Festivals are the name of the game these days in the classical music world. Having presented its first major international festival last fall, Carnegie Hall will present two American festivals in the 2008–09 season: in the fall, the previously announced “Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds,” a collaboration with the New York Philharmonic, and in the spring, “Honor! A Celebration of the African-American Cultural Legacy.” “Honor” is curated by the soprano Jessye Norman. It will include some 20 concerts and other events, including a performance of “Ask Your Mama!,” a multimedia collaboration between Ms. Norman and the composer Laura Karpman based on a text by Langston Hughes; an evening devoted to excerpts from Duke Ellington’s three “Sacred Concerts”; a concert by jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, and other events at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Elliott Carter will occupy the Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair for the 2008–09 season. A celebration of his works will begin on December 11 — Mr. Carter’s 100th birthday — when James Levine leads the the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the pianist Daniel Barenboim in the New York premiere of Mr. Carter’s “Interventions,” co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall.

The season will also include two “Perspectives” series showcasing Mr. Barenboim and the Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain. In late January and early February, the Hungarian composer György Kurtág will have an eight-day residency at Carnegie Hall as part of a citywide HERE HUNGARY festival, presented by the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture.