YEARS ON AIR: 1976–present
HOST: various
On the evening of January 30, 1976, PBS viewers were able to watch a live performance by the New York Philharmonic playing along with piano maestros Van Cliburn and Andre Previn (who chose pieces by Berlioz, Grieg, and Strauss). Since then, Live from Lincoln Center has brought a staggering wealth of ballet, theater, opera, and concerts into households all across America. Sadly, viewership, never great to begin with, had declined over the years. In an effort to win over new fans, the show has tapped a slew of celebrity hosts, including Alec Baldwin and Alan Alda.
NOTABLE GUESTS: Ray Charles, Joshua Bell, Audra McDonald, Beverly Sills, Wynton Marsalis, Danny Kaye, and violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo Yo Ma, and pianist Emmanuel Ax (below, performing together for a 2010 show celebrating the work of Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7UYIDAYwAc]