ALAN GILBERT SEASON FINALE: A CONCERT FOR UNITY

New York Philharmonic To Present “What Is Cultural Diplomacy?”
FREE PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM
Hosted by ALAN GILBERT
Moderated by FAREED ZAKARIA
With Panelists YO-YO MA, DEBORA SPAR, KARIM WASFI, and IRINA BOKOVA
June 7, 2017

Symposium Complements Previously Announced Concerts Featuring
Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 Conducted by Alan Gilbert with the
New York Philharmonic Joined by Musicians from Orchestras Around the World
June 8–10, 2017

ALAN GILBERT’S SEASON FINALE PERFORMANCE 

TO BE BROADCAST ON FACEBOOK LIVE
June 10, 2017

Additional Repertoire Announced:
Ibn Arabi Postlude by Kinan AZMEH
The Latina 6/8 Suite by Edward PEREZ / TRADITIONAL,
Conceived and Commissioned by Cristina Pato
With Cellist YO-YO MA, ALAN GILBERT on Violin, New York Philharmonic Musicians, and SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE Members
June 8, 2017

The New York Philharmonic will present “What Is Cultural Diplomacy?” — a free public symposium exploring the role of the arts in forging a common humanity across borders, June 7, 2017, at 8:30 p.m. at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse (reservations are required, at nyphil.org/symposium). The symposium will be moderated by journalist Fareed Zakaria and hosted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, and the panelists will include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Lincoln Center president Debora Spar, Iraqi cellist Karim Wasfi, and UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova. The symposium precedes the final subscription concerts of Alan Gilbert’s tenure as Music Director, June 8–10, 2017 at David Geffen Hall, when he will lead the New York Philharmonic in Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 joined by musicians from orchestras around the world in concerts celebrating the power of music to build bridges and unite people across borders. To date, the musicians will include members of orchestras from Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The program on Saturday, June 10 at 8:00 p.m. — Alan Gilbert’s final subscription concert as Music Director — will be broadcast for free on Facebook Live, the Philharmonic’s third live concert broadcast on Facebook (facebook.com/nyphilharmonic). The concert will be available for on-demand viewing on the Philharmonic’s website, YouTube, and Facebook through August 31, 2017.

In addition to Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, the program on Thursday, June 8, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. will also include works commissioned by Silkroad: Ibn Arabi Postlude by Syrian composer Kinan Azmeh, and The Latina 6/8 Suite — traditional melodies from Sicily and Galicia arranged by Edward Perez, along with original music by Mr. Perez, conceived and commissioned by Cristina Pato. The performers will include Alan Gilbert on violin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill, Cristina Pato on Galician bagpipes and piano, violinist Johnny Gandelsman, Principal Viola Cynthia Phelps, Principal Cello Carter Brey, bassist Edward Perez (in his first appearance on a Philharmonic program), and percussionist Shane Shanahan. The program on Friday, June 9 at 8:00 p.m. will feature trumpet player Wynton Marsalis performing.

The New York Philharmonic Archives will present two exhibits tied to the season finale. Celebrating Alan Gilbert (May 22–June 10, 2017, at the Bruno Walter Gallery on the Grand Promenade) will explore highlights of Music Director Alan Gilbert’s tenure, with a special focus on his new initiatives, humanitarian efforts, and international outreach. The Power of Music (June 8–10, 2017, on the Grand Promenade) will explore how orchestras have used music to share a message of support and unity — such as when former Music Director Walter Damrosch took his Orchestra to France to provide comfort at the end of World War I — and the Philharmonic’s more recent cultural diplomacy efforts, including the February 2008 historic performance in Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the first visit there by an American orchestra, and the Orchestra’s debut in Vietnam in 2009, led by Alan Gilbert.

The season finale program was conceived by Alan Gilbert in coordination with the New York Philharmonic, following conversations with the former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and will launch a new initiative to be led by Alan Gilbert following his tenure as Philharmonic Music Director in which musicians from around the world will come together to perform music at critical times in support of peace, development, and human rights. On December 14, 2016, Alan Gilbert conducted the New York Philharmonic in a concert on the floor of the General Assembly to celebrate the tenure of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the transition of leadership to António Guterres, who took office on January 1, 2017.

Yo-Yo Ma, a United Nations Messenger of Peace, serves as the artistic director of Silkroad, an organization he founded to promote cross-cultural performance and collaborations at the edge where education, business, and the arts come together to transform the world. Wynton Marsalis — managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields — is a former United Nations Messenger of Peace and cultural ambassador for the U.S. in the State Department’s CultureConnect program; he was also instrumental in the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief concert, which raised more than $3 million to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina in the Greater New Orleans area.

Musicians from Orchestras Including (To Date):
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Philharmonic
Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra
Czech Philharmonic
Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Mexico’s Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra
Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Tehran Philharmonic Orchestra

Related Events

• Insights at the Atrium — “A Toast to Alan Gilbert”
  Music Director Alan Gilbert, speaker
  Adam Gopnik, moderator
  Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 7:30 p.m.
  David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (Broadway at 62nd Street)

• Free Public Symposium — “What Is Cultural Diplomacy?”
  Music Director Alan Gilbert, host
  Fareed Zakaria, moderator
  Yo-Yo Ma, Debora Spar, Karim Wasfi, Irina Bokova, panelists
  Wednesday, June 7, 2017, 8:30 p.m.
  Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center (65th Street near Amsterdam)
  Reservations are required at nyphil.org/symposium

• Philharmonic Free Fridays
  The New York Philharmonic is offering 100 free tickets to young people ages 13–26 for the concert Friday, June 9 as part of Philharmonic Free Fridays. Information is available at nyphil.org/freefridays. Philharmonic Free Fridays offers 100 free tickets to 13–26-year-olds to each of the 2016–17 season’s 16 Friday evening subscription concerts.

• Facebook Live Broadcast
  The June 10 performance will be broadcast for free on Facebook Live, available at facebook.com/nyphilharmonic, beginning at 7:55 p.m., hosted by WQXR’s Terrance McKnight and directed by Habib Azar. The concert will be available for on-demand viewing on the Philharmonic’s website, YouTube, and Facebook through August 31, 2017.

• Exhibit: Celebrating Alan Gilbert
  The New York Philharmonic Archives will present Celebrating Alan Gilbert, an exhibit exploring highlights of Music Director Alan Gilbert’s tenure, with a special focus on his new initiatives, humanitarian efforts, and international outreach.
  May 22–June 10, 2017
  Bruno Walter Gallery on the Grand Promenade

• Exhibit: The Power of Music
  The New York Philharmonic Archives will present The Power of Music, an exhibit exploring how orchestras have used music to share a message of support and unity — such as when former Music Director Walter Damrosch took his Orchestra to France to provide comfort at the end of World War I — and the Philharmonic’s more recent cultural diplomacy efforts, including the February 2008 historic performance in Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the first visit there by an American orchestra, and the Orchestra’s debut in Vietnam in 2009, led by Alan Gilbert.
  June 8–10, 2017
  Grand Promenade

Artists
As Music Director of the New York Philharmonic since 2009, Alan Gilbert has introduced the positions of The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence, The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence, and Artist-in-Association; CONTACT!, the new-music series; the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, an exploration of today’s music; and the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, partnerships with cultural institutions to offer training of pre-professional musicians, often alongside performance residencies. The Financial Times called him “the imaginative maestro-impresario in residence.”

Alan Gilbert concludes his final season as Music Director with four programs that reflect themes, works, and musicians that hold particular meaning for him, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony alongside Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, Wagner’s complete Das Rheingold in concert, and an exploration of how music can effect positive change in the world. Other highlights include four World Premieres, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre, and Manhattan, performed live to film. He also leads the Orchestra on the EUROPE / SPRING 2017 tour and in performance residencies in Shanghai and Santa Barbara. Past highlights include acclaimed stagings of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson (2015 Emmy nomination), and Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake starring Marion Cotillard; 28 World Premieres; a tribute to Boulez and Stucky during the 2016 NY PHIL BIENNIAL; The Nielsen Project; the Verdi Requiem and Bach’s B-minor Mass; the score from 2001: A Space Odyssey, performed live to film; Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony on the tenth anniversary of 9/11; performing violin in Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time; and ten tours around the world.

Conductor laureate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and former principal guest conductor of Hamburg’s NDR Symphony Orchestra, Alan Gilbert regularly conducts leading orchestras around the world. This season he returns to the foremost European orchestras, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Munich Philharmonic, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He will record Beethoven’s complete piano concertos with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Inon Barnatan, and conduct Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, his first time leading a staged opera there. He made his acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut conducting John Adams’s Doctor Atomic in 2008, the DVD of which received a Grammy Award, and he conducted Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles on a recent album recorded live at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Gilbert is Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at The Juilliard School, where he holds the William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies. His honors include Honorary Doctor of Music degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music (2010) and Westminster Choir College (2016), Columbia University’s Ditson Conductor’s Award (2011), election to The American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2014), a Foreign Policy Association Medal for his commitment to cultural diplomacy (2015), Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2015), and New York University’s Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City (2016).

The many-faceted career of cellist Yo-Yo Ma (performing June 8) is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Mr. Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras worldwide and his recital and chamber music activities. His discography comprises more than 100 albums, including 18 Grammy award winners. Mr. Ma serves as the artistic director of Silkroad, an organization he founded to promote cross-cultural performance and collaborations at the edge where education, business, and the arts come together to transform the world. More than 80 works have been commissioned specifically for the Silk Road Ensemble, which tours annually. In February 2015 the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma performed alongside the New York Philharmonic, led by Alan Gilbert, for a celebration of the innovative world-music ensemble’s 15th anniversary. Mr. Ma also serves as the Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Negaunee Music Institute. His work focuses on the transformative power music can have in individuals’ lives, and on increasing the number and variety of opportunities audiences have to experience music in their communities. Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents who later moved the family to New York. He began to study cello at the age of four, attended The Juilliard School, and in 1976 graduated from Harvard University. He recently joined the Aspen Institute Board of Trustees. Mr. Ma has received numerous awards, among them the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the National Medal of Arts (2001), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), and in 2011 he was recognized as a Kennedy Center Honoree. He has performed for eight American presidents, most recently at the invitation of President Obama on the occasion of the 56th Inaugural Ceremony. Yo-Yo Ma made his New York Philharmonic debut in May 1978 performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto alongside Yefim Bronfman and Shlomo Mintz, conducted by Alexander Schneider. He will have most recently appeared with the Orchestra in the World Premiere–Philharmonic Co-Commission of Composer-in-Residence Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto in New York, March 15–18, 2017, and in April on the EUROPE / SPRING 2017 tour.

Anthony McGill (performing June 8) joined the New York Philharmonic as Principal Clarinet, The Edna and W. Van Alan Clark Chair, in September 2014. Previously principal clarinet of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra beginning in 2004, he is recognized as one of the classical music world’s finest solo, chamber, and orchestral musicians. He has appeared as soloist at Carnegie Hall with many orchestras including the MET Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and New York String Orchestra. He has also recently performed with the Baltimore, New Jersey, San Diego, and Memphis symphony orchestras and Orchestra 2001. As a chamber musician Mr. McGill has appeared throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia with quartets including the Guarneri, Tokyo, Brentano, Pacifica, Shanghai, Miró, and Daedalus. He has also appeared with Musicians from Marlboro and at The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and University of Chicago Presents. His festival appearances have included Tanglewood, Marlboro, Mainly Mozart, Music@Menlo, and Santa Fe Chamber Music. He has collaborated with pianists Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang, as well as violinists Gil Shaham and Midori. On January 20, 2009, he performed with Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. He has appeared on Performance Today, MPR’s Saint Paul Sunday, and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In 2013 with his brother Demarre, he appeared on NBC Nightly News, the Steve Harvey Show, and on MSNBC with Melissa Harris-Perry. In demand as a teacher, Anthony McGill serves on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Bard College Conservatory of Music, and Manhattan School of Music, and has given master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and South Africa. Anthony McGill made his Philharmonic solo debut performing Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto in the final performances of The Nielsen Project; most recently he performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in September 2016, led by Alan Gilbert.

Trumpet player and composer Wynton Marsalis (performing June 9) leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Born in New Orleans, he began classical trumpet at 12, entered The Juilliard School at 17, and then joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He made his recording debut as a leader in 1982, and has since made more than 80 jazz and classical albums, earning him nine Grammy Awards. In 1983 he became the first artist to win both classical and jazz Grammys in the same year, a feat he repeated in 1984. A teacher and advocate for music education, Mr. Marsalis has received honorary doctorates from dozens of U.S. universities and has authored six books. In 1997 he became the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. He has received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government, and in 2016 he received the National Humanities Medal. Mr. Marsalis made his New York Philharmonic debut performing trumpet concertos by Vivaldi and Haydn, conducted by then Music Director Zubin Mehta, on November 21, 1985; his most recent appearances with the Orchestra were with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the World Premiere of his most recent orchestral composition, The Jungle (Symphony No. 4), a Philharmonic Commission, December 28, 2016–January 3, 2017.

Galician bagpipes master, classical pianist, and educator Cristina Pato (performing June 8) enjoys an active professional career devoted to cultural exchange and creating new paths for her unusual instrument. Ms. Pato is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, and serves as educational advisor for Silkroad. An active recording artist and performer since she was 12, Ms. Pato has released and produced six solo Galician bagpipes recordings and two as a pianist. She has also collaborated as a guest artist on more than 40 recordings. Ms. Pato holds a doctorate of musical arts in collaborative piano from Rutgers University; degrees in piano, music theory, and chamber music from the Conservatorio de Musica del Liceu; and a master’s in computer music from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Ms. Pato has served as artist-in-residence for a number of American universities, including Harvard and University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the founder of a multidisciplinary festival in Galicia and writes a bimonthly column for the Spanish newspaper El Correo Gallego. Cristina Pato made her New York Philharmonic debut in the February 2015 concerts celebrating the Silk Road Ensemble’s 15th anniversary, led by Alan Gilbert.

Violinist Johnny Gandelsman (performing June 8) has worked with a wide range of artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Bono, Osvaldo Golijov, David Byrne, Bela Fleck, Kayhan Kalhor, Suzanne Vega, James Levine, Mark Morris, Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova, Nigel Kennedy, and Martin Hayes. Highlights of the past season include winning a Grammy Award for Best World Music album as a member and producer of Silk Road Ensemble’s latest album, Sing Me Home; premiering Edward Perez’s Cinco Danzas for solo violin in Minnesota; and performing Philip Glass’s Madrigal Opera in Brooklyn. Mr. Gandelsman’s upcoming season includes Lou Harrison’s centennial celebration in Boston, the release of J.S. Bach’s complete Sonatas and Partitas on In a Circle Records, and U.S. tours with the Silk Road Ensemble and Brooklyn Rider. Johnny Gandelsman made his New York Philharmonic debut in May 2006 performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with pianist Joel Fan and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, conducted by David Zinman; he most recently appeared with the Orchestra in the February 2015 concerts celebrating the Silk Road Ensemble’s 15th anniversary, led by Alan Gilbert.

Cynthia Phelps (performing June 8) is the New York Philharmonic’s Principal Viola, The Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Chair. Her solo appearances with the Orchestra have included the New York Premiere–Philharmonic Co-Commission of Julia Adolphe’s Unearth, Release, in 2016; Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante in 2010 and 2014; and Sofia Gubaidulina’s Two Paths, a concerto for two violas that the Orchestra commissioned for her and Philharmonic Associate Principal Viola Rebecca Young, in 1999 and 2011. Other solo engagements have included the Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Ms. Phelps is a member of the New York Philharmonic String Quartet and performs with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Jupiter Chamber Players, and the Santa Fe, La Jolla, Seattle, Chamber Music Northwest, and Bridgehampton festivals. She has appeared with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Orion, American, Brentano, and Prague quartets, and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. She is a founding member of Les Amies, a chamber group formed with Philharmonic Principal Harp Nancy Allen and flutist Carol Wincenc. Winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, Ms. Phelps’s recording Air, for flute, harp, and viola, was nominated for a Grammy Award. She has performed as soloist on Live From Lincoln Center, American Public Media’s Saint Paul Sunday Morning, and Radio France. Cynthia Phelps made her New York Philharmonic solo debut in Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante alongside then Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow in March 1993, led by then Music Director Kurt Masur; most recently she appeared as soloist in the New York Premiere–Philharmonic Co-Commission of Julia Adolphe’s Unearth, Release, led by Jaap van Zweden in November 2016.

Carter Brey (performing June 8) was appointed New York Philharmonic Principal Cello, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Chair, in 1996. He has since appeared as soloist almost every season; he was also featured in The Bach Variations: A Philharmonic Festival, performing all six Bach cello suites. His honors include the Rostropovich International Cello Competition, Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Prize, Avery Fisher Career Grant, and Young Concert Artists’ Michaels Award; he was the first musician to win the Arts Council of America’s Performing Arts Prize. Mr. Brey has appeared as soloist with virtually all of the major American orchestras, performing under conductors Claudio Abbado, Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Comissiona, and Christoph von Dohnányi. He is a member of the New York Philharmonic String Quartet, has collaborated regularly with the Tokyo and Emerson String Quartets, and has appeared at the Spoleto, Santa Fe, and La Jolla chamber music festivals. His most recent recording features Chopin’s complete works for cello and piano with pianist Garrick Ohlsson. Mr. Brey studied at the Peabody Institute and Yale University, where he was a Wardwell Fellow and Houpt Scholar. His cello is a rare J.B. Guadagnini made in Milan in 1754. Carter Brey made his Philharmonic solo debut in May 1997 performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, led by then Music Director Kurt Masur; he most recently appeared as soloist with the Orchestra in Schumann’s Cello Concerto on the CALIFORNIA 2016 tour, led by Music Director Alan Gilbert.

Bassist and composer Edward Perez (performing June 8) lives in the cultural crossroads of Jackson Heights, Queens. His writing ranges from works for solo instrumentalists to arrangements for salsa band, string orchestra, and jazz big band. His works have been performed by artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Cristina Pato, Silk Road Ensemble, Latin jazz pioneer Ignacio Berroa, and Peruvian vocalist Jorge Pardo. Mr. Perez began his career as a jazz bassist and quickly branched out to Latin jazz, Afro-Peruvian music, and other styles from South America and around the world. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Harvard College, and Queens College, he has shared the stage with Paquito D’Rivera, Lee Konitz, Lionel Loueke, Eva Ayllón, Julio “Chocolate” Algendones, Silk Road Ensemble, Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Joe Burgstaller of the Canadian Brass, and Helio Alves. Mr. Perez tours extensively and also maintains a local presence teaching and co-leading the Terraza Big Band, the 18-piece house band of his neighborhood’s preeminent cultural venue. This performance marks Edward Perez’s first appearance on a New York Philharmonic concert.

Percussionist / composer / arranger Shane Shanahan (performing June 8) has combined his studies of drumming traditions from around the world with his background in jazz, rock, and Western art music to create his own unique, highly sought-after style. Since 2000 he has been touring the globe with Yo-Yo Ma as an original member of the Grammy Award–winning Silk Road Ensemble. He has performed and / or recorded with Bobby McFerrin, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Philip Glass, Alison Krauss, Deep Purple, Jordi Savall, Sonny Fortune, and Glen Velez, among others. A strong believer in the transformative power of education, Mr. Shanahan frequently presents workshops and clinics at leading universities and conservatories, including Princeton, Cornell, and the Eastman School of Music, as well as with refugee children in Lebanon and reservation schools in Montana. He is the lead teaching artist for the Silkroad’s arts-integrated education initiative, Silk Road Connect. This year Mr. Shanahan served as a Blodgett Distinguished Artist at Harvard University. He is active in the New York yoga, dance, theater, and Broadway communities. Shane Shanahan made his New York Philharmonic debut in the February 2015 concerts celebrating the Silk Road Ensemble’s 15th anniversary, led by Alan Gilbert.

Symposium Participants
Fareed Zakaria has hosted Fareed Zakaria GPS, which airs Sundays worldwide on CNN, since 2008. His in-depth interviews with heads of government — including Barack Obama, Narendra Modi, King Abdullah II, Hassan Rouhani, Moammar Gadhafi, and David Cameron, as well as countless other intellectuals, business leaders, politicians, and journalists — have been broadcast in more than 300 million homes around the world. Within its first year, GPS garnered an Emmy nomination for an interview with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The show won a Peabody Award in 2011. Mr. Zakaria currently writes an internationally syndicated weekly column on foreign affairs for The Washington Post, and he has been a contributing editor at The Atlantic since 2014. From 2010 to 2014 he served as editor-at-large for TIME, and before that he spent ten years overseeing all of Newsweek’s editions abroad. His columns have received many accolades, including a 2010 National Magazine Award, with his October 2001 Newsweek cover story, “Why They Hate Us,” remaining the most decorated. In 2010 Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 global thinkers. Before joining Newsweek he served as managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a post he was appointed to at age 28. He is a New York Times best-selling author, and his books include The Future of Freedom (2003), The Post-American World (2008), and In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015). Born in India, Fareed Zakaria received a B.A. from Yale College, a Ph.D. from Harvard University, and honorary degrees from numerous universities including Johns Hopkins, Brown, University of Miami, and Oberlin College.

Irina Bokova has been the director-general of UNESCO since November 2009. She is the first woman and the first Eastern European to lead the organization. She also serves as co-vice chair of the Broadband Commission and chair of the UN High Level Committee on Management. As director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova is engaged in international efforts to advance quality education, gender equality, and protection of the world’s cultural heritage as a humanitarian imperative and security issue to strengthen the foundations for lasting peace. She promotes culture, science, diplomacy, and cooperation as drivers for development; spearheads campaigns to counter youth radicalization and prevent violent extremism, hate speech, and discrimination through education; and is a global advocate for the safety of journalists and freedom of expression. Also as UNESCO director-general, she served as executive secretary of the Steering Committee of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative. Irina Bokova began her career at the United Nations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, and later was appointed to oversee political and legal affairs at the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the UN. She was elected as a member of the Bulgarian Parliament twice. She also served as the government’s first secretary of European integration; interim minister for foreign affairs; ambassador of Bulgaria to France, Monaco, and UNESCO; and personal representative of the president of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. Irina Bokova studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, University of Maryland, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She has received state distinctions around the world, is Doctor honoris causa of leading universities, and was on Forbes’s 2016 list of the world’s most influential women.

Cellist and conductor Karim Wasfi is president and founder of Peace Through Arts Global Foundation, and serves as a fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy. With more than two decades of experience in cultural diplomacy, he uses music, sound, and art therapy for healing and cross-cultural integration, de-radicalization, prevention of tension, and counterterrorism. His innovative approach has helped thousands of people in areas of crisis to rise from violence, fear, and intimidation of terror. His work and initiatives have been widely covered by national and international media including BBC, CNN, The New York Times, and Forbes, and his YouTube videos on which he plays music in the aftermath of explosions in Iraq went viral, with more than 33 million viewers. Karim Wasfi was named the 2015 Humanitarian of the Year by the Arabian Global Business community, and was awarded the 2016 Asia Game Changers Award by the Asia Society and The Rockefeller Foundation. He holds a bachelor of arts in physics and philosophy from Cairo University and a master’s in music technology and conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Karim Wasfi is one of the musicians from orchestras around the world joining the New York Philharmonic in Mahler’s Symphony No. 7.

Debora L. Spar is president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, home to 11 world-class arts organizations and considered the world’s leading performing arts organization. Ms. Spar became the first woman to hold this position, in March 2017, at an exciting period for Lincoln Center as it builds on its mission to bring the best of the performing arts to the broadest possible audience and embarks upon a comprehensive renovation of David Geffen Hall. Her range of expertise in business, the arts, thought leadership, and fundraising were honed during her tenure as president of Barnard College, which began in 2008, when she was widely recognized for stimulating substantial academic and financial growth and establishing a renewed commitment to the arts. During her tenure, applications increased by more than 50 percent, the percentage of international students on campus more than doubled, and the percentage of students of color rose from one third to almost one half. Ms. Spar was instrumental in the development of a curriculum and planning for Barnard’s new Teaching and Learning Center, slated to open in 2018, and she led initiatives to highlight women’s leadership and advancement, including the creation of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies and the development of Barnard’s Global Symposium series. Previously, Debora Spar was a professor at Harvard Business School for 17 years and served as senior associate dean for faculty research and development. She has authored seven books and numerous articles on a wide variety of topics, including the role of technology in the future of music and performance art. She is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences and serves as a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Debora Spar received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her master’s and PhD in government from Harvard University.

Insights at the Atrium Speaker
Adam Gopnik has been writing for The New Yorker since 1986. During his tenure at the magazine, he has written fiction, humor, book reviews, profiles, and reporting from abroad. He was the magazine’s Art Critic from 1987 to 1995, and the Paris Correspondent from 1995 to 2000. From 2000 to 2005, he wrote a journal about New York life, and since then has been working as a miscellaneous essayist. His books, ranging from essay collections about Paris and food to children’s novels, include Paris to the Moon (2000), The King in the Window (2005), Through the Children’s Gate: A Home in New York (2006), Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life (2009), The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food (2011), and Winter: Five Windows on the Season (2011). Mr. Gopnik has won the National Magazine Award for Essays and for Criticism three times, and the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting. In 2013 Mr. Gopnik was awarded the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters. He lectures widely, and delivered the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Massey Lectures in 2011. Adam Gopnik lives in New York.

Repertoire
Syrian composer / clarinetist Kinan Azmeh (b. 1976) began playing the clarinet when he was six years old. He went on to study at the Arab Conservatory of Music in Damascus, the University of Damascus (where he pursued a double-major in music and electrical engineering), and The Julliard School. He is a member of Silkroad as well as numerous other ensembles. His Ibn Arabi Postlude (2005, performed June 8 only) is inspired by the writings of Ibn Arabi, an Arab Muslim mystic and Sufi philosopher who traveled from Andalusia to Damascus in the 13th century seeking knowledge, and whose philosophy was that love and free thinking are as sacred as any religious beliefs. Azmeh says that “the piece blurs the lines between the composed and the improvised and can be described as an obsessive ritualistic dance in the maqam, or melodic form, known as Kurd.”

In 2014 Cristina Pato, a Galician bagpipes player and pianist, commissioned Texas-born bassist / composer Edward Perez (b. 1978), her longtime collaborator and a member of her ensemble, to create The Latina 6/8 Suite (performed June 8 only) as part of her Latina album project. Comprising a blend of traditional and original music, the suite allowed Ms. Pato to explore questions about identity that arose after she moved to New York — while she identified as Galician, New Yorkers perceived her as the more all-encompassing “Latina.” In a Silkroad interview, Mr. Perez, who arranged two of the four movements and created new music for the other two, explains that Ms. Pato’s “identity had become a chain — Galician to Spaniard to European to New-Yorker-Latina — and this piece of music gave her a chance to be more intimately involved with the 6/8 rhythms that had made a transatlantic trip similar to hers. The suite begins with melodies from Galicia and Sicily and quickly moves to musical sources from various Spanish-speaking countries of the American continent.” In commentary regarding the Latina album, Ms. Pato writes: “We all have common roots, heritage, language, and way of life … but exploring how a basic 6/8 pattern has evolved in different Latin countries brings up many other topics related to the context and meaning of the word Latina that have also evolved in fascinating ways: gender, power, and human migration.”

When Gustav Mahler composed his Symphony No. 7 in Maiernigg, Austria, during the summers of 1904 and 1905, he was at the height of his career. He was secure in his tenure with the Vienna Opera, in demand as a guest conductor, and had captivated audiences throughout Europe with his early symphonies. However, his Seventh Symphony would not be premiered until 1908, and in the intervening years Mahler reportedly made many revisions to the score, at a time when he was suffering terrible heartache and hardship: he was forced to resign his position at the opera, his eldest daughter died from scarlet fever, and he himself was diagnosed with a heart condition. In spite of that, the Seventh Symphony — which eventually earned the nickname Song of the Night (without the composer’s blessing) — follows a musical path from darkness to light: the titles of two of the five movements include Night Music, and Mahler himself wrote William Ritter that it was “Three night pieces; the finale bright day. As foundation for the whole, the first movement.” Arnold Schoenberg heard the work at its 1909 Vienna Premiere, and wrote Mahler that he felt “perfect repose based on artistic harmony — something that moved me without just ruthlessly shifting my center of gravity; something drawing me calmly and pleasantly toward itself, like that force that guides the planets, letting them travel along their own courses, influencing them … in a manner so easy and inevitable that there are never any sudden jolts.” The New York Philharmonic first performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in March 1923, led by Willem Mengelberg; its most recent performance was in June 2007, led by Lorin Maazel.

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These concerts are presented by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Additional funding is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

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Major support for Philharmonic Free Fridays is provided by The Pratt Foundation.

Additional funding is provided by Jack and Susan Rudin and Muna and Basem Hishmeh.

Philharmonic Free Fridays is made possible, in part, by a donation from an anonymous donor through the New York Philharmonic’s 2014 Share the Music! campaign.

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Insights at the Atrium is presented in partnership with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.

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Citi. Preferred Card of the New York Philharmonic.

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Emirates is the Official Airline of the New York Philharmonic.

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Programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Tickets
Tickets for each performance start at $56. Tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the David Geffen Hall Box Office. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic’s Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. (Ticket prices subject to change.)

The Insights at the Atrium event “A Toast to Alan Gilbert” is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Subscribers, Friends at the Fellow level and above, and Patrons may secure guaranteed admission by emailing AdultEd@nyphil.org. Space is limited.

“What Is Cultural Diplomacy?” is free and open to the public; reservations are required. To reserve a space, visit nyphil.org/symposium. Space is limited and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For press tickets, call Lanore Carr in the New York Philharmonic Communications Department at (212) 875-5714, or email her at carrl@nyphil.org.

INSIGHTS AT THE ATRIUM: “A TOAST TO ALAN GILBERT”

David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (Broadway at 62nd Street)

Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert, speaker
Adam Gopnik, moderator

In his final Insights at the Atrium engagement as Music Director and as he concludes his New York Philharmonic tenure, Alan Gilbert looks back on his eight years leading the Orchestra — the people, projects, and stories.

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FREE PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM: “WHAT IS CULTURAL DIPLOMACY?”

Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center (65th Street near Amsterdam)

Wednesday, June 7, 2017, 8:30 p.m.

Music Director Alan Gilbert, host
Fareed Zakaria, moderator
Yo-Yo Ma, Debora Spar, Karim Wasfi, Irina Bokova, panelists

The New York Philharmonic will present “What Is Cultural Diplomacy?” — a free public symposium exploring the role of the arts in forging a common humanity across borders. The symposium will be moderated by journalist Fareed Zakaria and hosted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, and the panelists will include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Lincoln Center president Debora Spar, Iraqi cellist Karim Wasfi, and UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova.

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ALAN GILBERT SEASON FINALE: A CONCERT FOR UNITY

New York Philharmonic

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center

Thursday, June 8, 2017, 7:30 p.m.

Alan Gilbert, conductor and violin
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Anthony McGill, clarinet

Cristina Pato, Galician bagpipes and piano
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Cynthia Phelps, viola
Carter Brey, cello
Edward Perez, bass
Shane Shanahan, percussion

Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic joined by musicians from orchestras around the world — to date, Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States — in a program celebrating the power of music to build bridges and unite people across borders.

Kinan AZMEH Ibn Arabi Postlude

Edward PEREZ / TRADITIONAL   The Latina 6/8 Suite

MAHLER Symphony No. 7

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ALAN GILBERT SEASON FINALE: A CONCERT FOR UNITY

New York Philharmonic

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center

Friday, June 9, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

Alan Gilbert, conductor
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet

Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic joined by musicians from orchestras around the world — to date, Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States — in a program celebrating the power of music to build bridges and unite people across borders.

Program to include:
MAHLER Symphony No. 7

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ALAN GILBERT SEASON FINALE: A CONCERT FOR UNITY

New York Philharmonic

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center

Saturday, June 10, 2017, 8:00 p.m.

     Concert will be broadcast live for free on Facebook (facebook.com/nyphilharmonic)
     On-demand on the Philharmonic’s website (nyphil.org), YouTube (youtube.com/newyorkphilharmonic), and Facebook

Alan Gilbert, conductor

Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic joined by musicians from orchestras around the world — to date, Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Venezuela, the United Kingdom, and the United States — in a program celebrating the power of music to build bridges and unite people across borders.

MAHLER Symphony No. 7