concert will feature The Philip Glass Ensemble alongside guest artists including Darian Donovan Thomas, Magos Herrera, Sasha Gutiérrez, Melisa Bonetti, Kayla Viviana, Angel Raii Gomez, Britt Hewitt, and the Ivalas Quartet. The performance will explore the album’s lasting influence and cross-generational impact since its release in 1986.

CONTESTED SITES OF MEMORY

Presented in collaboration with Shore Art Advisory, Carrie Mae Weems will debut Contested Sites of Memory for two performances in Alice Tully Hall on January 29–30. The multimedia work will combine live music, spoken word, and video installation. The presentation will mark a continuation of Weems’s investigations into history, representation, and cultural memory.