SYMPHONY SPACE 2013 Spring Swing and Access to the Arts Awards Gala Set for 4/15

Each spring Symphony Space honors individuals and organizations who share its dedication to keeping the arts accessible to all New Yorkers. On April 15, 2013, the Spring Swing and Access to the Arts Awards Gala will honor Steven M. Alden, Louise Kerz Hirschfeld & Lewis B. Cullman, Luis Ubiñas, and the late Isaiah Sheffer. Co-chaired by Amy Wilson and David Flannery, and BD Wong, the 2013 Spring Swing Gala will be held at Capitale, located at 130 Bowery on the Lower East Side. The evening begins with cocktails and a silent auction at 6:30pm, followed by dinner and entertainment at 7:30 PM, and concludes with dancing and dessert.

The Spring Swing is hosted by actress Tamara Tunie (Law & Order: SVU, Flight) and singer Gregory Generet. Performers and presenters include Eisa Davis (Passing Strange), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Sonia Manzano (Sesame Street), S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order, Lackawanna Blues) James Naughton (Chicago), Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Arturo O'Farrill (The Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra), documentarian D.A. Pennebaker (The War Room), cabaret star KT Sullivan, singer Dan Zanes, and Commissioner Kate D. Levin from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Other Symphony Space artists expected to be in attendance include: Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Wire), dance legend Carmen de Lavallade, documentarian Chris Hegedus, composer Tania León, Adepero Oduye (Pariah, Steel Magnolias), Kaneza Schaal (Elevator Repair Service), and humorist Calvin Trillin. More special guests to be confirmed in the coming week.

The Gala event will honor Steven M. Alden, Board Chairman from 2001-2012 in recognition of his devoted leadership of Symphony Space; philanthropists Louise Kerz Hirschfeld & Lewis B. Cullman, for their inspiring dedication to the arts and respective leadership of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation and the Lewis B. & Dorothy Cullman Foundation; and Luis Ubiñas, the President of the Ford Foundation, for his dynamic direction of the nation's second largest foundation. Symphony Space will also bestow the Access to the Arts Award to Isaiah Sheffer, its Founding Artistic Director, who passed away in November 2012.

There will be both a silent and live auction which includes unique experiences with Symphony Space artists and friends including Roy Blount Jr., Daniel Boulud, Cesare Casella, Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Egan, Santino Fontana, Neil Gaiman, John Guare, John Lithgow, Nick Offerman, Kelli O'Hara, Adam Platt, Jeremy Shamos, Colm Toibin, and Jacques Torres. For more information on the auction or to bid online, visit symphonyspace.org/auction. The live auction will be led by Geraldine Nager, Senior Vice President at Sotheby's.

The annual Symphony Space Gala attracts arts patrons, industry leaders, and artists from the many disciplines that make up Symphony Space's unique cultural landscape. A limited number of tables ($7,500/15,000/25,000) and individual tickets ($750/1500) are still available. To purchase, please contact Mac Ingram at (212) 864-1414 x229, e-mail symphonyspacegala@gmail.com, or visit symphonyspace.org/gala.