The
New York Philharmonic opened its 168th season with their Opening Night
Gala and concert on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at Avery Fisher Hall.
Cocktail reception followed by concert and dinner.
Mr. Alec Baldwin,
Mr. Paul Calello, and Mr. Gary W. Parr served as this year’s Gala
Chairmen. Mr. Gerald L. Hassell served as the Gala’s Executive
Vice Chairmen with global sponsor Credit Suisse. Mr. Parr is also the
new Chairman of the Philharmonic.
The gala raised $2.5 million dollars
with over 800 guests.
Guests included Alec Baldwin, Billy Joel, Meryl
Streep, Christiane Amanpour and James Rubin, Robert DeNiro and Grace
Hightower, Robert and Denise Benmosche, Artist-in-Residence Thomas Hampson,
Robert and Beverly Bartner, Sid and Mercedes Bass, The Honorable Donald
and Vera Blinken, Kenneth and Noreen Buckfire, Lori Singer, Matt Haimovitz,
James and Nancy Buckman, Frank A. and Mary Lake Bennack, Daniel and Anna
Nikolayevsky Benton, Yefim Bronfman, Judith Carson, Yoko Nagae Ceschina,
Gustavo and Patricia Cisneros, H. Rodgin Cohen, John S. and Jill Chalsty,
Alan D. and Betsy Cohn, Toos N. and Hira Daruvala, Richard S. and Susan
Braddock, Richard and Jennie DeScherer, Timothy and Cosby George, Peter
and Barbara Georgescu, Gunther and Renata Greiner, Florence Davis and
Tony Gooch, Elizabeth de Cuevas, Paul Demarais, Sr. and Jacqueline Desmarais,
Katherine G. Farley and Jerry I. Speyer, Professor Meyer Feldberg and
Barbara Feldberg, Niall Ferguson, J. Christopher Flowers, Alan and Sandra
Gerry, The Honorable Roy M. Goodman, Robert M. Frehse, Jr. and Dale Frehse,
John French, III and Marina French, Leonard S. and Jennifer Gruenberg,
G. Chris Andersen and Sung E. Han-Andersen, Robert and Colleen Hekemian,
Peter and Barbara Georgescu, John and Maggy Kongsgaard, Gurnee and Marjorie
Hart, Robert and Mary Henrikson, Roger and Susan Hertog, Eugene and Barbara
Kohn, Bruce and Suzie Kovner , Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis, Frederick
Krimendahl, II and Emilia A. Saint-Amand, Honey Kurtz, Stewart Lane,
Petra Lang, Leonard and Evelyn Lauder, Laurence C. Leeds, Jr. and Dalia
Leeds, Richard and Karen LeFrak, John and Betty Levin, William Lewis
and Carol Sutton Lewis, Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg, Samuel
and Linda Lindenbaum, Kenneth Lipper, Albert and Carol Lowenthal, Alan
and Christina MacDonald, Morris and Susan Mark, Peter and Leni May, William
and Suzanne McDonough, Thomas and Diahn McGrath, David and Nancy McKinney,
Slade and Phyllis Mills, Vivian Milstein, Sylvester and Gillian Miniter,
Georgette Mosabacher, The Honorable Frank and Lizabeth Newman, Charles
and Anne Niemeth, Martin and Suzanne Oppenheimer, Stuart Orsher and Gladys
George, Liliane Peck, Donald Pels and Wendy Keys, Itzhak and Toby Perlman,
Charles and Elaine Petschek, Joel and Joan Picket, Cynthia and Leon Polsky,
Peter and Barbara Regna, Ira and Ingeborg Rennert, Thomas and Elizabeth
Renyi , Leon and Paula Root, Benjamin and Donna Rosen, James and Barbara
Schadt, Charles and Carol Schaefer, Oscar and Didi Schafer, Marvin and
Donna Schwartz, Martin and Edith Segal, Charles Shirley Shamel, Fred
and Irene Shen, Joel and Joan Smilow, Dick and Ann Solomon, Paul and
Daisy Soros, Michael and Joan Steinberg, Leonard and Allison Stern, The
Honorable Scott Stringer, Peter and Lynn Tishman, Donald and Barbara
Tober, Ronald and Christie Ulrich, John and Lauren Veronis, Geza and
Elizabeth Von Habsburg, Mary J. Wallach, Stanford and Sandra Warshawsky,
Bruce and Angela Wasserstein, Sandy and Joan Weill, James and Elaine
Wolfensohn, Masamoto and Yoko Yashiro, and Ann Ziff.
Under the direction
of Music Director Alan Gilbert in his inaugural season, with guest soprano
Renée Fleming, the New York Philharmonic performed the World Premiere
of EXPO, a New York Philharmonic commission by Magnus Lindberg, Messiaen’s
Poèmes pour Mi, and Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz.
