Photo Flash: FIAF Presents Its First Le Petit Gala Outside The Box Soirée

On Monday November 16, the French Institute Alliance Française held the eclectic and innovative Le Petit Gala Outside the Box soirée. The evening had a livestreamed performance and offered festive dinner boxes to enjoy from home. More than 1,000 people watched this celebration of FIAF's artistic voice, featuring performances at FIAF's Florence Gould Hall.

See photos below!

"FIAF is proud to have reinvented its Gala. This creativity has allowed us to survive and even thrive in the midst of adversity," said FIAF President Marie-Monique Steckel introducing the evening's livestream from the theater.

Specially commissioned performances from three trailblazing artists followed. Jonah Bokaer premiered a work, "Softer Distances," about creating art in a time of social distancing. Cal Hunt, a FlexN dancer presented "Gliding: From Brooklyn to Paris," recalling his time appearing in the Opéra de Paris's acclaimed production of Les Indes Galantes. The famed countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo with pianist Bryan Wagorn closed the live performance portion of the evening with three French songs, finishing their set with a vivacious rendition of Juliette Greco's "Sous le ciel de Paris."

The archived livestream is available to watch at bit.ly/fiafgala through December 16.

Following the performance, Gala guests including Nicolas de Rivière, French Ambassador to the UN; Jérémie Robert, French Consul General in New York, and Shinouna Karume; actor Ronald Guttman; as well as Gala committee members Homaira Akbari. Stephanie Arsham, Hombeline & Patrick Baugier de Chevestre, Anne Busquet, Samantha & Nabil Chartouni, Clo & Charles S. Cohen, Betty & Jean-Marie Eveillard, Charles de Lardemelle, Jeanne & Alexandre Leviant, Bénédicte de Montlaur & Keith Yazmir, Clémence & William von Mueffling, Béatrice Philippe & Zoltan Hankovszky, Dr. Michael S. Siegal & Nomi P. Ghez, Amelia & Mortimer Singer, Amy & David Sorkin, Nicole Salmasi, Elisabeth Wilmers, and Shirin von Wulffen & Frederic Fekkai, joined for a virtual dinner party from their homes. The festive dinner box included foie gras from D'Artagnan, pastries from Ladurée, wine courtesy of Xavier Flouret, Champagne Vranken, Perrier, and a patterned linen napkin from Fete Home. Before the evening was over, they all came together once again for a special performance of Korngold's Much Ado About Nothing Suite by the acclaimed French violinist Renaud Capuçon from Paris's Saint-Louis des Invalides.