The New York City premiere of Parable of the Sower will take place July 14 at David Geffen Hall, as part of Lincoln Center's annual Summer for the City series. The operatic adaptation of Octavia E. Butler's 1993 sci-fi Afrofuturist novel and its sequel Parable of the Talents is written and composed by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon, and will be directed by Eric Ting and Signe V. Harriday. A concert version of the opera was performed as part of the Public Theater's Under the Radar festival in 2015, and then again in 2018, but this will be the first full-staged performance of the work in New York City.
The eight-week arts and culture festival will include music, theatre, and dance performances across Lincoln Center's entire campus, which will be remodeled by designer Clint Ramos to feature new greenery, outdoor games, and performance spaces for Summer or the City's many events. Just a few of the highlights of the 2023 lineup include:
A performance of Stephen Sondheim's Company presented by Deaf Broadway at Damrosch Park August 2. The live performance, directed by James Caverly and starring Deaf Broadway co-founder Garrett Zuercher as Bobby, will be accompanied by a projected video of the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert production starring Neil Patrick Harris and Patti LuPone. This performance of Company follows Deaf Broadway's performances of Sweeney Todd in 2022 and Into The Woods in 2021.
Korean Arts Week begins July 19 with a Musical Theatre Storytime hosted by Helen Park at 11:30 AM, followed that night at 7:30 PM by K-Indie Music Night featuring punk band Crying Nut and indie rock band Say Sue Me. The following several days will see a full-campus celebration of Korean arts and culture.
The Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra returns to Lincoln Center July 22-August 12, presenting seven programs, which will include performances of four of Mozart's symphonies, his second flute concerto, and the Mass in C minor with soloists Erin Morley, Kate Lindsey, Nicholas Phan, and Jonathon Adams. Mozart's works will be interspersed with works by other composers, both classical and contemporary, including a world premiere by jazz trumpeter Amir ElSaffar.
The BAAND Together Dance Festival will bring together five New York dance companies — Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem — for a series of workshops and performances from July 25-July 29.
Visit LincolnCenter.org to view the full schedule.
