NWS 33rd Anniversary Virtual Gala Program Book

BRAVE NEW WORLD

33rd anniversary virtual gala: a celebration of resilience Honoring the Knight Foundation

___ saturday , february 20, 2021

BRAVE NEW WORLD SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 6:00 PM

VIP R ECE PT I O NS W I T H G UE S T A RT I S T S

A ND NW S FELLOW S

7:00 PM

WORLD PRE M I E RE O F A FI LM PRO D U C E D

BY M I CHA EL T I LS O N T HO M A S

CHRO NI CLI NG T HE HI S T O RY A ND I MPAC T OF N EW WO RLD S YM PHO NY

LOOKING At THINGS DIFFERENTLY “The New World Symphony has been my pride and joy for over thirty years. Never has that been more so than in this challenging time when so many of our Fellows are stepping up to the plate with original and engaging ideas for reaching out to people everywhere with their beautiful musical message.”

MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TONIGHT’S HOSTS and HONOREES MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS Michael Tilson Thomas is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, where he continues his role as educator in mentoring the next generation of musicians. He is also Music Director Laureate of the San Francisco Symphony, Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra, and maintains an active presence guest conducting with the major orchestras of Europe and the United States.

Mr. Tilson Thomas began his formal studies at the University of Southern California, where he studied piano with John Crown and conducting and composition with Ingolf Dahl. At age 19 he was named Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra. He worked with Stravinsky, Boulez, Stockhausen and Copland on premieres of their compositions at Los Angeles’ Monday Evening Concerts. During this same period he was the pianist and conductor for Gregor Piatigorsky and Jascha Heifetz.

In 1969 Mr. Tilson Thomas won the Koussevitzky Prize and was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony. He went on to become the BSO’s Associate Conductor, then Principal Guest Conductor, where he remained until 1974.

Mr. Tilson Thomas’ extensive television work includes a series with the London Symphony Orchestra for BBC Television, the television broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts from 1971 to 1977 and numerous productions on PBS’s Great Performances. In 2004 Mr. Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony embarked on a multi-tiered media project—Keeping Score—which includes television, web sites, radio programs and programs in the schools, all designed to make classical music more accessible to a new audience.

Among his many honors and awards, Mr. Tilson Thomas is a Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, was Musical America’s Musician of the Year and Conductor of the Year, Gramophone Magazine’s Artist of the Year and has been profiled on CBS’s 60 Minutes and ABC’s Nightline. He has won 11 Grammy Awards for his recordings. In 2008 he received the Peabody Award for his radio series for SFS Media, The MTT Files. In 2010 President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government. In 2019 Mr. Tilson Thomas was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors.

JUDITH RODIN & PAUL VERKUIL Judith Rodin is a pioneer, change-maker, groundbreaking executive and global thought-leader. For over two decades she led and transformed two global institutions: The Rockefeller Foundation—as its first female president—and the University of Pennsylvania as the first woman named to lead an Ivy League Institution. Dr. Rodin’s leadership ushered The Rockefeller Foundation into a new era of strategic philanthropy, especially forging innovation in two new fields that are now of global relevance: resilience and impact investing. She has received numerous honorary doctorate degrees and prestigious honors and has written or co-written 15 books, including The Resilience Dividend: Being Strong in a World Where Things Go Wrong and Making Money Moral: How a New Wave of Visionaries is Linking Purpose and Profit.

A graduate of William & Mary and the University of Virginia law school, Paul Verkuil practiced law in New York City before moving to the academic side of law. He has served on the faculty of UNC School of Law and as Dean of the Tulane and Cardozo law schools. He is President Emeritus of William & Mary and has served as acting dean of the University of Miami law school. Mr. Verkuil was Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States for five years during the Obama administration. His expertise is in administrative law and economic regulation, fields in which he continues to consult. He is author of numerous books and articles, including Valuing Bureaucracy. Paul attributes his love of classical music to his father, Marinus, who emigrated from the Netherlands to America with his piano teacher not far behind.

RESILIENCE AT NWS “Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from crises more quickly and effectively, to learn from them, and to transform as a result.”

DR. JUDITH RODIN NWS TRUSTEE & GALA CHAIR

KNIGHT FOUNDATION & ALBERTO IBARGÜEN The New World Symphony is a laboratory for the way music is taught, presented and experienced and within its Knight New Media Center is where the experimentation begins. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has significantly invested in NWS’s New Media Activities: the digital presentation, capture, post-production and distribution of educational and artistic content. Our philanthropic partnership with Knight Foundation has transformed the way we educate our Fellows, engage our audiences and explore new models for education and performance worldwide.

Alberto Ibargüen is president and CEO of Knight Foundation. He is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. During his tenure, The Miami Herald won three Pulitzer Prizes and El Nuevo Herald won Spain’s Ortega y Gasset Prize for excellence in journalism. He is a former board chair of PBS and of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. He also chaired the board of the World Wide Web Foundation. He has served on the boards of other arts, education and journalism organizations, including the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Wesleyan University, Smith College, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Committee to Protect Journalists and ProPublica as well as on the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.

A CRITICAL PARTNERSHIP FOR REIMAGINING IN A DIGITAL AGE “At Knight Foundation, we search for arts partners with significant opportunity for authentic connection to their communities. In the case of New World Symphony and their digital infrastructure, they serve both local and global communities. The timing of our support is best when it can fuel transformation—of an institution and its communities.

Opportunity and transformation define our relationship with New World Symphony. We look forward to their next digital adventures, led by the creative force of Michael Tilson Thomas.”

ALBERTO IBARGÜEN J O H N S . A N D J A M E S L . K N I G H T F O U N D AT I O N , P R E S I D E N T & C E O

STORIES OF RESILIENCE: NWS FELLOWS A ND ALUMNI

photo by chris witzke

TEDDY ABRAMS As Louisville, Kentucky raged with unrest this summer, Louisville Orchestra Music Director and NWS conducting alumnus Teddy Abrams responded with art. Using 70 sound samples from Louisville protests collected by journalist Maxwell Mitchell, Teddy composed You Can’t Stop the Revolution—a sound film that captures the raw energy and power of the demonstrations against racial injustice that rocked the city. Teddy has instilled a theme of big picture thinking across the Louisville Orchestra’s season. “This is an interesting moment when we don’t have to be swept up in the week-to-week planning of a typical season. We can ask ourselves what Louisville needs from us right now and respond. I am very proud of my Louisville Orchestra family for uniting around a shared vision for what a musical institution can and should be at a time like this. We are proving to be a stabilizing force in sharing powerful and hopeful art within the context of what’s happening, not one that is divorced from reality.”

Read more at nws.edu/revolution.

photo by gary barragan

BLAKE-ANTHONY JOHNSON When assuming his new role as CEO of the Chicago Sinfonietta this summer, NWS cello alumnus BlakeAnthony Johnson had no shortage of challenges. The world was reeling from the pandemic, the country faced the murder of George Floyd and many others, and classical music faced a reckoning of the systemic racism that has plagued the art form for centuries. “I believed there were opportunities within the enormous pressure I faced, the timing accelerated the development of trust I have with my staff, musicians, Board members and community,” said Blake-Anthony. He has prioritized the expansion of the Sinfonietta’s internal equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) work, technological infrastructure, and education programs like the Project Inclusion Fellowship, which offers multifaceted professional development fellowships to orchestra musicians, conductors, composers and administrators. BlakeAnthony has continued aiding nationwide change by joining multiple national advisories and committees including the League of American Orchestra’s EDIB Management Committee. “I believe it’s important for art to embrace risk— inherent risk is good! It’s okay to fail—it’s not okay to fail the same way twice, but we can embrace data-driven risk. Be courageous during this time and find the balance of responsibility, risk, and the purpose of the arts.”

Read more at nws.edu/risk.

MICHAEL MARTIN Since the 2018-19 season, NWS Fellows have created NWS BLUE projects that allow them to pursue musical activism based on their personal interests with their own original initiatives, from concept to execution. Before this season had started, Bass Fellow Michael Martin was already hard at work creating Black Reflections—a three-part panel discussion on Black artistry in concert music. He assembled Black artists, activists, scholars and executives in classical music and jazz for online conversations that covered the historical and social context of Black musicians’ participation in concert music, the personal experiences of Black musicians, and reimagining a just and equitable future for Black artists in concert music. “I couldn’t allow a moment when our whole industry was asking how they could further racial equity go unanswered. I found what I needed most was to hear from other Black colleagues, mentors and family members; if only to know there were other people who shared the same thoughts and feelings, and understood them. I created Black Reflections with the intention to show a path forward for our industry, but most importantly, for young Black musicians like me to hear from the greatest Black musicians of our field, and see themselves in them. Every one of the panelists has shown the way forward for me as a Black musician, and I know they have for others as well.”

Read more at nws.edu/reflections.

photo by andrew wenglowskyj

YUKI NUMATA RESNICK Five years after leaving the NWS fellowship, violin alumna Yuki Numata Resnick co-founded Buffalo String Works (BSW), an El Sistema-inspired after-school music program that currently serves 90 students. “Buffalo is home to over 25,000 foreign-born residents and for our students especially, many of whom have been displaced from all over the world, music can be a lifeline,” said Yuki. “We train skilled musicians, but the journey of our students doesn’t stop there. Through collaboration, responsibility, and the hard, joyful work of making music together, our students grow into engaged, empowered people, alive with possibility.” Since the pandemic struck, Buffalo String Works’ classes shifted online and doubled their student enrollment, leading to two additional teaching sites across Buffalo.

“As much as I love performing and the violin has been a part of me for 36+ years now, I never felt that all my boxes were checked when I walked off stage and the applause died down. Walking into our BSW classrooms, seeing our students mature into young leaders, witnessing the pride on their faces and the faces of our audience members when they’re on stage— suddenly, all the boxes were checked for me. I fervently believe that we can begin to address much of the brokenness in today’s world through music education. It is our duty to listen to our youth and empower them with the skills and passion to lead us forward.”

Read more at nws.edu/buffalo.

CARRIE SCHAFER When Carrie Schafer left the NWS fellowship in 2011, she was pursuing her musical career with full gusto—landing success with positions in the St. Louis and Houston symphonies. “My life looked great on paper, but I was not balanced. My internal dialogue was very negative, and it was because I knew I couldn’t stop drinking.”

Now celebrating over two years on her recovery journey, Carrie has launched Whole Heart Wisdom—a coaching practice for musicians concerned about their counterproductive habits who are looking to make a change. Carrie returned to NWS this season as a visiting faculty member for the Fellows’ wellness curriculum.

“While you can’t force anyone to change, I think it’s important for musicians to talk about substance abuse. Hitting rock bottom and going on to maintain sobriety in recovery is a very resilient act. Taking healthy risks and learning from our failures isn’t something to be ashamed of. Resiliency can come in many forms; many times, it’s the small victories that add up to big changes.”

Read more at nws.edu/wholeheart.

KALLIE SUGATSKI NWS viola alumna Kallie Sugatski is dedicated to shaping the future of classical music and how it engages with current situations. When the pandemic halted audiences from experiencing live music together, she saw a unique situation that cried for connection. “I began imaging what kind of art is needed and helpful during this time. It’s critical for people to hear the sounds of live music—not just from a phone or a computer.” Her solution: Vigorous Tenderness – an outdoor music series that centers on queer and BIPOC composers. The quarterly series is based on the calendar’s equinoxes and solstices. “So many of the ways we’ve traditionally observed the passage of time have been compromised during the pandemic. This series is an earthly and grounded way of marking time and connecting with each other through listening.” The Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice concerts featured solo and chamber ensemble performances in unique settings, including a WWI-era fort, a goat barn and around fire pits. “There are no parameters in place. I have the freedom to try different performance formats—an approach that thrives at NWS and continues to influence me. The pandemic has offered the time and artistic space to imagine a new music world that I believe in —and the resources to experiment with realizing that vision.”

Read more at nws.edu/tenderness.

2020-21

NEW WORLD SYMPHONY FELLOWS VIOLIN

BASS

BASS TROMBONE

Sophia Bernitz

Douglas Aliano

Noah Roper

Sergio Carleo

Kathryn Bradley

Harry Chang

Antonio Escobedo

TUBA

Christina Choi

Levi Jones

Andrew Abel

Brendon Elliott

Michael Martin

Ethan Hoppe

Eric Windmeier

Scott Jackson

T I M PA N I Matthew Kibort

Jung Eun Kang

FLUTE

Yankı Karataş

Johanna Gruskin

PERCUSSION

Jesse Kasinger

Jack Reddick

Kevin Ritenauer

Katherine Kobylarz

Leah Stevens

Charlie Rosmarin

Ka-Yeon Lee

Marcelina Suchocka

Margeaux Maloney

OBOE

Carson Marshall

Victoria Chung

HARP

Zachary Ragent

Mark Debski

Phoebe Powell

Michael Rau

Joo Bin Yi PIANO

Yefim Romanov Luis Salazar

CLARINET

Wesley Ducote

Chelsea Sharpe

Kelsi Doolittle

Thomas Steigerwald

Natsuko Takashima

Jesse McCandless

Michael Turkell

Angelo Quail

Dillon Welch

CONDUCTING Chad Goodman

BASSOON VIOLA

Justin Cummings

L I B R A RY

Peter Ayuso

Amelia del Caño

Matthew Searing

Stephanie Block

Bee Ungar

Spencer Ingersoll Gabe Napoli

HORN

Jacquelyn O’Brien

Corbin Castro

Sam Pedersen

Jessica Elder

Marlea Simpson

Thea Humphries Scott Leger

CELLO

Eli Pandolfi

Chava Appiah Clare Bradford

TRUMPET

Vivian Chang

Gianluca Farina

James Churchill

Morgen Low

Ben Fryxell Amy Sunyoung Lee

TROMBONE

Emily Yoshimoto

Guangwei Fan Arno Tri Pramudia

Congratulations to the New World Symphony for giving the gift of music for 33 years. With admiration and gratitude also to our honorees, the Knight Foundation and Alberto Ibargüen for investing so generously in NWS’s mission and believing in the potential of the digital world. To MTT, our Fellows and Guest Artists, we admire your resilience and creativity. Thank you for making this evening so special.

J U D I T H R O D I N A N D PA U L V E R K U I L

BRAVE NEW WORLD

Congratulations, New World Symphony, on 33 years of success from fostering young people into world-class musicians and launching their careers in music to enriching our community through performance.

And to Michael Tilson Thomas, thank you for your extraordinary touch on all that is NWS. MADELEINE AND MICKY ARISON

BRAVE NEW WORLD

We express our heartfelt appreciation for the Knight Foundation and Alberto Ibargüen’s continued support in New World Symphony’s mission. As NWS continues to explore and reimagine the world of classical music in this new digital era, we would like to take a moment to congratulate MTT, our Fellows, our Leadership, our Staff, and everyone involved at NWS for their countless accomplishments over the past 33 years.

A special thank you to our Gala Chairs, Judith Rodin and Paul Verkuil for making tonight a success!

With love and gratitude, SARAH ARISON, THOMAS WILHELM AND OLIVIA ARISON WILHELM

BRAVE NEW WORLD

The New World Symphony continues to find innovative ways to push boundaries and connect with audiences as they celebrate their 33rd Anniversary Gala. The remarkable Fellows of NWS are inspiring and shaping the future of Classical Music in the Digital Age. We thank Alberto Ibargüen and the Knight Foundation for believing in and supporting New World Symphony’s mission, and express our sincere gratitude to Judith Rodin and Paul Verkuil for making this special evening possible.

CHANIN AND ADAM CARLIN

BRAVE NEW WORLD

The New World Symphony’s resilient DNA has never shone more brightly than this year. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s generosity and belief in New World Symphony’s quest to reach audiences everywhere has helped the organization’s mission thrive – even during a pandemic.

We salute our dear friend, Alberto Ibargüen, and Knight Foundation for their tenacity and belief in NWS. And we thank our Gala Chairs, Judith Rodin and Paul Verkuil, for their special leadership tonight.

Never have we been more proud of the NWS team.

E DWA R D A N D S U E

BRAVE NEW WORLD

Thank you, New World Symphony, for the support you provided to Meals for Heroes Miami in 2020. With your help, we served over 25,000 meals to COVID-19 frontline responders and helped keep 24 local restaurants open. The NWS team and Board members gave of their time and funds, allowing us to bring sustenance and hope to our city’s heroes in a truly devastating time—and communicate to them that the community they serve is behind them all the way. www.mealsforheroesmiami.org WILL OSBORNE AND KAREN BECHTEL

BRAVE NEW WORLD

GALA CHAIRS Judith Rodin and Paul Verkuil

RESILIENCE $100,000

The Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation Sarah Arison and Thomas Wilhelm Chanin and Adam Carlin John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Karen Bechtel and Will Osborne Judith Rodin and Paul Verkuil Susan D. Kronick and Edward Manno Shumsky The Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Family Foundation

INNOVATION $25,001 - $50,000 Anonymous Rose Ellen Greene Jama and John Haley Patricia and William Kleh Dr. Frayda B. Lindemann The Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust

INCLUSION $15,000 - $25,000 Anonymous Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation Luisa and Francisco Borges Mary and Michael Carpenter The Clinton Family Fund | Martha and Bruce Clinton Mary Lou and John Dasburg Ann Drake Mary and Howard S. Frank Linda and David F. Frankel Goldman Sachs Marcia and Harry M. Hersh Amy and Richard Kohan Miami Cancer Institute | Baptist Health South Florida Miami City Ballet Jan and William L. Morrison Diane and Robert Moss Indra K. and Raj K. Nooyi Northern Trust | Sara and John Fumagalli Jackie Soffer and Craig Robins The Barry S. Sternlicht Foundation Michael Tilson Thomas and Joshua Robison Truist | Beth and John Geraghty

CREATIVITY $5,001 - $10,000 Sari and Arthur Agatston Tracey Robertson Carter and Christopher Carter 420 Lincoln Road | Trudy and Paul Cejas Greenberg Traurig | Cesar Alvarez Beth Lotspeich Marian E. Davis and David R. Parker Carolina Piña Valerie and John Rowe

CREATIVITY $5,000 Lisa Schejola and Jeffrey R. Akin Nadine Asin and Thomas van Straaten Rita and Ernest Bogen Daniel Nir and Jil Braufman Rosalind E. Gorin and Matthew Budd Richard Cole

Danet Linares and Matt Haggman Tom Healy and Fred P. Hochberg Aaron Lieber and Bruce Horten Judith and Richard Jacobs Ana and Neisen Kasdin Jane and Gerald Katcher Diane and Alan R. Lieberman Miami Music Project Olga and David Melin Shirley Sarna and Steve Nelson Helen and Edward J. Nicoll Patricia Papper Dorothy and Aaron Podhurst Marcia Hayes and G. Daniel Prigmore Linda G. and Charles Sands PKS & OIS Lois H. Siegel Jean and Eugene Stark Bill Strong

FLEXIBILITY $2,500 - $4,999 Cassie Arison and Niv Alexander Helene Berger Anne and James Donavan Pamela Garrison Lesley Goldwasser and Jonathan Plutzik Denise and Enrique Lerner Lillian and Jeffrey Rosenberg Jane and Leopold Swergold Roselyne Chroman Swig Richard Tager

ADAPTATION $1,000 Toby Lerner Ansin Louise Austin Lenore Gaynor Maria Bechily Hodes and Scott Hodes Dale and Stephen Kulvin Bobbi and Richard Litt Joy and Fred Malakoff Christine Mayer Susan S. Miller John Palfrey Roger and Michele Picard Ronni and Andrew Smulian Alicia Speight Cliff Stein Margery and Lewis Steinberg Deborah S. and Michael B. Troner John Gibson Verkuil Judith and Richard J. Wurtman

UNDERWRITERS Tracey Corwin – Fellows’ Dinner Ana and Neisen Kasdin – Gift Boxes

SPONSORS