Festival of Firsts

The fifth annual Festival of Firsts showcases performers boldly exploring new artistic territories. Experience this only-in-New York series of premiere performances, U.S. debuts, album debuts, and career milestone sets—all for free. This year’s lineup includes three major U.S. debuts: Bogotá indie rockers Nicolás y Los Fumadores; Spanish-Chilean indie folk and flamenco pioneers Emilia y Pablo; and LOL: Laughing Out Lonely, a solo opera by acclaimed countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen. Catch Lincoln Center premieres from JUNO Award–winning Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie, multidisciplinary titan suhREEtah, and Puerto Rican artist Brenda Navarrete—plus even more boundless creativity from a slate of performers destined for big things. You’ll spend the rest of the season saying, “I saw them first!”

Upcoming Events

October 07 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Blossom & The Shrub-Tones

Lincoln Center Presents

October 07 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

This hometown debut features Blossom—the singing cherry blossom—backed by her band The Shrub-Tones for an evening of uplifting jazz and puppetry.
ALL AGES
MUSIC
JAZZ
LINCOLN CENTER
DEBUT

October 08 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Elisapie

Lincoln Center Presents

October 08 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Celebrate the Lincoln Center debut of Elisapie, a Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter whose music melds modernity with Indigenous tradition.
ALL AGES
MUSIC
ROCK
LINCOLN CENTER
DEBUT

October 09 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Nicolás y Los Fumadores

Lincoln Center Presents

October 09 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Experience the U.S. debut of this Bogotá-based indie rock quartet, whose incisive, emotional lyricism and myriad rock influences resonate worldwide.
ALL AGES
MUSIC
INDIE
U.S. DEBUT

October 10 at 11:00 am

Festival of Firsts
Kids, Teens, and Families

The Past and The Curious Live

Fun Forgotten Firsts from History with Mick Sullivan

Lincoln Center Presents

October 10 at 11:00 am

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Mick Sullivan’s hit children’s podcast The Past and The Curious comes to life at Lincoln Center with the NY debut of Fun Forgotten Firsts from History.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY
MUSIC
THEATER
NY DEBUT

October 14 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Sophia Club: Live Philosophy

Gender Trouble from Rome to Byzantium, Featuring Kinlaw

Lincoln Center Presents

October 14 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Join Kristina Milnor, Leonora Neville, and Kinlaw for a conversation highlighting powerful feminist and genderqueer figures of the long Roman Empire.
ALL AGES
MUSIC
TALK
LINCOLN CENTER
DEBUT

October 15 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Mei Semones

Lincoln Center Presents

October 15 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Brooklyn-based guitarist and singer-songwriter shares her unique blend of alternative and jazz-influenced J-pop in this Lincoln Center debut.

ALL AGES
JAZZ
INDIE
LINCOLN CENTER
DEBUT

October 16 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Emilia y Pablo

Lincoln Center Presents

October 16 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Share in the splendor of Emilia y Pablo, a duo whose work explores flamenco and Latin American folk traditions, during their debut U.S. performance.

ALL AGES
WORLD MUSIC
Flamenco
U.S. DEBUT

October 17 at 5:00 pm

Festival of Firsts

LOL: Laughing Out Lonely

Lincoln Center Presents

October 17 at 5:00 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen pulls audiences into the far corners of the internet in a solo opera that's unlike anything you've witnessed.

Ages 13+
MUSIC
THEATER
U.S. DEBUT

October 17 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

LOL: Laughing Out Lonely

Lincoln Center Presents

October 17 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen pulls audiences into the far corners of the internet in a solo opera that's unlike anything you've witnessed.

Ages 13+
MUSIC
THEATER
U.S. DEBUT

October 21 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

Brenda Navarrete

Lincoln Center Presents

October 21 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

Batá drummer Navarrete transforms music into an expression of memory and the stage into sacred space during this performance of her debut solo album.
ALL AGES
WORLD MUSIC
NYC DEBUT

October 22 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts
Unsound New York

claire rousay & Martyna Basta / Keith "Giant Claw" Rankin & Julek Ploski

Lincoln Center Presents

October 22 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

American and Polish experimental sound artists present new joint projects showcasing their collaborative skills as electronic composers and performers.
ALL AGES
MUSIC
U.S. DEBUT

October 23 at 7:30 pm

Festival of Firsts

suhREEtah

Lincoln Center Presents

October 23 at 7:30 pm

location pin logoDavid Rubenstein Atrium

suhREEtah makes her Lincoln Center debut and presents her first album. Expand your mind with the artist's unique meld of spoken word, rap, and more.

ALL AGES
LINCOLN CENTER
DEBUT
Hip-Hop
JAZZ