This season Carnegie Hall looks to America’s own dynamic culture as a source of enduring and inspirational music with two major festivals: Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds and Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, curated by Jessye Norman.

The cultural hotbed that produced a wealth of music ranging from hip-hop to a musical like On the Town— all in the space of 50 years—has its roots in the rich variety of American identities. For over two centuries African American artists have continually reinvigorated our music, finding inspiration in their roots and traditions. Similarly, Leonard Bernstein captivated us with his own unmistakable, vivid creativity by drawing from both his Jewish American heritage and his classical training.

All these talents found nurturing ground in this country. As the great American writer Eudora Welty once wrote, a work of art “signifies the more because it does spring so wholly out of its place, and the sap has run up into it as into a tree.”

We invite you to experience two of those journeys that lie at the heart of America’s music and of the cultural flowerings they have borne.