Lincoln Center is playing a fanfare for Terence Blanchard. The arts organization is announcing a first-of-its-kind yearlong celebration of the trumpeter and composer, See Me As I Am, kicking off this March. The series comes after the Metropolitan Opera opened its 2021–22 season with Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, its first opera by a Black composer. See Me As I Am will reach far beyond Blanchard’s opera work, though, incorporating his jazz career and film scoring, notably his long-standing collaboration with Spike Lee. Along with performances, the series will include educational collaborations with Juilliard and the New York Public Library 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,” said Shanta Thake, Lincoln Center’s chief artistic officer, in a press release.
See Me As I Am begins March 20 with a Film at Lincoln Center screening of the 2022 documentary Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, which Blanchard scored. Highlights include the New York premiere of Blanchard’s 2013 first opera, Champion, based on the life of the boxer Emile Griffith, and a two-night retrospective performance by Blanchard to close the series. “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,” Blanchard said in a press release. Find the currently planned events, with more to come throughout the year, below.
March 20, 2023: Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues at Film at Lincoln Center
April 10–May 13, 2023: Champion at the Metropolitan Opera
April 13, 2023: A panel on Champion at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
March 2024: A two-night Terence Blanchard performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center
To be scheduled/ongoing:
- Island Prayers, a multi-composer commission including music by Blanchard and Rhiannon Giddens, at Lincoln Center
- Multiple Juilliard performances and workshops
- A retrospective exhibition of Blanchard’s career
