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Announcements

David Finckel and Wu Han extend contract with CMS through 2026-27 Season

December 17, 2021
David Finckel and Wu Han Photo by Alex Irvin

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) announced today the five-year renewal of the artistic director contracts for David Finckel and Wu Han. The renewed contract runs through the end of the 2026-27 season. Finckel and Wu Han assumed the roles of artistic directors beginning with the 2004-2005 season, and at the completion of this renewed contract, they will become the longest-serving artistic directors in the organization’s history.

“We are honored to receive CMS’s vote of confidence to continue leading the organization on the path we have forged,” said David Finckel and Wu Han. “CMS’s responsibility to serve the art of chamber music at Lincoln Center constitutes a strong, clear mission which guides our work in all aspects. We pledge to remain true to that mission, and to deliver programming and performances of the highest artistic excellence.”

CMS Executive Director Suzanne Davidson said, “David and Wu Han have been a powerful engine since they joined us in 2004. During their tenure, they expanded our Bowers program for young artists and greatly expanded the stellar, international roster of musicians on our stages, both in New York and beyond. They created new opportunities to tour nationally and internationally, at prestigious venues around the country -- including Chicago’s Harris Theater, Wolf Trap, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach -- to major cities across four continents. And since the pandemic began, our indefatigable artistic directors created nearly 200 digital programs that included concert footage from our archives as well as newly created programming that has reached a global audience. And as soon as it was feasible to gather outdoors, they produced a free outdoor summer concert series in Damrosch Park. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for us over the next five years.”

Chair of the CMS Board of Directors Elinor Hoover said, “We are delighted that David and Wu Han will continue their tenure at CMS for another five years. Their artistic vision for CMS has nurtured our souls and brought solace to many during the pandemic. Their tireless energy, singular insight, and ambitious leadership have made CMS the global institution it is today, and we’re confident they will bring CMS to even greater heights.”