Cynthia Erivo to Perform at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Benefit
Annual Event Raises Funds to Support Keeping Extraordinary
Arts Experiences Accessible to Every New Yorker
New York, NY (October 8, 2026) - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) announced today that Emmy®, Tony®, 2x Grammy® Award-winning and 3x Academy Award nominated actress, singer, author and producer Cynthia Erivo will headline the upcoming Lincoln Center Benefit Concert Featuring Cynthia Erivo on Monday, November 16 at David Geffen Hall. Concert-only tickets for this must-see New York appearance will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, October 13 at 12pm ET.
The annual event will support the institution’s bold commitment to arts accessibility for all through its Free and Choose What You Pay programming – a trailblazing model that helps ensure Lincoln Center Presents season events can be experienced by everyone.
Since 2022, LCPA’s Free and Choose-What-You-Pay model has helped bring nearly 3 million people to the Lincoln Center campus through performances, educational events, festivals, and open-air experiences. By lowering barriers to discovery, this approach welcomes more people into the life of Lincoln Center and reflects the organization’s commitment to centering the arts in everyday life, ensuring extraordinary artistic experiences remain within reach, and building the next generation of audiences in New York City.
“The arts belong to everyone, and everyone should feel that they belong at Lincoln Center,” said Mariko Silver, President and CEO of LCPA. “That belief is at the heart of everything we do. We are profoundly grateful to the supporters who help us open our doors wider, bring extraordinary artists to New York, and ensure that more people can experience the joy, connection, and possibility the arts create.”
A two-time Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award winner and three-time Academy Award nominee, Cynthia Erivo has become one of the most compelling and versatile artists of her generation. Her acclaimed portrayal of Elphaba in the Wicked films earned her widespread recognition, including Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and NAACP nominations. Earlier this year, she returned to the West End in Dracula, taking on 23 characters in an ambitious one-woman production. An accomplished recording artist as well as an actor, Erivo recently earned her second Grammy Award for “Defying Gravity,” performed with Ariana Grande. Erivo’s last performance with LCPA was her acclaimed 2019 engagement in the Appel Room, recorded for PBS.
The Lincoln Center Benefit Concert Featuring Cynthia Erivo is one of a number of fundraising events LCPA hosts to bring together supporters passionate about the institution’s mission and impact. Recent, exclusive events have included an In Concert: Shuffle Along, or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed post-show cast party for Choose-What-You-Pay Champions, whose generous support helps broaden access to the arts and welcome new audiences.
Upcoming events include a Family Benefit on December 5. To learn more, please reach out to [email protected].
For more information, visit LincolnCenter.org/CynthiaErivo.
Imagery may be accessed here.
About Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center is a premier performing arts center and iconic civic cultural campus. A beacon for the arts in New York City and around the world, Lincoln Center opened in 1962. The 16-acre campus is home to eleven resident arts organizations dedicated to uplifting the role of art and artists in our society, providing a destination for global artistic voices, training the next generation of great artists, and creating unforgettable experiences for all New Yorkers: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film at Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and School of American Ballet. Lincoln Center welcomes millions of people for thousands of performances each year, anchoring New York City’s legendary creative life and greatly impacting its civic and economic wellbeing.
About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the Lincoln Center campus is a destination that welcomes all—where every visitor, whether a native New Yorker or New Yorker for a day, can find inspiration, artistic innovation, and community in the creative achievements realized on campus. Year-round, we offer robust seasons of programming, representing a broad spectrum of performing arts disciplines and complementing the artistic and educational activities of the 10 fellow resident arts organizations with whom we share a home. LCPA presents hundreds of programs each year, all offered for Free and Choose-What-You-Pay, helping ensure that the arts are at the center of civic life for all.
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We are grateful to our Board of Directors for their leadership and generous support
in making our work possible
Operation of Lincoln Center’s public plazas is supported in part with public funds
provided by the City of New York
Programs are made possible, in part, with public funds provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, Mayor of the City of New York, the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council
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For more information, please contact:
Isabel Sinistore / Rosie Marinelli
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
[email protected] / [email protected]
APEX Public Relations
Elyse Weissman
[NOTE] If you are interested in covering the Lincoln Center Benefit Concert Featuring Cynthia Erivo, please fill out the Press Credential Application HERE by Monday, November 2.