Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has appointed Dr. Lee Bynum to steer its education work. Dr. Bynum will construct upon the organization’s storied history and re-imagine the role of education at Lincoln Center in keeping with the organization’s commitment to its constituents, equity, and innovation.
Bynum joins Lincoln Center as of February 1, 2023.
“Lee’s work is incredibly inspiring. A rare combination of scholar and practitioner, he has challenged so many to up their game in achieving deep impact and broad connection. We stay up for him bringing his unique abilities to Lincoln Center, to assist us all construct a wealthy future by re-imagining it,” said Henry Timms, President and CEO of LCPA.
“Lee is a deeply dedicated advocate for the humanities, and a passionate and effective leader connecting artists, communities, and institutions,” said Shanta Thake, Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer of LCPA. “We share the deeply held belief that the humanities are central to our society’s well-being. We’re thrilled for Lee to hitch Lincoln Center.”
Most recently, as Vice President for Impact at Minnesota Opera, Bynum led a change of the corporate’s approach to pedagogy inside its classical music curricular initiatives and helped expand the canon to make sure the work of underrepresented creators was featured on its stages. He also led a community commissioning program and introduced opera to a young, diverse audience through The Rating podcast.
An achieved scholar and historian, Bynum’s published research focuses on the contributions of underrepresented people in the humanities. His doctoral work at Columbia University explored the history of music education and training of classical musicians of color.
On the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Bynum supported quite a few modern arts education initiatives-including overseeing the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, a world scholar-development program; supporting K-12 music teaching programs at community music schools, programs to diversify the ranks of museum curatorial staffs, and the creation of arts majors at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges and Johnson C. Smith and Tuskegee Universities; and strategizing with partners in the humanities and better education to develop diversity-related initiatives, including jazz preservation and classical music training programs.
“Arts education is an expansive discipline through which individuals of all ages and backgrounds engage with lived experiences, personal creativity, and shared stories across community,” said Bynum, incoming Chief Education Officer at LCPA. “I even have experienced arts education from a mess of perspectives – including as a teaching artist in theater and music early in my profession – and know we’re all strongest when the performing arts are a part of our day by day lives. I’m so looking forward to joining Lincoln Center, a spot that occupies a lot possibility across disciplines and opportunity to craft latest narratives.”
About Dr. Lee Bynum
In February 2023, Dr. Lee Bynum will assume the role of Chief Education Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, after previously holding leadership posts on the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Minnesota Opera, and Columbia University. Lee also has served on the boards of The Dream Unfinished Orchestra, Luna Composition Lab, American Composers Forum, the Black Feminist Project, Diaspora Community Services, TakeRoot Justice, and as founding artistic director of the Harmony Theatre Company in Latest York City. Moreover, Lee consults on equitable praxis within the performing arts with Aspen Leadership Group and The Inclusion Firm, and has been invited to talk on these topics by the National Endowment for the Arts, the British Consulate in Latest York, Opera America, the League of American Orchestras, the Museum of Arts and Design, Flint Institute of Music, the Sphinx Organization, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Universities of Hong Kong, Cape Town, California, Puerto Rico, Virginia, and Birmingham (UK). Lee also cohosts The Rating, a Latest York Times-recommended podcast on art and culture from a Black queer perspective. A public historian of classical music, theatre, dance, and popular culture, Lee has published a book chapter, peer-reviewed articles, commentary, and reference works for the university presses of Oxford, Harvard, NYU, and Columbia. An lively composer and librettist, Bynum currently is completing two operas, which have been commissioned by corporations in the US and United Kingdom. As a dramaturg, he has collaborated on the event of latest works with American Opera Projects, the John Duffy Institute for Latest Opera, the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Minnesota Opera, Virginia Opera, and Columbia University. Lee received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Columbia University.
About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is the steward of the world’s leading performing arts center, a creative and civic cornerstone for Latest York City comprised of 11 resident corporations on a 16-acre campus. The nonprofit’s strategic priorities include: supporting the humanities organizations that decision Lincoln Center home to comprehend their missions and fostering opportunities for collaboration across campus; championing inclusion and increasing the accessibility and reach of Lincoln Center’s work; and reimagining and strengthening the performing arts for the twenty first century and beyond, helping ensure their rightful place at the middle of civic life.
