LINCOLN CENTER’S AMERICAN SONGBOOK 2016 SEASON ANNOUNCED
JANUARY – APRIL 2016
The Appel Room and the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse Schedule Announced
Series Travels Across America to Reach New Audiences at Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, Arizona, in March.
Returning for its 17th season, Lincoln Center’s acclaimed series American Songbook will continue to broaden its scope in celebrating the best in American singing and songwriting as interpreted by top performers and rising stars, with events at three Lincoln Center venues. The series will expand to Mesa Arts Center, in Mesa, Arizona, with three performances in March. For the third time, American Songbook will partner with Prudential Investment Management for an online program, Invest in the Future of American Song, through which the audience selects the performer to open the American Songbook season at the David Rubenstein Atrium.
The Appel Room series opens with Vanessa Williams performing in the breathtaking space in Frederick P. Rose Hall on January 20, 2016. A vast and varied array of performances continues there through February 27 for 16 nights of great music. On the remarkable roster: a Peggy Lee tribute concert hosted by James Gavin, with Jane Monheit, Nellie McKay, and other special guests; Loudon Wainwright III; Rita Moreno; Craig Finn of The Hold Steady; the songs of Todd Almond, with special guest Courtney Love; Janis Ian; Jerry Dixon and Mario Cantone; an acoustic set by Foreigner; a concert version of Ricky Ian Gordon and Leonard Foglia’s chamber opera A Coffin in Egypt featuring the renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; Laura Jane Grace of the punk band Against Me!; Broadway’s Andy Karl and Orfeh; Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Bhi Bhiman in Swimming in Dark Waters—Other Voices of the American Experience; Latin fusion band La Santa Cecilia; gender illusionist Charles Busch; and Terri Lyne Carrington’s The Mosaic Project: Love & Soul featuring Valerie Simpson and Oleta Adams. On March 16, American Songbook shifts to the intimate Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in the Samuel B. & David Rose Building for six performances. Brooklyn-based Australian duo Luluc opens the series, followed by folk singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell; Broadway family The Cooper Clan, featuring Tony Award winner Chuck Cooper and his children Lilli, Eddie, and Alex; Liz Callaway singing the songs of Maltby & Shire; composer and vocalist Imani Uzuri; and the multi-talented Grace McLean. With a seating capacity of just 225, the Kaplan Penthouse allows performers to be heard to best advantage. Complimentary glasses of wine and bottled water are available to audience members, who are seated at cocktail tables. The Kaplan Penthouse also offers stunning city views. For the first time and in keeping with its mission of bringing the best of the performing arts to the broadest possible audience, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will curate an additional American Songbook festival throughout one long weekend, March 3–5, 2016, at Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona. For the third season, American Songbook will partner with Prudential Investment Management with Invest in the Future of American Song, an online competition through which the public chooses a performer for a free American Songbook concert at the David Rubenstein Atrium on January 19. Three performers have been nominated by Lincoln Center. Beginning on November 16, audience members will vote for their favorite artist via social media. The selection of the winner will be announced on December 14.