NEW YORK, NY – (January 19, 2023) – See Me As I Am: Lincoln Center’s Year-Long Celebration of Terence Blanchard launches in March 2023, the first cross-campus exploration of a single artist. Following a long and deep relationship with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and building off of 2021’s historic staging of Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones at The Metropolitan Opera and its forthcoming production of Champion, his work will be featured across Lincoln Center in a diverse and expanded range of art forms. A collaboration of seven arts organizations across campus: Film at Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the year will feature jazz, opera, chamber music, orchestral music, film scores, dance, and more.
“One of the original promises of Lincoln Center was to bring together a consortium of arts organizations working in concert to explore what can be achieved artistically together. There are many great joys and possibilities within this promise and we intend to delve deeply into them all—reaffirming this founding vision and finding intersections through rich collaborations such as these,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “Terence is the true embodiment of a multi-disciplinary artist and creator, and we are thrilled to be coming together as a campus to center this incredible artist in such a unique way. This banner year shines a light on his impressive canon, looking back on several career highlights in multiple genres, championing some of his lesser-known works, and celebrating his deep focus on artistic works of conscience.”
An esteemed trumpeter, performer, composer, and music educator, Blanchard has been a pioneering artistic force throughout his career. As a prolific film composer, he has scored dozens of feature films, including several major collaborations with director Spike Lee. Most recently at Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Opera premiered his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which opened their 2021-22 season, marking the first opera by a Black composer to premiere at the Met.
Showcasing more than half of Lincoln Center’s resident organizations, this first-of-its-kind exploration celebrates the six-time GRAMMY® Award winner and double Oscar® nominee through music, film, and movement.
“I’m overjoyed at the idea of bringing all of my musical experiences together to make one statement about the importance of human connection,” said Terence Blanchard. “Every part of this residency reflects how much I love music on a broader level— I can’t help but feel blessed with how I’ve been to be able to spread my wings.”
Held over twelve months beginning in March 2023, the year of activity includes the following events. Additional events and details will be announced in the coming months:
—Film screening at Film at Lincoln Center on March 20 of the documentary Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues directed by Sacha Jenkins with film score composed by Blanchard. A Q+A with Blanchard will follow the screening.
—The New York premiere of his critically-acclaimed first opera Champion, based on the story of boxer Emile Griffith, presented by The Metropolitan Opera, April 10-May 13.
—A panel on Champion presented by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on April 13.
—The New York premiere of Island Prayers, with the Turtle Island Quartet, an ambitious, multi-composer commission featuring works by Blanchard and Rhiannon Giddens and others, co-commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Meany Performing Arts Center, and The Music Hall.
—Juilliard will prominently feature work by Terence Blanchard in cross-disciplinary performances and workshops and will create opportunities for the school’s students and faculty to collaborate with Blanchard during the year-long celebration.
—At Jazz at Lincoln Center, Blanchard performs his jazz works in a two-night career retrospective in March 2024.
—An on-campus retrospective exhibition of Blanchard and his career.
—A microsite devoted to Blanchard’s multifaceted canon, featuring a career retrospective, digital interviews, and a portal to select livestreams of performances throughout the year.