Search

Lincoln Center Free: The Best Events Coming Up at the Rubinstein Atrium

Lincoln Center Free: As one of New York City’s premier cultural institutions, Lincoln Center is full of amazing events, from performances by the New York City Ballet and Metropolitan Opera to the Broadway production of The King & I. But those wishing to experience a Lincoln Center performance without even paying a dime are also in luck, thanks to the David Rubinstein Atrium.

david rubenstein atrium

The Atrium, which is located across the street from the main Lincoln Center campus between 62ndand 63rd Streets on the Upper West Side, is a public space and visitor center, offering discount tickets, public seating, and a ‘wichcraft café. The space also plays host to a varied program of free performances and discussions that are open to the public, with a slate of events sure to appeal to any cultural fan.

On November 5, the Atrium will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States with a starry evening of spoken word and music from such performers as Viggo Mortensen, Peter Sarsgaard, and Stew. The event kicks off a year-long social justice project by Lincoln Center Education and the High School of the Arts, Imagination and Inquiry. Another patriotic event will take place on November 12, when arts professionals in all disciplines who have military backgrounds will join together for The Home Show, an all-veteran arts showcase presented by the Lincoln Center Veterans Initiative.

chop and quence david rubenstein

The centerpiece of the Atrium’s programming are its free concerts, and this month features a diverse lineup that includes such groups as Bossa Nova musicians Max Hatt and Edda Glass and Chop and Quench, a musical group of former cast and band members from FELA! The Musical. On November 19, Indian classical music will be on display at the Gen Y Raga Forum. This evening of music and discussion features millennial Indian classical musicians, who will illuminate the relevance and significance of the artform among today’s young artists.

The Rubinstein Atrium provides a wonderful space to not only see artists perform, but also speak about their work. Earlier this year, the Atrium kicked off an “Artist to Artist” conversation series, with past participants including legendary composer Alan Menken and actor/director David Hyde Pierce. That series will continue on November 6, when stage and screen actor Gabriel Byrne will speak with Will Rogers, an up-and-coming actor who most recently appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies. Later that evening, audiences can learn more about Lincoln Center’s more high-profile programming in a Late Night Salon with New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert and several beloved stars who have appeared at Lincoln Center.

Families are not excluded from the Atrium’s programming, with the space playing host to several specific “LC Kids” events this month. On November 7, the Grammy Award-winning duo The Okee Dokee Brothers will be playing. For a more literary event, children can listen to author/illustrator Patrick McDonnell read his children’s book Thank You and Good Night on November 21. The event is part of a continuing series of events featuring children’s book authors reading their own books, presented by Lincoln Center in conjunction with Little, Brown and Company.

okee dokee brothers

Rubinestein Atrium Architectural Elements

• Two 21-foot-high vertical gardens with living plants surrounded by seating, creating a  lush sanctuary
• A floor-to-ceiling fountain incorporating streams of water falling into a small basin surrounded on three sides by dark blue stone
• A media wall that displays visitor and Lincoln Center performance information and serves as a canvas for video presentations
•  A wall art installation on 114 panels by noted Dutch textile artisan Claudy Jongsta
• 16 architecturally distinctive “occuli” lighting fixtures that bring natural light into the atrium’s interior

For more information about the David Rubinstein Auditorium at Lincoln Center and its programming, visit atrium.lincolncenter.org.

About the Author

Alison Durkee is a New York-based arts journalist and critic with a background in theatre and dance. She currently serves as the Features Editor of London theatre website Everything Theatre and also covers news and politics for Mic.com.

Bringing a group to NYC? Free planning services

Let us know what you are looking for and we will try to connect you directly and get discounts.

Enter the code: 3972

More Articles