The contemplative arts -- Jane Moss & Lincoln Center

Jane Moss, vice president for programming at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, thinks we are too caught up in our Blackberries and iPhones and wants to bring back reflective time. All of that high tech sends energy outward, says Moss, and music brings it inward.

To counter the world’s distractions, Moss has come up with Lincoln Center’s first White Light Festival, a few weeks of music to nourish the soul. From Oct. 28 through Nov. 18, expect to see such performers here as the Westminster Choir, Tallis Scholars,  Hilliard Ensemble, Muslim musicians from north India and monks performing modern dance inspired by ancient Chinese martial arts. 

Operating out of her small, uncluttered office, the soft-spoken, fine-boned redhead exudes calm.  “Experiencing art, including music, is essentially a contemplative act,” she says. “You empty yourself out, and you let the art fill you up in some fashion. That requires time and space.”

You can read more about Jane Moss and the White Light Festival in Arts & Books; click here.

-- Barbara Isenberg

Photo: Jane Moss. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times