Carnegie Hall has announced that Vartan Gregorian will receive the Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence at a gala benefit on Monday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m. at The Plaza's Grand Ballroom. The evening recognizes Mr. Gregorian's vast accomplishments and the global impact that he has made through his work as a scholar, philanthropist, and advocate of the humanities. Violinist Pinchas Zuckerman, who performed when Mr. Gregorian was inaugurated as President of Brown University in 1989, will play with pianist Bryan Wagorn as part of this special event.
Throughout his career, Mr. Gregorian's leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, The New York Public Library, Brown University, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York has helped transform these institutions, ensuring that each has been sustained as an essential part of our nation's intellectual and cultural life. In this centennial year of Andrew Carnegie's passing, the award honors Mr. Gregorian for his dedication to the vitality of education, the arts, and the ideals that uphold our democracy. We salute him for his true spirit of philanthropy, a quality he shares with Carnegie Hall's founder. Celebrating Mr. Gregorian's inspiring life story, which includes coming to America as a university student, the gala event also aligns with Carnegie Hall's citywide Migrations: The Making of America festival, which showcases the indelible impact that newcomers have made on our country's culture and society.
"We are proud to honor Vartan Gregorian with Carnegie Hall's Medal of Excellence," said Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall's Executive and Artistic Director. "Vartan is universally beloved throughout our community and it is a great pleasure to recognize him for his extraordinary accomplishments. We look forward to this very special evening celebrating his lifetime achievements."
Carnegie Hall's 2019 Medal of Excellence Gala leadership includes Gala Chairmen Robert F. Smithand Sanford I. Weill, Shahla and Hushang Ansary, Beatrice Santo Domingo, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), and Honorary Chairmen Richard A. Debs and James D. Wolfensohn. The June 10 gala, includes a cocktail reception followed by a seated dinner, award ceremony, and special musical performances in The Plaza's Grand Ballroom.
Proceeds from the gala evening will provide important support for this spring's Migrations festival and all of the Hall's innovative artistic, education, and social impact programs.
Individual gala tickets start at $3,000 and tables for 10 start at $30,000. To reserve gala tables and tickets, please call the Special Events Office at 212-903-9679 or email
specialevents@carnegiehall.org.
Mr. Gregorian will be the 10th recipient of the
Carnegie Hall Medal of Excellence. Previous recipients have been: Adrienne Arsht, Sanford I. Weill, Oscar de la Renta, Robert K. Kraft, Bill Cunningham, Henry T. Segerstrom, Terry J. Lundgren, Richard S. Fuld, Jr., and Kenneth D. Lewis.
Vartan Gregorian is the 12th president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, a grant-making institution founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1911. Prior to his current position, which he assumed in June 1997, Mr. Gregorian served for nine years as the 16th president of Brown University.
Since 1891,
Carnegie Hall has set the international standard for excellence in performance as the aspirational destination for the world's finest musicians.
Carnegie Hall presents a wide range of performances each season on its three stages-the renowned Stern
Auditorium / Perelman Stage, intimate Weill Recital Hall, and innovative Zankel Hall-including concert series curated by acclaimed artists and composers; citywide festivals featuring collaborations with leading New York City cultural institutions; orchestral performances, chamber music, new music concerts, and recitals; and the best in jazz, world, and popular music. Complementing these performance activities, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music
Institute creates extensive music education and social impact programs that annually serve more than 600,000 people in the New York City area, nationally, and internationally, playing a central role in Carnegie Hall's commitment to making great music accessible to as many people as possible. For more information, visit
carnegiehall.org.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Blanc
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