LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring the Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts upon the occasion of its 50th Anniversary

WHEREAS, The arts, in whatever form depicted, are central to human
expression; they are truly a universal language and their contribution
to the development of friendship and understanding among all peoples
cannot be underestimated; and
WHEREAS, The history, the heritage, and the lives of the people of all
countries and all cultures are portrayed in their music and dance; the
art and act of sharing them enriches us altogether; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend those illustrious organizations that have brought entertainment
and cultural enrichment to the citizens of the great State of New York;
and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts upon the occasion of its 50th
Anniversary; and
WHEREAS, In May 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pushed a shovel
into the earth to break ground for the Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts, which pioneered the concept of a performing arts campus as a cata-
lyst for urban renewal and played a significant role in reviving its
Upper West Side neighborhood; and
WHEREAS, To commemorate this auspicious occasion, the Lincoln Center
for the Performing Arts will be holding a year-long series of events,
beginning on May 11, 2009, with a special ceremony in the newly trans-
formed Alice Tully Hall and ending with a campus-wide open house to
close the anniversary year; and
WHEREAS, The 50th Anniversary Celebration coincides with the physical
transformation of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, designed
to make the campus a more open, accessible and vibrant urban destina-
tion; and
WHEREAS, A model for performing arts centers around the world, the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is home to 12 world class resi-
dent organizations representing the highest standards of excellence in
opera, symphonic and chamber music, theater, jazz, dance, film and arts
education; and
WHEREAS, The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex, which
first opened in 1962, is the residence of: the Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln
Center, the Julliard School, the Lincoln Center Theater, the Metropol-
itan Opera, the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, the New
York Philharmonic, the New York Library for the Performing Arts, the
School of American Ballet and the Lincoln Center for the Performing
Arts; and
WHEREAS, It is most fitting that we take time to celebrate the arts of
our Nation, to honor our artists, and to express our appreciation to
everyone who patronizes the arts; and as we celebrate the arts, we cele-
brate and give thanks to our American freedom, the only atmosphere in
which artists can truly create and in which art is truly the expression
of the soul; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts upon the occasion of
its 50th Anniversary, fully confident that it will continue to enjoy the
sparkling success which has so characterized its past; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.