Lincoln Center Presents Elio Villafranca: Don’t Change My Name

The culture and religion of Cuba’s Arará people blooms from the bitter soil of slavery. Originating from Benin (then Dahomey), the kidnapped Arará of the 16th and 17th centuries found themselves literally branded into servitude, renamed and dehumanized. The historical figure of Florentina Zulueta overcame just such childhood trauma and grew to be inextricably linked with her community’s fight for freedom. Pianist and composer Elio Villafranca’s new symphonic work, Don’t Change My Name, explores the history and music of the Arará, both in the Caribbean and Africa, using Zulueta’s story as a touchstone. A critically beloved fixture at concert halls across NYC, Villafranca’s Don’t Change My Name continues his bold and intellectually rigorous reconsideration of Afro-Cuban jazz.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 7:30pm
WHERE: David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center
ADDRESS: 61 W 62nd St, New York, NY 10023, USA

This event is free and open to the public. Seating and entry are first-come, first-served; the line will form at the Atrium’s entrance on Broadway, between 62nd and 63rd Street.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Guest Experience at 212-875-5456 or guestexperience@lincolncenter.org.