Lincoln Center’s summer festival returns with hundreds of free or $5 performances

Lincoln Center’s sweeping summer arts festival is back for its fourth season, with more than 200 free or $5 minimum “choose-what-you-pay” events, ranging from jazz and classical music to dance and theater to opera and comedy.

Highlights of “Summer for the City" include shows from the foundational psych-rock band Os Mutantes, an opening night party on June 11 featuring boundary-pushing jazz composer and performer Robert Glasper, and a theatrical retelling of the Indian epic the Mahabharata.

The festival celebrates Lincoln Center’s “founding promise to always enliven the city with arts for all New Yorkers,” said Shanta Thake, chief artistic officer for the performing arts center.

Along with individual performances, there are a number of curated series, including 10 New York premieres from the American Modern Opera Company, which is making its Lincoln Center debut. “Harawi,” an hourlong song cycle, features soprano Julia Bullock, pianist Conor Hanick and choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith.

The BAAND Together dance festival brings five of New York’s most lauded dance companies onto one stage, including Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispánico, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre in late July.

Nadia Sirota, the violist and conductor who won a Peabody Award for her WQXR podcast “Meet the Composer,” is curating a new music series called “Living Music Underground,” featuring artists from ambient, electronic, classical, jazz and experimental music. (WQXR, like Gothamist, is owned by New York Public Radio.)

The festival’s tradition of devoting a week of programming to one country will continue with Brazil Week. In addition to Os Mutantes, Brazil Week will showcase seven-time Latin Grammy-winner Lenine, soul singer Liniker and an art exhibition from the Instituto Museu Itamar Assumpção.

As always, the main plaza of the Lincoln Center campus will be transformed into a dance floor underneath an enormous disco ball, with DJ sets and live performances across tango, country, disco, bachata, salsa and more.

“Summer for the City” runs from June 11 to Aug. 9. Nearly all performances are free, but some indoor shows are “choose what you pay,” starting at $5 per ticket. These go on sale to the general public at noon on May 15 here, and on May 8 for Lincoln Center members. “Fast Track” reservations that allow priority admission to free events will be available Mondays at noon for that week’s events here.