Lincoln Center to Host Block Party Celebrating Sixty Years

This May, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) marks the 60th anniversary of the center's groundbreaking. Lincoln Center has grown to become home for eleven distinguished cultural organizations and is an international leader in arts education, serving more than 6 million people on campus annually and millions more through broadcast and digital channels.

A block party anchors the celebratory events on Saturday, May 4, from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm, with free activities, performances, and community art-making from the constituent organizations that comprise Lincoln Center. Musical Director Sunny Jain will coordinate the day's performances, leading a series of concerts on the plaza. Additional performances and details about the block party will be announced in the coming weeks.

"The spirit of community is central to Lincoln Center," said incoming President and CEO, Henry Timms, whose tenure begins on May 6. "As we mark this anniversary and look to the future, we are so proud to bring together our phenomenal constituent organizations and invite all New Yorkers to celebrate the power of the performing arts across our campus."

In front of a crowd of 12,000 and a TV audience of millions, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presided over Lincoln Center's groundbreaking on May 14, 1959. He described it as "a great cultural adventure," saying, in part, "Here will occur a true interchange of the fruits of national cultures. From this will develop a growth that will spread to the corners of the Earth, bringing with it the kind of human message that only individuals-not governments-can transmit." The ceremony included a performance of the U.S. national anthem by the New York Philharmonic and Juilliard Chorus, as well as solo performances by singers from The Metropolitan Opera, with Leonard Bernstein as master of ceremonies.

A Diamond Jubilee Gala will be held on Sunday, May 5, at 5:30 pm. The evening will honor four families who have shown exemplary service to Lincoln Center: The Audrey and Martin Gruss Family, The Rockefeller Family, The Daisy and Paul Soros Family, and The Laurie M. Tisch Family. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Photo Credit: Mark Bussell