Lincoln center will get a new leader

Henry Timms is leaving. I’m happy because he turned the place into a zoo. I hope they restore Lincoln Center as an elegant place for classical music.

Being president of Lincoln Center is a tough gig. You have to deal with screaming constituent organizations, it's mostly a management role, LC does very little producing in their own right (outside of the new Summer in the City festival which appears to have been a rousing success), and they don't exclusively program any venues.

He's done a great job of laying the groundwork for a more equitable Lincoln Center that appeals to more than the dying, blue-haired Upper West Siders, and I hope they do move forward with a facelift of the west side of the campus.

Updated On: 2/8/24 at 09:58 AM

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' mission is TO SUSTAIN, ENCOURAGE, AND PROMOTE THE PERFORMING ARTS AND TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC WITH RELATION THERETO.

That's what it is and was always "about."

That's what the Summer in the City Festival was about. It's a vehicle for bringing people onto the campus –– especially those who haven't been there before –– and offering public events that give back to the community. That's what a major nonprofit landlord should be doing.

If people want to hear classical music written before they were born, there are still hundreds of offerings on that campus every year to satiate them. Focusing almost exclusively on classical and instrumental music is a great way for an organization to die, and those who have a problem with such evolutions within arts institutions tend to sound like MAGA extremists.

Broadway Flash said: "What does a dance party have to do with the programming at LC? I doubt summer in the city brought new people in. Probably people who either go to Lincoln center, or people who have never seen anything there and just wanted to dance. It was tacky and I hope they don’t do it again."

You contradicted yourself here. You doubt it brought new people in and then say it might have brought new people who have never seen anything then and wanted to dance. I thought it was kinda cool and it did likely bring in new people. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Dancingthrulife2 said: "Just to be clear, this is about Lincoln Center, not Lincoln Center Theater right?"

Correct. This is about Henry Timms, head of the Lincoln Center parent organization, and it has little bearing on LCT's activities.

Andre Bishop's successor at Lincoln Center Theater has not yet been named (though I speculated on another thread that Kwame Kwei-Armah, who's leaving the Old Vic, could be a good candidate).

Broadway Flash said: "Yeah I’m sure new people went to the disco. How many of them purchased a ticket to the ny Phil afterwards?"

I mean, that is a good question. Assuming the summer events were ticketed (free or not), LC (should have) captured patron information to add to mailing lists and email blasts. With more modern programming at the Met, movies with a live orchestra, and programming at Jazz at LC, they may have been able to capture some new audiences. Only they would know this data, but it is possible. As someone who works in hospitality, I sent many people to their events last summer and got excellent feedback, so if nothing else, it brought an awareness of LC to people who had never been. Which was rather the part of the point in the long run.

Mariko Silver has been announced as the 12th President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She worked in the Obama administration. She has a foreign policy background, and worked at DHS. I’m sick of these people coming in and not having any relevant experience. She’s probably barely walked in any of those theatres. Is it too much to ask for to get someone who actually knows what goes on? Apparently she’s gonna build on the summer for the city. That thing needs to be stopped, not ramped up. And i also read that she’s gonna build on the reimagining of the Amsterdam Avenue side of Lincoln center. Cant wait for that one.

Updated On: 8/8/24 at 03:40 AM

Broadway Flash said: "Yeah I’m sure new people went to the disco. How many of them purchased a ticket to the ny Phil afterwards?"

Here’s an idea. If you don’t like the dance parties, DON’T GO TO THEM!!!!!!!

Excuse me mods, it is a well known fact that Lincoln center is a high target for terrorists. That is not controversial, that is a fact. They are always trying to go after cultural institutions. On the anniversary of 9/11 we should discuss that and make sure people remain vigilant, and deleting this conversation is doing a disservice to New Yorkers and visitors.

No im not, im just making a point that this new lady could use her homeland security skills to keep Lincoln center safe. Thats about the only thing she can contribute to Lincoln center, as far as I’m concerned.

I’m glad there is some new blood. Lincoln Center is large enough to expand its audience and still focus on classical art forms. I hope Ms. Silver creates some festivals with broad appeal. I personally miss The White Light Festival and American Songbook.

If there were to be an attack, Lincoln Center is far from a likely target. Times Square and the theatre district are more at risk than Lincoln Center will ever be. It’s Times Square, an area known the world over with a lot more people there.

Remember, in 2012 when Mike Tyson had his one man show on Broadway, someone went onto twitter stating that they were planning to shoot up the theatre. Even going so far to say that it would be worse than the at the time, Aurora Colorado movie theatre shooting. And, also a few years back, there was a guy who tried to detonate a car bomb in the middle of Times Square. So no, it’s not a well known fact that Lincoln Center is in any danger. You’re just idiotically stirring the pot because you’re utterly clueless.

There was a list I saw maybe three years ago of the top terrorist targets in America. Most of them were in New York and Washington and Lincoln center was in the top 10. And now with everything that’s going on in Gaza, the terrorists only hate us even more, and the threat has been heightened. This is coming from the intelligence community and all the security officials across the government. So, no, it is not throwing a Molotov cocktail into the discussion. It is the truth. And frankly, those security guards are useless. I’ve been to the stage doors at Lincoln center, there’s constantly people coming in and out especially at David geffen. The people who work there but also outside contractors. I’ve seen alarms going off and they didn’t even know how to stop it.