David Amram's New York

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is thrilled to celebrate the acquisition of composer David Amram's archive. Amram was the paramount musician to the Beat Generation, having established the poetry reading and jazz sessions in the sixties with his good friend Jack Kerouac. He's collaborated with an astonishing array of diverse, luminary artists, from Charles Mingus to Odetta to Elia Kazan to Frank McCourt. Amram has composed over 100 orchestral and chamber music works, two operas, plus scores for the films Splendor in The Grass and The Manchurian Candidate, while balancing a career as a pioneering jazz improviser, Native American flute player, and music educator.

We invite you to get to know Mr. Amram personally, by joining him for a stroll around Lincoln Center and the surrounding neighborhood. David has been an essential member of the Lincoln Center community for decades. He’s a past music director of the Lincoln Center Theater and a former composer in residence of the New York Philharmonic. Amram continues to perform on the Jazz at Lincoln Center series and on Lincoln Center Out of Doors series. Join Amram, plus author Bill Morgen and sociologist Audrey Sprenger, for a walking tour of the Lincoln Center campus and other nearby cultural landmarks that have influenced his life and music. David has many inspirational and charming stories to share.

Find details about the walking tour, and more events and information on our press page.

Here's a map of the route we'll follow on April 26, with some comments by David about each stop on the tour.