A wonderful summer tradition in New York City is to attend Lincoln Centre’s classical music series Mostly Mozart. This year marks a huge milestone for the festival showcasing 50 years of living, breathing and celebrating Mozart. A series of famous artists, world premieres and debuts will be featured over the five weeks from July 22 to August 27, 2016.

In addition to the performances, music lovers are able to attend lectures, panels and discussions with some of the world’s best in classical music. Music director Louis Langrée and members of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra will hold a lively discussion in the Atrium, followed by a special performance. The festival’s artists-in-residence, the International Contemporary Ensemble, will also celebrate the big anniversary with an ambitious 50 for 50 project, presenting 50 premieres across the campus.

At the center of the festival is the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the resident orchestra of the Mostly Mozart Festival and the only orchestra in the U.S. dedicated to the music of the Classical period. As their gift to the city the festival is offering a free concert preview on July 22nd at Damrosch Park from 7:30pm. Joining them on stage is star on the rise nineteen-year-old violinist Simone Porter. Ms. Porter at the age of 10 incredibly made her first professional solo debut with the Seattle Philharmonic. This will be a not to miss debut Mostly Mozart performance as Ms. Porter has already taken the rest of America by storm.  Another notable debut performance together are the storied Emerson String Quartet and pianist Emmanuel Ax, who will recreate Schubert’s wistful “Rosamunde” and the folk inspired sounds of Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A Major.

The seasonal summer festival began with performances dedicated to original works but has now grown to include new composed pieces inspired by Mozart. Don’t miss out on any of the five fun filled weeks of the Mostly Mozart festival by checking the calendar here.