GLOBAL STAGES
MUSIC
globalFEST 2026 Brings the World Into One Night at Lincoln Center
Insun Park & Generals. Photo: Pablo Herrera for TMN®.
On a cold January night in New York City, globalFEST returned to Lincoln Center, once again transforming David Geffen Hall into a living map of global sound. Across multiple stages and shared spaces, the festival unfolded as a one-night journey through traditions, contemporary reinventions, and the sheer physical joy of live music.
New York City. By Pablo Herrera
The evening opened with the 2026 globalFEST Awards Ceremony, honoring artists and leaders whose work sustains and expands the often under-recognized global music field in the United States. It set the tone for a night rooted not only in performance, but in cultural continuity and exchange.
One of the most moving moments of the night came from Saami Brothers featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, whose deeply spiritual set of Khayal filled the Wu Tsai Theater with intensity and devotion. Rooted in the Sufi tradition, their improvisational performance demanded stillness and attention—an immersive opening that reminded the audience of music’s power to slow time.
Maria Mazzotta. Photo: Pablo Herrera for TMN®.
In contrast, the energy shifted sharply with Maria Mazzotta in the LeFrak Lobby — commanding, raw, and physically charged. A Southern Italian folk vocalist and longtime member of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, she performed wrapped in an emergency thermal blanket, a quiet but forceful image invoking displacement, survival, and memory along the Mediterranean migration routes near her home. Her voice cut through the room, pulling listeners in until bodies moved instinctively. It felt ancestral and immediate — tradition alive, not preserved.
The night continued to pulse with rhythm as David Rivera & La Bámbula took over the Hess Grand Promenade. Rivera’s powerhouse band wove together Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Latin jazz, bomba, and urban folk into a set that felt built for motion. The crowd responded instantly—people dancing, smiling, feeding off the band’s precision and warmth. It was one of those performances where the line between stage and audience disappears.
A more meditative atmosphere followed with The Naghash Ensemble, whose entrancing blend of ancient Armenian sacred music and contemporary composition brought a sense of depth and reflection to the night. Their set bridged centuries, offering a quieter but no less powerful reminder of music’s endurance.
David Rivera & La Bámbula. Photo: Pablo Herrera for TMN®.
One of the most striking highlights came from Insun Park & Generals, who delivered a groundbreaking fusion of Korean shamanic ritual folk songs with modern rock instrumentation. Their performance was bold, theatrical, and unapologetically physical—traditional chants colliding with electric energy. The room was alive, with the audience fully engaged, absorbing a sound that felt both ancient and urgently present.
The global journey continued with Dilemastronauta y La Tripulación Cósmica, whose cosmic, dance-floor-oriented grooves drew from spiritual jazz and Colombian and Latin American traditions. It was expansive, exploratory music—designed to move both body and mind.
In the Wu Tsai Theater, Raiatea Helm, a multiple GRAMMY nominee, showcased the elegance and technical mastery of leo kiʻe kiʻe falsetto, reaffirming her status as one of Hawai‘i’s most respected vocalists. Her performance offered a moment of grace and clarity amid the night’s constant movement.
Insun Park & Generals. Photo: Pablo Herrera for TMN®.
Back in the LeFrak Lobby, Nour Harkati delivered a set that blended ancient North African roots with the pulse of New York City. His sound felt diasporic and grounded at once—heritage reframed through a contemporary lens. TMN® also had the opportunity to sit down with Nour Harkati for an interview during the festival, which will be published soon on TMN®’s YouTube channel, extending the conversation beyond the stage.
Later in the evening, Dale Watson & His Lone Stars with Special Guest Celine Lee brought decades of honky tonk, western swing, rockabilly, and outlaw country to the promenade, grounding the global lineup with a distinctly American musical lineage shaped by over 40 years of touring and recording.
The night closed with Vopli Vidopliassova, the pioneering Ukrainian folk-punk quartet celebrating 40 years of excellence. Their performance carried both celebration and resilience—music forged through history, resistance, and cultural pride.
For TMN®, globalFEST 2026 marked another year of sustained editorial presence at one of New York City’s most important platforms for global music discovery. With photos, field coverage, and upcoming interviews, we continue documenting the moments where cultures meet—not as abstractions, but as lived, shared experiences.
On a January night in New York, the world didn’t just pass through Lincoln Center.
It stayed, it danced, and it listened.
You can revisit our past globalFEST coverage here.
Ready to start shooting festivals like a pro?
TMN® Music Photography Course is open for enrollment now 🚀
More tools.
More opportunities.
More real learning.
Welcome to TMN® Learning.
Share this post:
