New York City Celebrates Israel's Philharmonic 80th Anniversary

Rochelle and David A. Hirsch, Linda and Michael G. Jesselson, andRuth and Theodore N. Mirvis, along with host Paula Zahn, are proud to announce this year's Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) New York Gala will be held on Tuesday, November 15 at the The Plaza Hotel- in celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

The benefit committee is comprised of prominent New York business and philanthropic leaders including Rita and Charles Bronfman, Sara and Charles Fabrikant, Arlene and Morris Goldfarb, Jo Carole and Ronald Lauder, Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert,Lauren and John Veronis, and Elaine and James Wolfensohn (amongst others).

This celebratory occasion will include a cocktail party and chamber music concert with members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and guest violinist Julian Rachlin, followed by dinner. Rachlin, a dynamic violinist and praised conductor, has performed and toured extensively with the IPO. The evening's program of Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, performed by a dazzling string sextet, will provide attendees with a unique opportunity to hear Tchaikovsky's most ambitious chamber work in an intimate setting.

The celebrations continue in Israel in December, with a twelve-day, nine-event series to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the IPO's inaugural concert. Running fromDecember 20-31, an illustrious bill of musicians and friends of the Orchestra gather to form an unforgettable festival of this inspirational institution. Joining the Orchestra with a musically thrilling and diverse set of concerts, recitals, and Sonata Evenings are various guest conductors and musicians, including: conductors Riccardo Muti, Manfred Honeck, and Lahav Shani and instrumentalists Nicola Bendetti, Yefim Bronfman, Amanda Forsyth, David Garrett, Martin Grubinger, Leonidas Kavakos, Evgeny Kissen, Yigal Meltzer, Murray Perahia, Julian Rachlin, Yuja Wang, and Pinchas Zukerman.

Since its inception in 1936, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) has been dedicated to presenting the world's greatest classical music to audiences in Israel and worldwide. The Orchestra tours as a cultural diplomat for Israel bringing a message of peace. The Orchestra's first major fundraising gala was held in 1936 at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, and was "chaired" by Albert Einstein. The non-profit organizationAmerican Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (AFIPO) was created in 1980 to formalize and broaden the relationship between North America and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with continuing the tradition of giving.

In addition to generating an endowment and increasing the reach of the Orchestra through financial support of national and international tours, AFIPO was also instrumental in developing KeyNote, the educational arm of the IPO. KeyNote programs bring the joy of classical music to nearly 30,000 children in Israel each year, while promoting tolerance and mutual respect. AFIPO seeks to strengthen the reach of the IPO as the preeminent cultural ambassador for the State of Israel and expand the support of classical music and musical education in Israel. AFIPO continues its mission of social development and dialogue through music with Sulamot: Music for Social Change, which focuses its resources on bringing intensive musical education from IPO musicians to at-risk youths. Sulamot provides students with private lessons, supervised practice time, advanced ensemble study, performance opportunities, and access to quality instruments in underserved regions.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is unique in its cultural diversity, with members of the Orchestra representing a wide variety of different nationalities. The 2012 documentary filmOrchestra of Exiles by Oscar-nominated writer/director Josh Aronson illuminates the historical perspective of the IPO's founding, focusing on Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman's vision and resolve to save Jewish families from anti-Semitism and Nazism by bringing these immigrants together in a new, distinguished ensemble. These world-class are comprised of people from all over the world that come together to inspire international audiences.

A limited number of sponsorship packages and tickets are still available for this extraordinary celebration and can be reserved by contacting the National office at 212-697-2949. All proceeds benefit the Orchestra's programming and international touring.