Raising
more than $2.3 million, New York City Opera celebrated its return to
the stage of the newly renovated David H. Koch Theater last night, Thursday,
November 5, with the most successful fundraising gala in the company’s
history. The funds raised included the proceeds of the evening’s
live auction of luxury items that was chaired by Luziah
Isamail-Hennessy and led by Jamie
Niven, chairman of Sotheby’s North and South America.
The festive event honored David H. Koch in recognition of his $100 million
lead gift to City Opera’s joint capital campaign with New York
City Ballet and heralded the start of City Opera’s 2009/2010 season – its
first under new general manager and artistic director George
Steel. Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg was the honorary chairman of the gala with co-chairmen
Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Katherine Farley and Jerry
I. Speyer, Joan Granlund, Julia Koch, Charles and Liz
Koch, Lee
Slaughter and Ann
Ziff. Major gala
sponsors included American Airlines, Moët Hennessy and Dom Pérignon.
The opening gala concert, American Voices, featured classic repertoire
from American opera and musical theater performed by returning City Opera
stars Amy Burton, Joyce Castle, Anna Christy, Joyce
DiDonato, Lauren Flanigan, Marc Kudisch and Samuel
Ramey; along with guest artists Measha
Brueggergosman, Talise Trevigne and Kelley
O’Connor. The New York
City Opera Orchestra and Chorus were led by New York City Opera’s
music director George Manahan and former general director and principal
conductor Julius Rudel. In honor of the occasion, the principal concert
artists generously donated their services for the evening.
Grammy-nominated
singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and the New
York City Ballet made
special guest appearances during the evening. Carolina
Herrera dressed
four of the performers in stunning gowns.
All proceeds from the Theater
Debut Celebration support City Opera’s mission to produce innovative
productions of new and classic work, reach a wide audience with affordable
ticket prices, and bring music into the lives of thousands of students
each year through its acclaimed education programs in New York City public
schools.
Notable attendees included: Claude Arpels, Frank
A. Bennack, Jr., Harolyn Blackwell, Hamish Bowles, Amy Fine Collins,
Mary Sharp Cronson, E.V. Day, Michelle DiBucci, Joyce DiDonato, Elizabeth
Diller & Ricardo
Scofidio, Brook Hayward Duchin, Christine Ebersole, Katherine Farley,
Nicholas & Edmee Firth, Peter Gelb, Habib Ghawi,
Ted Gibson, Joan Granlund, Joel Grey, Gilles & Luziah Hennessy, Xavier
Guerrand-Hermès,
Carolina & Reinaldo Herrera, David & Julia Koch,
Arie & Coco
Kopelman, Judy Kuhn, Dr. Reynold Levy, Elizabeth Cooke Levy, Michael
Lynch & Susan Baker, Thom Mayne (Art Committee Advisor,
President Obama), Alex McCord & Simon van Kempen, Kate McGarrigle, Terrence
McNally, Gillian & Sylvester F. Miniter IV, Mark Morris, Tinsley
Mortimer, Georgette Mosbacher, Mark & Lorry Newhouse, S.I. & Victoria
Newhouse, Jamie Niven, Constantine Orbelian, Elizabeth & Jeffrey
Peek, Diane Picasso, Jack Pierson, Laudomia Pucci, Princess Alexandra
of Greece, Prince Antonio Licata di Baucina, David Robertson, Devorah
Rose, Rachel Roy, Julius Rudel, Giovanni Russo, Reshma Shetty, Lee Slaughter,
Sarah & George Steel, Ken Sunshine, Count Carl-Eduard
von Bismarck, George & Olga Votis, Rufus Wainwright & Jorn
Weisbrodt, Robert Wilson, Damian Woetzel & Heather Watts, Paula Zahn, and Ann
Ziff.
