Lincoln Center New Year's Broadcast To Feature NY Philharmonic

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — This year's New Year's Eve celebration at Lincoln Center will feature a performance by the New York Philharmonic and several stars of the stage, the performing arts center announced Wednesday.

The philharmonic will perform a tribute to legendary composer Leonard Bernstein during the annual "Live at Lincoln Center" broadcast to ring in 2018. The performance will feature Broadway stars Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit, who will perform selections from some of Bernstein's most notable works.

"Live From Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic are a New Year’s Eve tradition for millions of Americans around the country," Andrew Carl Wilk, Executive Producer of Live From Lincoln Center, said in a statement. "We’re proud to be celebrating the legendary Leonard Bernstein this year with such brilliant performers, who will bring their enormous talent and personal interpretations to some of the great composer’s most iconic music."

Live at Lincoln Center will be broadcast on PBS betweeen 9-11 p.m. on Dec. 31, according to a press release. Six-time Tony Award winning actress Audra McDonald will host the broadcast. McDonald will take viewers through a retrospective of Bernstein's career during an intermission in the performance.

"As someone who was privileged to meet and work with Bernstein and to attend his classes at Tanglewood, it is always a huge honor to conduct his orchestra in his music," said New York Philharmonic conductor Bramwell Tovey. "Part of his genius was composing works that transcend classical music and resonate deeply in the popular canon. I’m thrilled to be part of this uplifting evening and, through PBS, to bring these masterpieces to audiences around the country."

In addition to the broadcast, fans of the New York Philharmonic can catch a behind the scenes look at preparation for the New Year's Eve concert by checking out Lincoln Center's Facebook page during the day.

Live at Lincoln center is a New Year's Eve tradition that started in 1984, according to a press release. The inaugural event featured the New York Philharmonic, and the group has returned nearly every year since.

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