This past Wednesday night at New York City’s Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic celebrated its annual Spring Gala in an evening that brought the magic of the movies to life. Conductor and composer David Newman returned to lead the Orchestra in iconic selections from Disney’s Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, and, of course, Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The Gala Co-Chairs were Kristen and Alexander Klabin, James L. and Margo M. Nederlander, and Mary Wallach.
The evening began with a reception in the Och Foyer of Alice Tully Hall, with vibrantly colored flowers splashed across a green hedge backdrop. After the concert, Gala attendees enjoyed a seated dinner in the Morgan Stanley Lobby, where the tables were adorned with floral patterned tablecloths and flower arrangements with a similar color palette to those from the reception.
Philharmonic Board Co-Chairman Peter May and Deborah Borda, the Philharmonic’s Linda and Mitch Hart President & CEO, welcomed the 160 guests, acknowledged the talents and hard work of conductor David Newman and Philharmonic musicians, and thanked Philharmonic Board members and donors for their unflagging support of the Orchestra during the pandemic.
The event raised more than $640,000 for the New York Philharmonic.
Over one hundred members and guests of the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York gathered on April 7th to salute National Tartan Day, a North American celebration of Scottish heritage and the focus of week-long festivities in New York City.
David Murphy, President of the Saint Andrew’s Society, welcomed the gathering with toasts, and he introduced attendees from across the United States and Great Britain.
The Saint Andrew’s Society is a founding member of the National Tartan Day New York Committee, which honored Brian Cox CBE, a well-known Scottish actor, for his many contributions to Tartan Week and the Scottish Community. Kyle Dawson, President of NTDNYC introduced Mr. Cox and presented his award.
Other special guests included Rory Hedderly, Deputy Head of the Scottish Government in the USA, John Primrose, Deputy Director of The Scottish Government, Philip Long, Chief Executive of the National Trust for Scotland, Howie Nicholsby, creator and director of 21st Century Kilts, and Gary Maclean, the 265th SASNY Mark Twain Award recipient.
Two Mondays ago at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, the National Dance Institute held its 46th Annual Gala, raising over $1.5 million to support its award-winning arts education programs that reach 60,000 children every year. The event featured performances by children from New York City public schools who benefit from NDI’s arts education programs.
NDI celebrated Tony Award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell as Artistic Honoree; Ellen Weinstein, NDI’s Artistic Director Emerita was honored with the Susan Newhouse Dream Maker Award; and Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of ADP, was the Corporate Honoree. NDI has impacted more than two million children worldwide through its programming since Jacques d’Amboise founded the organization in 1976.
Photographs by Fadi Kheir & Julie Skarratt (NY Phil); Matt Oner (National Dance Institute); Barry Williams/AnnieWatt.com (National Tartan Day).
