Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Hosts Annual Gala To Honor Robert F. Arning, 5/4

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra hosts its Annual Gala on Thursday, May 4 at the Metropolitan Club. The evening honors Robert F. Arning, Vice Chair of Market Development at KPMG, the fastest-growing "Big Four" professional services firm worldwide. The evening celebrates the long-standing partnership between Orpheus and KPMG, marking the shared ideals of collaboration, innovation, and excellence on a global stage. With the help of Mr. Arning and KPMG's advocacy, Orpheus has developed a unique cultural niche both in the US and abroad, particularly in Japan where Orpheus has toured for over twenty-five years, enjoying close connections to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Sendai.

"We're very proud to honor the continued commitment that Robert Arning has to our orchestra," said Orpheus Executive Director Alexander Scheirle. "Thanks to Robert's tireless advocacy for Orpheus, we are able to continue to share our unique artistry and model of music-making in New York City and around the world."

The gala features a private performance by Orpheus, joined by double bassist and the recent winner of prestigious 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Xavier Foley. Featured on the waltz-themed program is a movement from Raise Hymn, Praise Shout, a piece commissioned by The Sphinx Organization and written by John B. Hedges specifically for Mr. Foley. Also on the program is composer Paul Chihara's latest chamber orchestral arrangement, an expansion of Prokofiev's piano transcriptions of Schubert waltzes; movements from Tchaikovsky's Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 48; Bottesini's second Concerto for Bass; and Fuchs' Serenade No. 5 in D Major, Op. 53.

Proceeds from the gala support Orpheus' education initiative, Access Orpheus™, which reaches over 2,000 school children annually, engaging New York City's public school students from all five boroughs.

The May 4th gala includes a cocktail reception beginning at 6:15 p.m., followed by the private concert, dinner, and a silent auction featuring a range of unique experiences and luxury items. Gala tables are priced at $100,000, $75,000, $50,000, $30,000, and $17,500, and include a table of ten guests at the dinner along with tiered benefits. Pairs of tickets can be purchased for $5,000 and individual gala tickets are $2,500. More information on table/ticket reservation and silent auction can be found by visiting www.orpheusnyc.org/support/annual-gala or by calling the Development Office at 212-896-1713.

Gala Information
Orpheus Annual Gala
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Honoring Robert F. Arning, KPMG LLP
The Metropolitan Club - One East 60th Street, NYC
Black Tie
6:15 p.m. Cocktails
7:30 p.m. Concert
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Xavier Foley, double bass

TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from Serenade for String Orchestra, Op.48
BOTTESINI Concerto for Bass No. 2 in B in minor, I. Allegro
HEDGES Raise Hymn, Praise Shout for bass and strings, III. Praise Break
PROKOFIEV/CHIHARA Schubert Waltzes suite
FUCHS Serenade No. 5 in D Major, Op. 53, IV. (waltz)

8:30 p.m. Dinner and Silent Auction

About Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
A standard-bearer of innovation and artistic excellence, the Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is one of the world's foremost musical ensembles. Orpheus was founded in 1972 by a group of young musicians determined to bring the intimacy and warmth of a chamber ensemble to the richness of a full orchestra. The Orchestra creates music without a conductor, utilizing a trademarked democratic model of collaborative leadership. Through its performances and educational programs, Orpheus is proud to serve a diverse community of experienced concertgoers, the musically curious, and the next generation of music-makers. Reaching over 30,000 people each year, Orpheus presents an annual series at Carnegie Hall, tours nationally and internationally, and commissions and premieres new orchestral works.

About Access Orpheus™: Education & Engagement
Reaching over 2,000 school children annually, the Orchestra's award-winning Access Orpheus™ program engages New York City's public school students from all five boroughs, through in-class visits, invitations to Working Rehearsals, Instrument Discovery Days, masterclasses with guest artists, and free tickets to Orpheus performances at Carnegie Hall. For many, this is their first opportunity to experience a live classical music concert. Orpheus is also proud to expand its educational offerings to communities on tour, nationally and internationally, from Atlanta, Georgia to Sendai, Japan. By engaging youth in the Orchestra's distinctive democratic process, Orpheus not only educates the next generation of music listeners, but also encourages values such as leadership, diplomacy, communication, and collaboration that are the basis of good global citizenship.

About Xavier Foley
Xavier Foley has appeared as soloist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, the Brevard Concert Orchestra, the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and with the Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall and recently debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra. As a winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2016, he makes his New York and Washington, D.C. debuts in Merkin Concert Hall, supported by the Sander Buchman Prize, and at the Kennedy Center, as only the second double bassist in YCA's history. Also a composer, Mr. Foley studied with Edgar Meyer and Eric Sessler at the Curtis Institute of Music. He earned his Bachelor of Music in 2016, after working with Edgar Meyer and Hal Robinson. Mr. Foley's double bass was crafted by Rumano Solano.

To post a comment, you must register and login.