On Wednesday evening, Music Director Alan Gilbert joined Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child fame (center) and model Lauren Bush Lauren (left) for Clarins Million Meals Concert, celebrating the fifth anniversary of FEED, which Lauren co-founded to combat child hunger. The benefit was a resounding success, raising one million school meals for the World Food Programme.
Alan Gilbert performed with John Legend, Natasha Bedingfield, violist David Aaron Carpenter, pianist Christoph Eschenbach, and the Salomé Chamber Orchestra. Bill Clinton spoke, and Michelle Williams hosted.
Big shout-out to the Brooklyn Law School students, who had their graduation ceremony in Avery Fisher Hall this morning - congratulations, everyone!
As we were saying…
It’s that time of year again…..
Ah yes, we’ve been hearing a lot of this as the Philharmonic’s home, Avery Fisher Hall, has been the site of numerous commencement ceremonies. Congrats to all the grads!
(via musicalmelody)
We all know the dapper gentleman second from the left is Elliott Carter — whose work Two Controversies and a Conversation will receive its World Premiere next Friday on the New York Philharmonic’s CONTACT! program — but who can name the woman keeping the company of this well-dressed clan?
Here’s a hint: She was the first woman ever to conduct a full New York Philharmonic concert.
Happy guessing!
Nick Phan @grecchinois
“It turns out I left my white tie at home tonight!!! Argh!! Thank you to the @nyphil for saving the day with a spare.”
Thanks to you, Nicholas Phan, for as our guest Tweeter last evening, for your Philharmonic debut in Orff’s Carmina burana. You’re up again tonight and tomorrow…don’t forget the tie.
I also waited in the craziest line in the universe for two hours to catch the NY Phil’s free memorial day concert at St. John’s. They played Debussy’s La Mer (How did they know that I’m a Debussy freak? Psychic, I tell you.) and a Tchaikovsky something. I’m not really that much of a fan of Tchaikovsky. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is over-rated.
Yes, the Debussy was just for you. So glad you enjoyed.
Philharmonic President and Executive Director Zarin Mehta received a Spirit of the City Award from The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine last evening. For more than three decades, the Cathedral, site of the Orchestra’s free Memorial Day concert, has recognized individuals who have served and inspired the great city of New York, enhancing its character as a beacon of accomplishment, compassion and determination.
These are all words we’d certainly use to describe our fearless leader, shown here being interviewed by NY1 at the annual free open rehearsal at Avery Fisher Hall, a hallmark of his 12 year tenure.
Soprano Emalie Savoy talks about the challenges of learning Catalan for this week’s performances of selections from Manuel de Falla’s rarely heard Atlantida with the New York Philharmonic. A woman of many languages, Ms. Savoy recently performed in Czech for the first time in the Metropolitan Opera’s Makropulos Case; for Atlantida she had to track down a Catalan specialist to learn how to sing in the unusual language.