Former Yankees star Bernie Williams makes his Lincoln Center debut with the New York Philharmonic

NEW YORK (AP) — Bernie Williams was under center, similar to the old days at Yankee Stadium. Only this time he found himself at Lincoln Center alongside conductor Gustavo Dudamel and made his debut with the New York Philharmonic.

After spending 16 years making a reputation for himself wandering the grass once trampled by Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, Williams emerged on the stage made famous by Leonard Bernstein and where guitar great Andrés Segovia once played.

Williams performed “Moving Forward,” a jazz-infused song he composed in 2009 and newly arranged by Jeff Tyzik, as a part of the orchestra’s spring gala Wednesday night at David Geffen Hall, a public shout-out to the former All-American outfielder’s second profession. Star as a classical guitarist.

The day before the performance, he recalled attending the Manhattan School of Music from 2012 to 2016 to learn a brand new occupation and acquire a bachelor’s degree.

“A lot of these people were circling around me and I had to realize that I had to work as hard as I ever had at anything, including being a Major League Baseball player,” he said. “I had to put in a lot of work and nothing I had done before could help me here. I really had to reinvent myself. Learning all the things I learned as a professional baseball player, some of them really helped me deal with pressure, put in the work and be relentless.”

Dudamel, who will grow to be music director in 2026-2027, gave Williams an enthusiastic introduction that was repeatedly interrupted by applause as he talked about Williams’ past during the event to lift money for music education.

“Bernie grew up in Puerto Rico and I think maybe he had other opportunities outside of music,” Dudamel said.

Dressed in a dark suit and tie and patent leather loafers, Williams played his 4 1/2-minute composition with the support of the Philharmonic, joined by student musicians.

Williams, now 55, signed with the Yankees in 1985 on his seventeenth birthday, reached the major leagues six years later and have become a four-time World Series champion, a five-time All-Star and the AL batting champion in 1998. He achieved .297 with 287 homers, 1,257 RBI and 147 stolen bases for the Yankees from 1991-2006.

He began playing guitar at age 6 or 7 in Puerto Rico, learning from his mother’s friends and listening to his dad, Bernabé, play guitar. Bernie took his guitar with him to the field and played in the club lounge to MTV music chosen by teammate Derek Jeter.

“When you’re on tour, you spend a certain amount of time in your room,” Williams said. “A lot of people play video games, a lot of people just watch TV. So I liked to divide my time between watching TV, ordering room service and playing the guitar.”

He played in the paint shop under the right-field bleachers at old Yankee Stadium, where Ron Guidry left a drum kit that Paul O’Neill took over. Williams brought an amp they usually played after batting practice and through rain delays.

Particular excitement accompanied the 1998 game against Minnesota, when Bruce Springsteen walked into the clubhouse, talked to several Yankees players and signed Williams’ guitar, writing: “To Bernie, if you ever get tired of baseball…” joined the “Glory Days” game at the Joe Torre Foundation Safe at Home Gala in 2007.

In 2003, Williams released his first recording, “The Journey Within”. His second album, Moving Forward, earned a 2009 Latin Grammy nomination for best instrumental album, and he’s considering releasing a 3rd, which he hopes will feature more adventurous playing and writing.

“Anyone can enjoy a good piece of music, and some of that music has the ability to touch people in a way that nothing else can,” Williams said. “I think understanding the emotions that come with being a musician has taken me on a great journey and it’s just been an amazing process, unlike what I was doing in sports. It’s great to have the opportunity to do both in one life.”

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His mother insisted that he go to varsity. Williams earned his degree in 2016 after a four-year bachelor’s degree program. He studied guitar with Christopher Rosenberg, harmony, composition and improvisation with Garry Dial, and writing with John Pagano. Williams currently serves on the school’s board of trustees.

Before this week’s performance, Williams spent April 9-13 acting at the Café Carlyle, the famous Upper East Side nightclub where Bobby Short entertained New York high society from 1968 to 2004.

“Everyone is so close, you can hear a pin drop and everyone is very attentive,” he said. “It’s a unique experience, at least for me. I was used to playing in front of 50,000 people and everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs. So it’s, yeah, quite a contrast.”

Philharmonic CEO Gary Ginstling said after Wednesday morning rehearsal that 30 of the orchestra’s musicians lined as much as receive autographed footballs, hats and T-shirts from Williams as he posed for photos. Cellist Patrick Jee practiced wearing a Yankees jersey already signed by Torre and Jeter.

“I’ve never seen everyone be so passionate about any of our artists,” Ginstling said.