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Carnegie
Hall celebrated the 50th anniversary of
its “Concert of the Century” with a
once-in-a-lifetime convening of musical
all-stars on Tuesday, May 5th. Organized
by famed violinist Isaac Stern, the
original 1976 event brought together
some of the world’s greatest musicians
for a now-legendary
“concert-celebration” that commemorated
the anniversary of the Hall’s opening on
May 5, 1891. Fifty years later—and 135
years after the opening of the Hall—a
new lineup of Carnegie Hall icons came
together to honor the Hall’s legacy,
telling its story to a new generation.
Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the
NYO-USA All-Stars, an ensemble of
distinguished alumni from Carnegie
Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the
United States of America, who are now
outstanding young professionals in the
music field. The program opened with the
overture to Leonard Bernstein’s Candide,
premiered at the Hall in 1957 by the New
York Philharmonic under the composer’s
baton. It continued with the third
movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s
Symphony No. 6—honoring the composer who
led Carnegie Hall’s inaugural concert in
1891—and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s
Laudate Dominum, featuring soprano
Renée Fleming, also the evening’s host,
with the orchestra and the Oratorio
Society of New York, the same chorus for
which Carnegie Hall was originally
designed and
built.
Highlights of this special program also
included mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato
joining pianist Emanuel Ax for two of
Gustav Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder; the
third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Piano
Concerto No. 1 with pianist Lang Lang;
mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard singing Non
più mesta accanto al fuoco from
Rossini’s La Cenerentola; and the third
movement of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in
F with pianist Daniil Trifonov. Vocalist
Audra McDonald partnered with longtime
music director Andy Einhorn for songs by
Ellington and Gershwin. Vocalist and
pianist Michael Feinstein collaborated
with the orchestra on songs by Michel
Legrand and Arthur Schwartz.
The program
also featured Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout and Bernstein’s inspiring
Make Our Garden Grow from Candide.
Elizabeth Segerstrom was the Gala Lead
Chair for the black-tie evening. Robert
F. Smith, Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of Carnegie Hall, shared
“Elizabeth Segerstrom has been a
dedicated supporter, champion, and
friend of Carnegie Hall for almost two
decades. We were so fortunate and
grateful to have her lead this event
tonight to carry on her late husband
Henry’s legacy for our Hall. What we
experience at Carnegie Hall—what so many
have experienced here over the years—is
the depth of expression, the connection
to history, the nuance, the
storytelling. It is not simply a feat of
the technical; it is the triumph of the
human spirit. The connection we feel in
this hall reminds us of the importance
of sharing moments that renew and
inspire us. Through art, we develop a
deeper understanding of our place in the
universe and what it truly means to be
human. That is the power of this
institution, and that is why the support
in this room matters so profoundly for
generations to come.”
Gala Chairs included Anya Gillinson, Ila
and Dinesh Paliwal, and Hope and Robert
F. Smith. Gala Co-Chairs were Marco
Argenti and Nanyan Li, Mercedes T. Bass,
Sandra Segerstrom Daniels, and Joan and
Sanford I. Weill, Weill Family
Foundation. South Coast Plaza was the
Gala Sponsor.
The gala evening benefited Carnegie
Hall’s artistic, education, and social
impact programs and included a
pre-concert cocktail party in Carnegie
Hall’s Rohatyn Room and post-concert
dinner at the Waldorf Astoria
New York.
The dinner celebrated Executive and
Artistic Director Clive Gillinson’s
twenty years of visionary leadership at
Carnegie Hall. Yannick Nézet-Séguin,
Music Director of the Metropolitan
Opera, said “What is extraordinary is
that Clive is, at his core, a musician,
and leads with the heart of a musician.
That is what makes such an incredible
difference at Carnegie Hall—not just in
New York, but far beyond. In a world
that often feels uncertain, Carnegie
Hall stands as a beacon—of openness, of
creativity, of diversity, of freedom of
expression. And that is not by accident.
It is the result of vision, of
leadership, and of a deep belief in what
music can do for people.”
Anya Gillinson shared “My husband sees
Carnegie Hall not simply as an
institution, but as something entrusted
to him—to cherish, to protect, and to
build upon. And yet, he has done more
than preserve it. He has breathed new
life into it, honoring its history while
re-imagining what it can mean for the
future.”
“One of the things I love about America
is that people do not just support good
ideas—they support great ideas," said
Clive Gillinson. “The willingness of
this community to believe in ambition,
to take risks, and to make things
possible is what allows Carnegie Hall to
keep evolving and reaching further than
we ever thought possible.”
“Carnegie Hall has always stood for
excellence, but what excites me most is
its potential to keep evolving—to reach
new audiences, to support young
musicians, and to expand the role music
plays in people’s lives. That is what
makes us unique: it is not just
preserving tradition, it is actively
reshaping the future.”
The gala raised $3.5 million in support
of Carnegie Hall’s artistic, education
and social impact programs. The 600
guests included Katie Holmes, Liev
Schreiber and Taylor Neisen, Constance
Wu, Victoria and Michael Imperioli,
Candace Bushnell, Lou Diamond Phillips,
Colleen and Gary Rein, Maria Manetti
Shrem, Daniil Simkin, Dana and Robert
Kraft, Barbara Tober, Marilyn Minter,
Famke Janssen, Ellen Burstyn, Kehinde
Wiley, and more.
This performance was heard live by
listeners around the world, as part of
the Carnegie Hall Live broadcast and
digital series. Produced by WQXR and
Carnegie Hall and co-hosted by WQXR’s
Jeff Spurgeon and WNYC’s John Schaefer,
the concert was broadcast on WQXR 105.9
FM in New York and streamed online.
Making its own debut on May 5: Steinway
& Sons has collaborated with the Hall to
create the Carnegie Hall Limited Edition
by Steinway & Sons, a distinctive
instrument that embodies the shared
commitment to quality, artistic
excellence, and innovation that has
defined the partnership between the two
institutions for 135 years. The limited
edition piano was on display for the
first time at the “Concert of the
Century” gala dinner at the Waldorf
Astoria. Inspired by the architectural
grandeur of Carnegie Hall, it features
gilded artwork adorning both sides of
the piano’s lid, reflecting the
intricate design of the Hall’s Dress
Circle. The music desk panel is inspired
by the sweeping curves of the Hall’s
proscenium arch, a motif that is further
reflected in the lines of the piano
bench.
A total of fifty Carnegie Hall
Limited Editions in two colorways will
be crafted in Steinway’s historic
factory in Queens, New York and will be
on display to the public starting May 7
at Steinway Hall, located at 1133 Avenue
of the Americas.
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