NYCO Renaissance Hosts Gala in Honor of Julius Rudel Tonight

New York City Opera Renaissance will host a Gala Concert and Dinner to celebrate the life of the late Maestro Julius Rudel and his invaluable contribution to the New York City Opera as General Director and Principal Conductor from 1957 to 1979. Maestro Rudel passed away on June 26, 2014 at age 93. The Gala Concert will take place at the Rose Theater in the Time Warner Center, Broadway & 60th Street, New York, NY, this evening, March 9, 2015, at 7 pm.

Tickets now on sale: For $350 premium concert tickets plus Champagne Reception or for $175 concert (only) tickets, please visit the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office, Broadway at 60th Street, ground floor; call CenterCharge at 212 721-6500; or purchase online at www.jazz.org/events/t-4354. For VIP Package Tickets & Table (very limited availability), call 212 877-0500.

Festivities take place in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, as follows:

- Champagne Reception: 6 p.m. in the Ertegun Atrium

- Concert: 7 p.m. (promptly) in the Rose Theater

- Dinner: 8:30 p.m. in the Appel Room, followed by Dessert Reception: 10 p.m. in the Ertegun Atrium

Artists scheduled to perform include Maestro Plácido Domingo, countertenor David Daniels, bass-baritone Mark Delavan, soprano Christine Goerke, bass-baritone James Morris, bass Samuel Ramey, soprano Diana Soviero, and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and Sting.

"When I first sang Carmen under Julius Rudel's baton at New York City Opera in 1965," writes Maestro Domingo,

"I could never have imagined that I would be singing in a gala tribute to him fifty years later. His faith in a 24-year-old tenor from Mexico via Tel Aviv really helped to launch my international career, and I am not only happy but also grateful to be able to pay homage to his memory in 2015."

"I am honored and thrilled to sing in honor of dear, amazing, wonderful Julius Rudel," says Ms. von Stade. "He was a big part of my career, starting way back at the Mannes College of Music and my admiration and affection for him just grew with the years. The idea that his beloved company might be reborn is a thrill to all and a great tribute to him."

In homage to City Opera's tradition of bringing together repertoire staples, American musicals, and new operas, the program will feature not only favorite arias and operatic ensembles by composers ranging from Handel and Mozart to Puccini and Verdi and Kurt Weill, but also works by five celebrated living American composers: Carlisle Floyd, Ricky Ian Gordon, Jake Heggie, Tobias Picker, and Stephen Sondheim.

The New York City Opera Orchestra will be led by six noted conductors: Maestro Plácido Domingo as well as Pacien Mazzagatti, James Meena, Steven Osgood, Imre Palló, and Gary Thor Wedow. And in keeping with the New York City Opera's mission to champion young artists, sopranos Olga Busuioc, Joélle Harvey, and Kristin Sampson and tenor Joshua Guerrero will perform as part of the festivities. The program will also feature recent City Opera favorites including Michael Chioldi, Michael Corvino, William Ferguson, Heather Johnson, and Sidney Outlaw as well as bass David Leigh, a recent graduate of Maestro Rudel's alma mater, the Mannes School of Music.

Maestro's Rudel's family-son Anthony Rudel and daughters Madeleine Grant and Joan Weinrich-pay tribute:

Our father, Maestro Julius Rudel, served as General Director and Principal Conductor of New York City Opera for 22 years from 1957 to 1979. As you can imagine, City Opera meant a great deal to him. Our family appreciates the unique place NYCO held, and the force it was within the cultural scene of New York and the world. With our father's passing in June 2014, we wanted to celebrate him with a concert that reflected his amazing life and work. When the opportunity to link that celebration with New York City Opera Renaissance arose, we knew it was something he would have wanted. The concert will feature artists whose careers developed under the care of our father. Our father always believed New York needed and deserved another opera company, not only for the audiences, but for the musicians, young singers, and the stage personnel who would gain from the work and experience, just as he had in 1943 when he was hired by New York City Opera to be a rehearsal pianist. Our hope is that NYCO Renaissance will someday give the world the next Julius Rudel, and nurture the careers of generations of great American artists and composers to come.

Roy G. Niederhoffer, NYCO Renaissance Chairman of the Board, writes:

For decades, Maestro Rudel was both the artistic and administrative driving force behind New York City Opera. His innovative yet appealing repertoire choices, highly effective and efficient management, and keen artistic vision have served as the model for our plans for City Opera's next chapter. On March 9th, we will not only celebrate Maestro Rudel's enormous contribution to the arts, but also celebrate the launch of a 'People's Opera' of which he would be proud.

General Director of NYCO Renaissance Michael Capasso evokes the memory of Maestro Rudel:

The impact of Maestro Rudel's work as a musician, impresario, and administrator on the America opera scene cannot be overstated. His adventurous, groundbreaking work at New York City Opera has inspired me throughout my career. It is an honor for us to celebrate his legacy with this gala.

All gala proceeds will benefit NYCO Renaissance Ltd., a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit company committed to an artistically vibrant and financially sound renewal of the city's beloved opera company. New York City Opera was famously dubbed "The People's Opera" by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia at its founding in 1943. Now, more than 70 years later, NYCO Renaissance aims to renew the company's historic mission to inspire audiences with innovative and theatrically compelling opera, nurture the work of promising American artists, and build new audiences through affordable ticket prices and extensive outreach and education programs throughout the concert season.

Visit www.NYCOrenaissance.com for more information.

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