The two-week celebration – running Feb. 22-March 8, 2009 – marks the reopening of the Lincoln Center venue that is currently undergoing renovations. Most of the festival offerings will be presented free to the public, with others slated to cap prices at $25 and under. In addition to Stew, who takes to the stage March 6, 2009, at 8 PM as part of the American Songbook series, the Opening Nights Festival will offer performances from the Emerson String Quartet, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Juilliard Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and premieres from Alarm Will Sound and Bang on a Can All-Stars.

The Alice Tully Hall renovations include a new three-story-high, glass-enclosed cantilevered lobby, a mezzanine-level donor room for special events, translucent lit walls in the main auditorium, new custom theatre seats, an automated film screen, mechanized stage extensions, expanded dressing/choral spaces, extended stage wings and expanded restrooms and ticketing areas.

Most Opening Nights Festival tickets go on sale May 28. For tickets and further information visit www.lincolncenter.org.