ABOUT THE LIED

ABOUT THE LIED

Image of Bill Stephan sitting in the iconic red seats of the Lied Center auditorium

A SEASON OF CELEBRATION

The 2021-2022 season at the Lied Center is truly a celebration!

We’ve always known that there’s magic that happens between artists and audiences during live performance, but the past year has made that clearer than ever. More than ever before, we are fully aware of just how much we need to be together, how much joy live performance brings into our lives, and how thrilling it is to witness a spectacular performance alongside a full audience. To quote Chris Thile in his amazing Lied Center performance in March of 2021, “I will never, ever, ever, ever take this for granted, ever again.”

It's thanks to the support of so many wonderful people that the Lied Center continued to move forward through the most challenging period in our history, and is now celebrating a brighter future. I want to offer sincere gratitude to all the donors who continued to invest in the arts, the patrons who supported us by attending shows or purchasing webcast tickets, and the audience members who patiently held onto their tickets when events had to be rescheduled. Of course, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our amazing Friends of Lied organization, who worked tirelessly to continue supporting Nebraska’s Performing Arts Center. I also want to recognize the Lied Center staff, who innovated and adapted to keep the arts alive while keeping audiences and artists safe.

With all that support, it’s no wonder that some truly amazing things were accomplished at the Lied during the pandemic! We led the nation in reopening as the first major university presenter to return to live programming and one of just 3% of performing arts centers to be hosting audiences in fall of 2020. Thousands of patrons safely enjoyed the joy of performances from world-class artists last year at the Lied Center, and that fact earned the Lied recognition in the New York Times and the National Endowment for the Arts and a major feature in USA Today. At the same time, the Lied presented extensive virtual programming that brought the arts to audiences at home, becoming a leader in streaming content during the shutdown. Even while returning to in-person performances, we’ve continued building on those capabilities as we dream of new and innovative ways to bring the arts to audiences everywhere. Stay tuned to our social media networks to make sure you’re up to date on the latest announcements!

Now we’re moving forward into the 2021-22 season, and there’s so much to be excited about! Big Broadway is back in Lincoln, and to celebrate we’re hosting the biggest season in Lied Center history, featuring nine Broadway shows and the return of Broadway legend Bernadette Peters. The beloved Boston Pops will thrill Lied audiences with the iconic music of John Williams. American Ballet Theater chose the Lied Center to host the kickoff of their historic ABT Across America tour with a free show in Pioneers Park, and we were honored to present this spectacular gift to the community.

What a thrill it is to return to a full season of the best in music, theater, and dance with top artists from around the world. I can’t wait to see you at the Lied for a spectacular, joyful, celebratory season.

Intermission is over! Your seat is waiting.

Sincerely,
Bill Stephan, CVE
Executive Director, Lied Center for Performing Arts

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Mission, Vision & Goals

Our mission is to educate, inspire and entertain the people of Nebraska through the performing arts.

    Goals

    • Building Artistic Programs 
    • Providing a Superior Venue and Patron Experience
    • Increasing Student Involvement
    • Enhancing Technology at Lied Center
    • Maximizing Success of Lied Center Staff
    • Enhancing Financial Health of Lied Center

      Our vision is to transform the lives of the people of Nebraska through the performing arts by:

      • Expanding the presentations of artists of great distinction representing all art forms and genres—both from Nebraska and around the world.
      • Engaging people and communities from across Nebraska with exceptional experiences
      • Providing first-hand experiences for youth and college students
      • Revitalizing our facility and investing in our human resources to take the Lied to new stages of excellence.
      • Creating new artistic works which contribute to the diverse culture of Nebraska and the world. 
      • Serving the state as an arts leader and collaborator to celebrate creativity, discovery and diversity.
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      Board Members
      & Staff

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      https://www.liedcenter.org/about-lied/board-staff
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      PRESS & NEWS

      Image of the press conference announcing the Firebird performance showing Bill Stephan at the podium in front of the Lied Center and University of Nebraska backdrop
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      https://www.liedcenter.org/news

      LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

      WE ACKNOWLEDGE that the University of Nebraska, with the Lied Center for Performing Arts, is a land-grant institution with campuses and programs on the past, present, and future homelands of the Pawnee, Usni Ponca, Juwere and Nutachi, Umon hon (or Omaha), Dakota, Lakota, Hinono’eino, Kaw, and Tsitsistas and So’taahe Peoples, as well as those of the relocated Ho-Chunk, Nemahahaki, and Báxoje Peoples.

      WE ACKNOWLEDGE that this land where the Lied Center currently sits, before it was part of the university, before it was part of the Nebraska State Fairgrounds, was a site of salt gathering and a shared resource of many of the peoples just named. The Lied Center is committed to continuing the practice of gathering and sharing with indigenous people and others.

      WE ACKNOWLEDGE that our coming together here does not usurp or counter any past, present, or future claims of Native peoples also to this space and that it behooves us to know whose lands we are about to temporarily share.

      Land acknowledgment adapted from a document created in conversation with UNL Native Studies, the Institute of Ethnic Studies, UNITE, and others. For more information, contact Dr. Margaret Huettl at mhuettl2@unl.edu. In addition to this Land Acknowledgment, special guests will offer a Welcome or Blessing before some Lied Center events.

      Photo Credit: Ethan Freese

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