WELCOME
Park Avenue Armory strives to engage audiences with high-quality classical music, becoming a “locus for important chamber music concerts” (The New Yorker). Set in the intimate and lush surroundings of the Board of Officers Room, the Armory provides “a space for chamber music, which marries excellent acoustics and an austerely elegant Gilded Age interior. With its blood-red mahogany paneling and chandeliers that diffuse a soft caramel glow while bronzed chain curtains filter out the daylight, the room creates an atmosphere of luxury and concentration” (The New York Times).
For the 2025 Season, the Recital Series includes highly anticipated recital debuts, thoughtfully curated programs of lieder, art song, and contemporary works by some of today’s most exciting musical interpreters, and thrilling performances that explore signal works and take the art form in bold new directions.
In February, we welcome BBC Next Generation Artist baritone Konstantin Krimmel for his North American recital debut, in a program of works by Schubert, Loewe, and Ralph Vaughan Williams with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz. Soprano Erin Morley brings her sought-after lyric coloratura to the intimate Board of Officers Room stage in April with an artfully curated program of works from her recent album Rose in Bloom, including repertoire connected to flowers, gardens, and nature from Schumann and Berg to Saint-Saëns and Rimsky-Korsakov and a song cycle by Ricky Ian Gordon.
The series continues in the fall with Samoan tenor Pene Pati following his glowing reviews at his Met Opera debut earlier this year, making his North American recital debut with pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg in September. One of America’s foremost pianists, Jeremy Denk, gives a marathon performance in October of Bach’s Six Partitas, presumably the most famous and challenging collection of suites in music history, showcasing his virtuosic playing and sensitive musicality.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke gives aa new program titled “Of Thee I Sing” in November, an artfully curated evening with pianist Myra Huang of works by Debussy, both Alma and Gustav Mahler, and the New York premieres of a song cycle by Scott Ordway and an Armory-commissioned work by American composer Jasmine Barnes. Finally, the Attacca Quartet closes out the 2025 Recital Series with a wide-ranging program of classic quartets by Bartók and Felix Mendelssohn, quartet-arranged interpretations of signal works for other instrumentation, and the North American premiere of “Daisy”—an Armory-commissioned new composition by David Lang.
Over the past decade of recitals at the Armory, we are proud to have held more than 130 intimate performances by almost 240 internationally renowned musicians, including 16 important North American, US, and New York debuts of dynamic artists including tenor Allan Clayton, soprano Barbara Hannigan, and pianist Igor Levit. We have also been proud to serve as the locale for 18 premieres by contemporary composers, including works by Michael Hersch, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, John Zorn, Dai Fujikura, Michael Gordon, Jake Heggie, Chris Cerrone, Viet Cuong, and others.
This year’s lineup offers audiences even more chances to enjoy the intimacy of a beautiful range of chamber music experiences performed by artists with a highly distinctive international profile, in “an invaluable place to hear unconventional singers and programs” (The Wall Street Journal)—the Board of Officers Room. We hope you join in our excitement for witnessing these magical moments in music.
Rebecca Robertson
Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer
Pierre Audi*
Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director
*In memoriam
2025 RECITAL SERIES IN THE RESTORED BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM
PENE PATI, TENOR
RONNY MICHAEL GREENBERG, PIANO
wednesday, september 24, 2025 at 7:30pm friday, september 26, 2025 at 8pm
SEASON SPONSOR
The Recital Series is supported, in part, by the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation.
Leadership support for the Armory’s artistic programming has been generously provided by the Anita K. Hersh Philanthropic Fund, Charina Endowment Fund, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, the Pinkerton Foundation, the Starr Foundation, and the Thompson Family Foundation.
Major support was also provided by the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the SHS Foundation, and Wescustogo Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Armory’s Artistic Council. Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams. Cover image by James Ewing.
PROGRAM
Gabriel Fauré Poème d’un jour
1. Rencontre
2. Toujours
3. Adieu
Henri Duparc
“L’invitation au voyage” “Phidylé”
Lili Boulanger from Clairières dans le ciel
“Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie” “Elle est gravement gaie” “Parfois, je suis triste”
Intermission
Roger Quilter
Benjamin Britten
Richard Strauss
“Go, Lovely Rose” from Five English Love Lyrics “Take, O Take Those Lips Away” from Five Shakespeare Songs “O Mistress Mine” from Three Shakespeare Songs
“The last rose of summer” “Seascape” “The Choirmaster’s Burial”
“Ruhe, meine Seele” “Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann” “Allerseelen” “Heimliche Aufforderung”
This program runs approximately 75 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.
This concert is being recorded by WQXR for future broadcast on 105.9 FM and streaming on wqxr.org.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The first half of this recital takes us to the world of the French fin de siècle (“century’s end”). The expression has been used to refer to many things, but the general mood of the songs on tonight’s program are certainly consistent with what the term most frequently evokes: extreme refinement coupled with a general pessimism and a sense that more is coming to an end than just the century.
Gabriel Fauré’s Poëme d’un jour, a mini-cycle consisting of three short songs, was written in 1878, shortly after Marianne Viardot, daughter of the celebrated singer-composer Pauline Viardot, called off her engagement to the 32-year-old composer. The brokenhearted Fauré turned to a set of poems by the prolific poet and playwright Charles Grandmougin (1850–1930), and offered, in a composition that takes no more than five minutes to perform, a complete biography of a relationship from hopeful meeting to unrequited passion to resigned leave-taking.
Henri Duparc’s reputation rests entirely on the seventeen songs he composed before giving up composition for health reasons. In “L’invitation au voyage” (1870), after a famous poem by Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867), exoticism meets eroticism as the lure of distant shores mingles with the poet’s feelings for mon enfant, ma sœur, a person who is definitely neither his child nor his sister... Duparc’s music brings alive this special mixture of desire, decadence and nostalgia. “Phidylé” (1882), after Leconte de Lisle (1818–1894), combines lush nature painting with a declaration of sensual love. The poet was one of the leaders of the Parnassian movement, which cultivated a certain classical purity and detachment. The song begins calmly and gradually grows in intensity; the passionate love scene is completed in the expressive piano postlude. (Both of these songs were later orchestrated by the composer.)
Lili Boulanger, who died of an incurable illness at age 24, received her first piano lessons as a child from Fauré, a close family friend, and she dedicated the first song of her cycle Clairières dans le ciel (“Clearings in the sky,” 1914) to her first maître. We shall hear the first three of the thirteen songs that make up this cycle, written on poems by symbolist poet Francis Jammes (1868-1938) from the collection Tristesses (“Sadness”). The 21-year-old composer expressed these poems of grief using a highly advanced harmonic language all her own.
After intermission, we cross the English Channel to sample the work of Roger Quilter, author of over 100 songs that stand with the finest of the English vocal literature. Quilter loved old English poetry, and set it with an exquisite sense for melody and prosody. Michael Pilkington, a noted expert on English song, called “Go, Lovely Rose” (1922), on a poem by Edmund Waller (1606–1687), Quilter’s “masterpiece,” and it is hard to disagree with him. Of the two Shakespeare settings on the program, “Take, O Take Those Lips Away” (1921) comes from Measure for Measure, and “O Mistress Mine” (1905) from Twelfth Night—the first tender and mild, the second more playful.
Benjamin Britten, a generation younger than Quilter, brought an entirely new sensibility to the art song. In “The last rose of summer” (1960), an arrangement of the beloved melody by Ireland’s “national bard” Thomas Moore (1779–1852), he added some elaborate ornaments to the traditional melody. The passionate and virtuosic “Seascape” (1937) is part of the song cycle On This Island on poems by W. H. Auden (1907–1973), with whom Britten enjoyed a close friendship and professional partnership in the 1930s. “The Choirmaster’s Burial” is an excerpt from the cycle Winter Words (1953) after poems by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). This gripping song about death incorporates the hymn tune “Mount Ephraim,” mentioned in the poem.
In his more than 200 songs, Richard Strauss brought the German Lied tradition to its last great efflorescence. Most of his greatest songs were written early in life, before the end of the nineteenth century. The first and last songs in tonight’s set were published in the same collection in 1894. In “Ruhe, meine Seele,” the poet Karl Henckell (1864–1929) seeks inner peace amidst threats and turbulence from outside, and Strauss responds with some stunning harmonic progressions and intense dramatic declamation. “Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann” would be a joyful fantasy, if it didn’t begin and end with the sad realization that it all we hear about is no more than a fantasy. The light-hearted lines of Felix Dahn (1834–1912) inspired a mixture of folk-like accents and tragic (or mock-tragic) outbursts in the music. “Allerseelen” (1882), written at the age of 19, uses a poem by Hermann Gilm (1812–1864), in which we get the impression that two old lovers are reconnecting— until we realize that the reunion is taking place at the cemetery. John Henry Mackay (1864-1933), son of a Scottish father and a German mother, was a German poet, in whose “Heimliche Aufforderung” two lovers steal away from a noisy gathering and head to the rosebushes. The music vividly paints the exuberance of the party scene as well as the mystery and ecstasy of the secret encounter.
— Peter Laki
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
PENE PATI, TENOR
Pene Pati is the first Samoan tenor to perform on Europe’s top stages, including Opéra national de Paris, the Royal Ballet and Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera. He boasts an exceptional versatility in a broad palette of roles including Mozart, Massenet, Donizetti, Gounod, Puccini, and Verdi. Named Best Male Singer at the Opera Critics’ Awards and Opera Magazine Readers’ Award at the International Opera Awards, he is beloved by audiences at the opera, on the concert stage and on recordings. An exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics, he has released two albums, with a third released in September 2025.
The 2025-26 season sees Pati make his role debut in two French roles, Hoffmann in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann (at the Staatsoper Berlin), and the title role of Massenet’s Werther, at Opéra Comique in Paris. He also makes his house debut at Opernhaus Zurich as Tito in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, and his house debut at Teatro alla Scala as Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Other engagements include a return to Staatsoper Berlin to sing Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata, and Edgardo at Opéra national du Capitole in Toulouse. He remains very active on the concert stage, beginning the season with his solo American recital debut at the Park Avenue Armory, before performing the title role of Gounod’s Faust in concert at the prestigious Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Verdi’s Requiem at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Classic FM Live Gala in London, Berlioz’s Requiem at Opéra national de Paris, and additional solo recitals in Strasbourg, Gstaad, Paris, and Bordeaux. Pati’s warm and winning personality has helped endear him to audiences around the world and contributed to great competition success in his formative years taking top prizes and audience choice awards at several competitions including Operalia and Neue Stimmen. He received his masters’ degree from the Wales International Academy of Voice, and was an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera.
RONNY MICHAEL GREENBERG
Ronny Michael Greenberg is a pianist, producer, and musical visionary whose artistry has illuminated stages from Carnegie Hall to Vienna’s Konzerthaus. As founder and CEO of Taste of Talent, a nonprofit redefining cultural programming through innovative, multi-sensory experiences, he has established himself as a leading figure in the performing arts.
Among his producer credits are Opera Aloha, a Pacific concert tour blending opera with Hawaiian musical traditions; TILT, Grace Cathedral’s annual summer solstice concert; the Bay Area’s iconic Halloween concert Death By Aria; Merola Opera Program’s Gala; and special performances at Filoli Historic House & Gardens. Greenberg celebrated the centennial of Rhapsody in Blue with performances across the Bay Area, including a full orchestral concert with Festival Napa Valley conducted by Ming Luke, and a string quintet version at Grace Cathedral with the Telegraph Quartet, bassist Charles Chandler, and mezzo-soprano and aerialist Nikola Printz. The centennial tribute also included a solo tour of Bay Area schools and senior homes. He curates and emcees the music for San Francisco Opera Guild’s annual Evening on the Stage, which has included tributes to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Paul Pelosi, and is excited to return in that role for the 2025 celebration honoring Maria Manetti Shrem.
As a performer, producer, curator, educator, and artistic partner, Greenberg has collaborated with institutions including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, Festival Napa Valley, Merola Opera Program, Hawai’i Opera Theatre, Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, and Music at Kohl Mansion. In summer 2025, he leads Merola Opera Program’s A Grand Night for Singing: An American Song Fest, returns to the faculty of Festival Napa Valley’s Manetti Shrem Opera Program, and curates the sixth edition of TILT at Grace Cathedral alongside legendary soprano Leah Crocetto.
Through all his work, Greenberg is passionate about breaking boundaries of genre and culture, creating spaces for connection, collaboration, and artistic freedom.
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845–1924)
Poème d’un jour, op. 21 (1878)
Texts by Charles Grandmougin (1850–1930)
1. Rencontre
J’étais triste et pensif quand je t’ai rencontrée, Je sens moins aujourd’hui mon obstiné tourment, Ô dis-moi, serais-tu la femme inespérée
Et le rêve idéal poursuivi vainement?
Ô passante aux doux yeux, serais-tu donc l’amie
Qui rendrait le bonheur au poète isolé, Et vas-tu rayonner sur mon âme affermie
Comme le ciel natal sur un cœur d’exilé?
Ta tristesse sauvage, à la mienne pareille,
Aime à voir le soleil décliner sur la mer!
Devant l’immensité ton extase s’éveille
Et le charme des soirs à ta belle âme est cher.
Une mystérieuse et douce sympathie
Déjà m’enchaîne à toi comme un vivant lien, Et mon âme frémit, par l’amour envahie
Et mon cœur te chérit sans te connaître bien.
2. Toujours
Vous me demandez de me taire,
De fuir loin de vous pour jamais
Et de m’en aller, solitaire, Sans me rappeler qui j’aimais!
Demandez plutôt aux étoiles
De tomber dans l’immensité, À la nuit de perdre ses voiles,
Au jour de perdre sa clarté!
Demandez à la mer immense
De dessécher ses vastes flots
Et quand les vents sont en démence, D’apaiser ses sombres sanglots!
Mais n’espérez pas que mon âme
S’arrache à ses âpres douleurs
Et se dépouille de sa flamme
Comme le printemps de ses fleurs!3.
3. Adieu
Comme tout meurt vite, la rose déclose, Et les frais manteaux diaprés des prés; Les longs soupirs, les bien-aimées, fumées!
On voit dans ce monde léger changer
Plus vite que les flots des grèves, nos rêves, Plus vite que le givre en fleurs, nos cœurs!
À vous l’on se croyait fidèle, cruelle, Mais hélas! les plus longs amours sont courts!
Et je dis en quittant vos charmes, sans larmes, Presqu’au moment de mon aveu, Adieu!
Poem of a day
English translations by Richard Stokes
1. Meeting
I was sad and pensive when I met you, Today I feel less my persistent pain; O tell me, could you be the long hoped-for woman, And the ideal dream pursued in vain?
O passer-by with gentle eyes, could you be the friend
To restore the lonely poet’s happiness, And will you shine on my steadfast soul
Like native sky on an exiled heart?
Your timid sadness, like my own, Loves to watch the sun set on the sea!
Such boundless space awakes your rapture, And your fair soul prizes the evenings’ charm.
A mysterious and gentle sympathy
Already binds me to you like a living bond, And my soul quivers, overcome by love, And my heart, without knowing you well, adores you.
2. Forever
You ask me to be silent,
To flee far from you for ever And to go my way alone, Forgetting whom I loved!
Rather ask the stars
To fall into infinity,
The night to lose its veils, The day to lose its light!
Ask the boundless sea
To drain its mighty waves, And the raging winds
To calm their dismal sobbing!
But do not expect my soul
To tear itself from bitter sorrow, Nor to shed its passion
As springtime sheds its flowers!
3. Farewell
How swiftly all things die, the rose in bloom, And the cool dappled mantle of the meadows; Long-drawn sighs, loved ones, all smoke!
In this fickle world we see our dreams
Change more swiftly than waves on the shore, Our hearts change more swiftly than frosted flowers!
To you I thought I would be faithful, cruel one, But alas! the longest loves are short!
And I say, taking leave of your charms, without tears, Almost at the moment of my avowal, Farewell!
HENRI DUPARC (1848–1933)
L’invitation au voyage (1870)
Text by Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)
Mon enfant, ma sœur,
Songe à la douceur
D’aller là-bas vivre ensemble!
Aimer à loisir,
Aimer et mourir
Au pays qui te ressemble!
Les soleils mouillés
De ces ciels brouillés
Pour mon esprit ont les charmes
Si mystérieux
De tes traîtres yeux, Brillant à travers leurs larmes.
Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté, Luxe, calme et volupté!
Vois sur ces canaux
Dormir ces vaisseaux
Dont l’humeur est vagabonde;
C’est pour assouvir
Ton moindre désir
Qu’ils viennent du bout du monde.
-Les soleils couchants
Revêtent les champs,
Les canaux, la ville entière,
D’hyacinthe et d’or;
Le monde s’endort
Dans une chaude lumière.
Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté, Luxe, calme et volupté!
Phidylé (1882)
Text by Charles-Marie-René Leconte de Lisle (1818–1894)
L’herbe est molle au sommeil sous les frais peupliers, Aux pentes des sources moussues, Qui, dans les prés en fleur germant par mille issues, Se perdent sous les noirs halliers.
Repose, ô Phidylé! Midi sur les feuillages
Rayonne, et t’invite au sommeil.
Par le trèfle et le thym, seules, en plein soleil, Chantent les abeilles volages.
Un chaud parfum circule au détour des sentiers, La rouge fleur des blés s’incline, Et les oiseaux, rasant de l’aile la colline, Cherchent l’ombre des églantiers.
Mais, quand l’Astre, incliné sur sa courbe éclatante, Verra ses ardeurs s’apaiser, Que ton plus beau sourire et ton meilleur baiser Me récompensent de l’attente!
Invitation to journey
English translation by Richard Stokes
My child, my sister,
Think how sweet
To journey there and live together!
To love as we please,
To love and die
In the land that is like you!
The watery suns
Of those hazy skies
Hold for my spirit
The same mysterious charms
As your treacherous eyes
Shining through their tears.
There - nothing but order and beauty dwell, Abundance, calm, and sensuous delight.
See on those canals
Those vessels sleeping,
Vessels with a restless soul;
To satisfy
Your slightest desire
They come from the ends of the earth.
The setting suns
Clothe the fields, Canals and all the town
With hyacinth and gold;
The world falls asleep
In a warm light.
There - nothing but order and beauty dwell, Abundance, calm, and sensuous delight.
Phidylé
English translation by Richard Stokes
The grass is soft for sleep beneath the cool poplars On the banks of the mossy springs That flow in flowering meadows from a thousand sources, And vanish beneath dark thickets.
Rest, O Phidylé! Noon on the leaves Is gleaming, inviting you to sleep. By the clover and thyme, alone, in the bright sunlight, The fickle bees are humming.
A warm fragrance floats about the winding paths, The red flowers of the cornfield droop; And the birds, skimming the hillside with their wings, Seek the shade of the eglantine.
But when the sun, low on its dazzling curve, Sees its brilliance wane, Let your loveliest smile and finest kiss Reward me to for my waiting!
LILI BOULANGER (1893–1918)
Clairières dans le ciel (1914)
Texts by Francis Jammes (1860–1938)
“Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie”
Elle était descendue au bas de la prairie et, comme la prairie était toute fleurie de plantes dont la tige aime à pousser dans l’eau, ces plantes inondées je les avais cueillies.
Bientôt, s’étant mouillée, elle gagna le haut de cette prairie-là qui était toute fleurie.
Elle riait et s’ébrouait avec la grâce dégingandée qu’ont les jeunes filles trop grandes.
Elle avait le regard qu’ont les fleurs de lavande.
“Elle est gravement gaie”
Elle est gravement gaie. Par moments son regard se levait comme pour surprendre ma pensée.
Elle était douce alors comme quand il est tard le velours jaune et bleu d’une allée de pensées.
“Parfois, je suis triste”
Parfois, je suis triste. Et, soudain, je pense à elle. Alors, je suis joyeux. Mais je redeviens triste de ce que je ne sais pas combien elle m’aime.
Elle est la jeune fille à l’âme toute claire, et qui, de dans son cœur, garde avec jalousie l’unique passion que l’on donne à un seul. Elle est partie avant que s’ouvrent les tilleuls, et, comme ils ont fleuri depuis qu’elle est partie, je me suis étonné de voir, ô mes amis, des branches de tilleuls qui n’avaient pas de fleurs.
Clearings in the sky
English translations by Richard Stokes
“She had reached the low-lying meadow” She had reached the low-lying meadow, and, since the meadow was all a-blossom with plants that like to grow in water, I had picked these flooded flowers. Soon, soaking wet, she reached the top of that blossoming meadow.
She was laughing and gasping with the gawky grace of girls who are too tall. Her eyes looked like lavender flowers.
“She is solemnly cheerful”
She is solemnly cheerful. At times she looked up, as if to catch what I was thinking. She was gentle then, like at dusk the yellow-blue velvet of a path of pansies.
“Sometimes I am sad” Sometimes I am sad. And suddenly, I think of her. Then, I am overjoyed. But I grow sad again, because I do not know how much she loves me.
She is the girl with the limpid soul, and who, in her heart, guards with jealousy the unrivalled passion garnered for one alone. She went before the limes had blossomed, and since they flowered after she had gone, I was astonished to see, my friends, lime-tree branches devoid of flowers.
ROGER QUILTER (1877–1953)
“Go, Lovely Rose”
Text by Edmund Waller (1606–1687)
Go, lovely Rose!
Tell her, that wastes her time and me, That now she knows, When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be.
Tell her that’s young, And shuns to have her graces spied That hadst thou sprung In deserts, where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died.
Small is the worth
Of beauty from the light retir’d; Bid her come forth, Suffer herself to be desir’d, And not blush so to be admir’d. Then die! that she
The common fate of all things rare May read in thee: How small a part of time they share That are so wondrous sweet and fair!
“Take, O Take Those Lips Away”
Text by William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Take, O take those lips away, That so sweetly were forsworn; And those eyes, the break of day, Lights that do mislead the morn: But my kisses bring again, Seals of love, but sealed, But sealed in vain!
“O Mistress Mine” (1905)
Text by William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O stay and hear; your true love’s coming, That can sing both high and low; Trip no further, pretty sweeting; Journeys end in lovers’ meeting, Every wise man’s son doth know. What is love? ’tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; What’s to come is still unsure: In delay there lies no plenty; Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty; Youth’s a stuff will not endure.
BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913–1976)
“The Last Rose of Summer”
Text by Thomas Moore (1779–1852)
‘Tis the last rose of summer, Left blooming alone; All her lovely companions Are faded and gone; No flow’r of her kindred, No rosebud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes, Or give sigh for sigh.
I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one, To pine on the stem; Since the lovely are sleeping, Go, sleep thou with them; Thus kindly I scatter Thy leaves o’er the bed, Where thy mates of the garden Lie senseless and dead.
So soon may I follow, When friendships decay, And from Love’s shining circle The gems drop away! When true hearts lie wither’d. And fond ones are flown, Oh! who would inhabit This bleak world alone?
“Seascape”
Text by W.H. Auden (1907–1976)
Look, stranger, at this island now The leaping light for your delight discovers, Stand stable here And silent be, That through the channels of the ear May wander like a river
The swaying sound of the sea.
Here at the small field’s ending pause Where the chalk wall falls to the foam, and its tall ledges Oppose the pluck
And knock of the tide, And the shingle scrambles after the sucking surf, and the gull lodges
A moment on its sheer side.
Far off like floating seeds the ships Diverge on urgent voluntary errands; And the full view
Indeed may enter
And move in memory as now these clouds do, That pass the harbour mirror
And all the summer through the water saunter.
“The Choirmaster’s Burial”
Text by Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
He often would ask us That, when he died, After playing so many To their last rest, If out of us any Should here abide, And it would not task us, We would with our lutes
Play over him
By his grave-brim
The psalm he liked best—
The one whose sense suits “Mount Ephraim”
And perhaps we should seem To him, in death’s dream, Like the seraphim.
As soon as I knew That his spirit was gone I thought this his due, And spoke thereupon.
“I think” said the vicar, “A read service quicker That viols out-of-doors In these frosts and hoars. That old-fashioned was Requires a fine day, And it seems to me It had better not be.”
Hence, that afternoon, Though never knew he That his wish could not be, To get through it faster They buried the master Without any tune.
But t’was said that, when At the dead of next night
The vicar looked out, There struck on his ken Thronged roundabout, Where the frost was graying The headstoned grass, A band all in white
Like the saints in church-glass, Singing and playing
The ancient stave
By the choirmaster’s grave. Such the tenor man told When he had grown old.
RICHARD STRAUSS (1864–1949)
“Ruhe, meine Seele!” (1984)
Text by Karl Friedrich Henckell (1864–1929)
Nicht ein Lüftchen, Regt sich leise, Sanft entschlummert
Ruht der Hain; Durch der Blätter Dunkle Hülle
Stiehlt sich lichter Sonnenschein.
Ruhe, ruhe, Meine Seele, Deine Stürme
Gingen wild, Hast getobt und Hast gezittert, Wie die Brandung, Wenn sie schwillt!
Diese Zeiten
Sind gewaltig, Bringen Herz und Hirn in Not—
Ruhe, ruhe, Meine Seele, Und vergiß, Was dich bedroht!
“Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann” (1889)
Text by Felix Dahn (1834–1912)
Ach weh mir unglückhaftem Mann, daß ich Geld und Gut nicht habe,
Sonst spannt’ ich gleich vier Schimmel an und führ’ zu Dir im Trabe.
Ich putzte sie mit Schellen aus, daß Du mich hört’st von Weitem, Ich steckt’ ein’n großen Rosenstrauß an meine linke Seiten, Und käm’ ich an Dein kleines Haus, tät ich mit der Peitsche schlagen,
Da gucktest Du zum Fenster ’naus: „Was willst Du? tätst Du fragen. Was soll der große Rosenstrauß, die Schimmel an dem Wagen?“ „Dich will ich, rief ich, komm heraus!“ Da tätst du nimmer fragen.
„Nun Vater, Mutter, seht sie an und küßt sie rasch zum Scheiden, Weil ich nicht lange warten kann, meine Schimmel woll’ns nicht leiden.“
“Allerseelen” (1885)
Text by Hermann von Gilm (1812–1864)
Stell auf den Tisch die duftenden Reseden, Die letzten roten Astern trag herbei, Und laß uns wieder von der Liebe reden, Wie einst im Mai.
Gib mir die Hand, daß ich sie heimlich drücke, Und wenn man’s sieht, mir ist es einerlei, Gib mir nur einen deiner süßen Blicke, Wie einst im Mai.
Es blüht und duftet heut auf jedem Grabe, Ein Tag im Jahr ist ja den Toten frei, Komm an mein Herz, daß ich dich wieder habe, Wie einst im Mai.
Rest, my soul!
English translation by Richard Stokes
Not even
A soft breeze stirs, In gentle sleep
The wood rests; Through the leaves’ Dark veil Bright sunshine Steals.
Rest, rest, My soul, Your storms Were wild, You raged and You quivered, Like the breakers, When they surge! These times Are violent, Cause heart and Mind distress— Rest, rest, My soul, And forget What threatens you!
Ah, unhappy man that I am English translation by Richard Stokes
Ah, unhappy man that I am to have neither property nor money, Else I’d harness four white horses and drive to you at a canter.
I’d deck them out with little bells for you to hear from afar, I’d place a huge bouquet of roses on my left side, And when I reached your little house, I’d crack my whip,
You’d lean out of the window and ask: ‘What do you want? Why the huge bouquet of roses, why the carriage and horses?’
‘It’s you I want’, I’d cry, ‘come down!’ And there would be no more questions
‘Take one look at her, mother, father, and kiss her quickly goodbye, For I can’t wait long, my horses wouldn’t allow it.’
All Souls’ Day
English translation by Richard Stokes
Set on the table the fragrant mignonettes, Bring in the last red asters, And let us talk of love again As once in May.
Give me your hand to press in secret, And if people see, I do not care, Give me but one of your sweet glances As once in May.
Each grave today has flowers and is fragrant, One day each year is devoted to the dead; Come to my heart and so be mine again, As once in May.
“Heimliche Aufforderung” (1894)
Text by John Henry Mackay (1864–1933)
Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale empor zum Mund, Und trinke beim Freudenmahle dein Herz gesund.
Und wenn du sie hebst, so winke mir heimlich zu, Dann lächle ich, und dann trinke ich still wie du ...
Und still gleich mir betrachte um uns das Heer
Der trunknen Schwätzer—verachte sie nicht zu sehr.
Nein, hebe die blinkende Schale, gefüllt mit Wein, Und laß beim lärmenden Mahle sie glücklich sein.
Doch hast du das Mahl genossen, den Durst gestillt, Dann verlasse der lauten Genossen festfreudiges Bild,
Und wandle hinaus in den Garten zum Rosenstrauch,— Dort will ich dich dann erwarten nach altem Brauch,
Und will an die Brust dir sinken eh’ du’s gehofft, Und deine Küsse trinken, wie ehmals oft,
Und flechten in deine Haare der Rose Pracht— O komm, du wunderbare, ersehnte Nacht!
Secret invitation English translation by Richard Stokes
Come, raise to your lips the sparkling goblet, And drink at this joyful feast your heart to health.
And when you raise it, give me a secret sign, Then I shall smile, and drink as quietly as you ...
And quietly like me, look around at the hordes Of drunken gossips—do not despise them too much.
No, raise the glittering goblet, filled with wine, And let them be happy at the noisy feast.
But once you have savoured the meal, quenched your thirst, Leave the loud company of happy revellers,
And come out into the garden to the rose-bush,— There I shall wait for you as I’ve always done.
And I shall sink on your breast, before you could hope, And drink your kisses, as often before,
And twine in your hair the glorious rose— Ah! come, O wondrous, longed-for night!
ABOUT THE RECITAL SERIES
Park Avenue Armory presents more intimate performances and programs in its acclaimed Recital Series, which showcases musical talent from across the globe in an intimate salon setting. Founded in 2013, the series has held the debuts of many world-class artists, including: the North American recital debuts of pianist Igor Levit, soprano Sabine Devieilhe, tenors Ilker Arcayürek and Allan Clayton, baritones Benjamin Appl and Roderick Williams, clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer, and cellist István Várdai; the North American solo recital debuts of tenor Michael Spyres and mezzo soprano Emily D’Angelo; the US Recital debuts of sopranos Barbara Hannigan and Anna Lucia Richter and baritone Thomas Oliemans; and the New York debuts of pianist Severin von Eckardstein and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam
The Recital Series has programmed the world premieres of: Roger Reynolds’ FLiGHT, performed by the JACK Quartet; Michael Hersch’s “…das Rückgrat berstend,” performed by violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and cellist Jay Campbell; and Chris Cerrone’s Ode to Joy, performed by Sandbox Percussion and commissioned by the Armory. Actor Charlotte Rampling and cellist Sonia WiederAtherton gave the US premiere of The Night Dances on the series in 2015, which brought together Benjamin Britten’s suites for solo cello and poetry by Sylvia Plath; Wieder-Atherton returned to the Armory in 2017 for the North American premiere of Little Girl Blue, a program that reimagined the music of Nina Simone. New York premieres include: Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s In the Light of Air and Shades of Silence performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble; Dai Kujikura’s Minina, John Zorn’s Baudelaires, and a new arrangement of Messiaen’s Chants de terre et de ciel, also performed by ICE; Michael Gordon’s Rushes performed by the Rushes Ensemble; Michael Harrison’s Just Constellations performed by Roomful of Teeth; David Lang’s depart, Gabriel Jackson’s Our flags are wafting in hope and grief and Rigwreck, Kile Smith’s “Conversation in the Mountains” from Where Flames A Word, Louis Andriessen’s Ahania Weeping, Suzanne Giraud’s
NEXT IN THE SERIES
JEREMY DENK, PIANO
OCTOBER 8 & 9
Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, receiving acclaim from audiences and critics alike for his nuanced performances on both the recital and orchestral stage. Denk gives a marathon performance of what is considered the most famous and challenging collection of suites in music history—Bach’s Six Partitas—large musical canvases that follow the basic form of the Baroque dance suite and beautifully showcase virtuosic playing.
Johannisbaum, David Shapiro’s Sumptuous Planet, Benjamin CS Boyle’s Empire of Crystal, and Ted Hearne’s Animals (commissioned by Park Avenue Armory), all performed by The Crossing under conductor Donald Nally; John Zorn’s Jumalattaret sung by soprano Barbara Hannigan with pianist Stephen Gosling; and Viet Cuong’s Next Week’s Trees, performed by Sandbox Percussion. Additional notable programs include performances by: baritone Christian Gerhaher with pianist Gerold Huber; the Flux Quartet; tenor Ian Bostridge with pianist Wenwen Du; pianist David Fray; soprano Lisette Oropesa with pianist John Churchwell; countertenor Andreas Scholl with harpsichordist Tamar Halperin; soprano Kate Royal with pianist Joseph Middleton; pipa player Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet; tenor Lawrence Brownlee with pianists Myra Huang and Jason Moran; mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard with pianist Ted Sperling; soprano Nadine Sierra with pianist Brian Wagorn; soprano Rosa Feola with pianist Iain Burnside; cellist Nicolas Altstaedt; tenor Paul Appleby with pianist Conor Hanick; baritone Will Liverman with pianist Myra Huang; mezzo soprano Jamie Barton with pianist and composer Jake Heggie; new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound; French period choir and chamber orchestra Ensemble Correspondances under the direction of harpsichordist and organist Sébastien Daucé; baritone Justin Austin and pianist Howard Watkins; soprano Ying Fang with pianist Ken Noda; baritone Stéphane Degout with pianist Cédric Tiberghien; pianist Pavel Kolesnikov in a two-night residency featuring Bach’s Goldberg Variations and a program entitled Celestial Navigation, inspired by Joseph Cornell’s orrery of the same name; soprano Julia Bullock with pianist John Arida; mezzo soprano Kate Lindsey with pianist Justina Lee; soprano Jeanine de Bique with pianist Warren Jones; tenor Matthew Polenzani with pianist Ken Noda; soprano Leah Hawkins with pianist Kevin Miller; tenor Karim Sulayman with guitarist Sean Shibe; and soprano Barbara Hannigan with pianist Bertrand Chamayou.
SASHA COOKE & MYRA HUANG
NOVEMBER 13 & 15
Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke comes to the Board of Officers Room for new program titled “Of Thee I Sing,” including an artfully curated set of works by Copland, Barber, Ives, Weill, Jake Heggie, Sondheim, and more, as well as the New York premiere of an Armory-commissioned work by American composer Jasmine Barnes.
NEXT AT THE ARMORY
11,000 STRINGS
SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 6
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Surrounding audiences with 50 micro-tuned pianos playing simultaneously alongside a chamber ensemble, maverick composer Georg Friedrich Haas’s spatial masterpiece, performed by Klangforum Wien, unleashes a cascade of sound that transcends traditional tonality while focusing on the human dimension in music experimentalism and creating a new way of listening. This sonically adventurous spatial work is realized as a concert installation in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, howcases Haas’s focus on the human dimension in his experimentalism while creating a new way of listening.
THE FAGGOTS AND THER FRIENDS BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS
DECEMBER 2 – 14
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
This cult book of fables and myths serves as the starting point for a new music theater adaptation from the creative minds of composer Philip Venables and director Ted Huffman. Together they conjure up a world that takes the original text on a kaleidoscopic journey that ignores boundaries just like the characters on stage do, drawing on theater, dance, and song from the Baroque to Broadway and beyond. The performers serve as actors, storytellers, and musicians all rolled into one, continually swapping roles while doing away with gender and genre norms and replacing them with unapologetic individuality and a lust for life. The resulting cabaret-like spectacle is both vulnerable and daring, a fantastic parable hiding a political manifesto for survival that gives voice to the marginalized and oppressed everywhere.
MAKING SPACE AT THE ARMORY CAFTAN: STYLE AS LIBERATION AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE
SEPTEMBER 28
Inspired by the legendary fashion icon André Leon Talley, his iconic caftans, and his role in the world of fashion, this vibrant, multifaceted program explores fashion’s role in self-expression, freedom, and diasporic encounter. The day includes a panel discussion with industry historians, designers, educators, and community activists that examines the role of fashion as a tool for resistance, cultural preservation, and cross-cultural dialogue; an interactive workshop engaging participants in creating wearable art pieces; as well as pop-up exhibitions, runway shows, and more.
ARTISTS STUDIO GUILLERMO E. BROWN
OCTOBER 11
Drummer, composer, and creator Guillermo E. Brown pushes music performance to new heights through musical collaborations, sound installations, and singular theatrical works. Brown comes to the Veterans Room with a cast of collaborators for an insightful overview of the past, present, and future of his work, including some of his Creative Capital projects and new compositions played on a new audio-visual musical instrument he is building as part of the Doris Duke Foundation Performing Arts Technology Lab.
SANDRA MUJINGA
NOVEMBER 20 & 21
Norwegian artist and musician Sandra Mujinga uses speculative fiction in the Afrofuturist tradition to investigate economies of visibility and disappearance, in which she typically reverses established identity politics of presence. After recent exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Basel, the Guggenheim, and the Venice Biennale, the multifaceted creator comes to the Veterans Room to broaden and expand her practice in the performative spectrum by creating an otherworldly sonic environment that plays off the architecture of the room.
ABOUT PARK AVENUE ARMORY
Part palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory supports unconventional works in the performing and visual arts that cannot be fully realized in a traditional proscenium theater, concert hall, or white wall gallery. With its soaring 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall—reminiscent of 19th-century European train stations—and an array of exuberant period rooms, the Armory provides a platform for artists to push the boundaries of their practice, collaborate across disciplines, and create new work in dialogue with the historic building. Across its grand and intimate spaces, the Armory enables a diverse range of artists to create, students to explore, and audiences to experience epic, adventurous, relevant work that cannot be done elsewhere in New York.
The Armory both commissions and presents performances and installations in the grand Drill Hall and offers more intimate programming through its acclaimed Recital Series, which showcases musical talent from across the globe within the salon setting of the Board of Officers Room; its Artists Studio series curated by Jason Moran in the restored Veterans Room; Making Space at the Armory, a public programming series that brings together a discipline-spanning group of artists and cultural thought-leaders around the important issues of our time; and the Malkin Lecture Series that
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman Emeritus
Elihu Rose, PhD
Co-Chairs
Adam R. Flatto
Amanda J.T. Riegel
President
features presentations by scholars and writers on topics related to Park Avenue Armory and its history. In addition, the Armory also has a year-round Artists-in-Residence program, providing space and support for artists to create new work and expand their practices.
The Armory’s creativity-based arts education programs provide access to the arts to thousands of students from underserved New York City public schools, engaging them with the institutions artistic programming and outside-the-box creative processes. Through its education initiatives, the Armory provides access to all Drill Hall performances, workshops taught by Master Teaching Artists, and in-depth residencies that support the schools’ curriculum. Youth Corps, the Armory’s year-round paid internship program, begins in high school and continues into the critical post-high school years, providing interns with mentored employment, job training, and skill development, as well as a network of peers and mentors to support their individual college and career goals.
The Armory is undergoing a multi-phase renovation and restoration of its historic building led by architects Herzog & de Meuron, with Platt Byard Dovell White as Executive Architects.
Edward G. Klein, Brigadier General NYNG (Ret.)
Dabie
Avant-Garde Chair
Adrienne Katz
Directors Emeriti
Harrison M. Bains
Angela E. Thompson*
Wade F.B. Thompson* Founding Chairman, 2000-2009
Pierre Audi*
Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director
*In memoriam
PARK AVENUE ARMORY STAFF
Rebecca Robertson Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer
Pierre Audi* Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director
ARTISTIC PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING
Michael Lonergan Senior Vice President and Chief Artistic Producer
Chris Greiner General Manager
Rachel Rosado Producer
Samantha Cortez Producer
Darian Suggs Associate Director, Public Programming
Kanako Morita Company Manager/Associate Producer
Oscar Peña Programming Coordinator
ARTISTIC PRODUCTION
Paul E. King Director of Production
Claire Marberg Deputy Director of Production
Nicholas Lazzaro Technical Director
Lars Nelson Technical Director
Mars Doutey Technical Director
Rachel Baumann Assistant Production Manager
ARTS EDUCATION
Cassidy L. Jones Anita K. Hersh Chief Education Officer
Monica Weigel McCarthy Director of Education
Naima Warden Associate Director of School Programs
Biviana Sanchez School Programs Manager
Nadia Parfait Education Programs Manager
Ciara Ward Youth Corps Manager
Bev Vega Youth Corps Manager
Milen Yimer Youth Corps Assistant
Drew Petersen Education Special Projects Manager
Emily Bruner, Donna Costello, Alberto Denis, Alexander Davis, Asma Feyijinmi, Shar Galarza, Hawley Hussey, Larry Jackson, Drew Petersen, Leigh Poulos, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, Bairon Reyes Luna, Vickie Tanner, Jono Waldman Teaching Artists
Daniel Gomez, Nancy K. Gomez, Maxim Ibadov, sunyoung kim, Amo Ortiz Teaching Associates
Arabia Elliot Currence, Victoria Fernandez, Sebastian Harris, Oscar Montenegro, Adriana Taboada Teaching Assistants
Shatisha Bryant, Alexus Heiserman, Melina Jorge Teaching Apprentices
Eden Battice, Teja Caban, Koralys De La Cruz, Azrael Hernandez, Nephthali Mathieu, Blue Price, AJ Volkov Youth Corps Advisory Board
Felipe Aguirre, Joseph Balbuena, Janneurys Colon, Matthew Deyhill, Fatoumata Diallo, Moon Emigli, Adonai Fletcher-Jones, Melina Jorge, Yenupaak Konlan, Sabre Lee, Alan Munoz,
Jason Moran Curator, Artists Studio
Tavia Nyong’o Curator, Public Programming
Hennsy Pena, Hillary Ramirez Perez, Angela Reynoso, Denivia Rivera, Kedesia Robinson, Naima Rodriguez, Naomi Santos, Arely Suarez, Elijah Tejeda, Lucille Vasquez Youth Corps, Post High School Advanced Interns
Phoenix Acevdeo, Justin Amesquita, Mariela Bonilla Martinez, June Bottex, Marc Chaudry, Verkiel Cosino, Elizabeth Cruz, Laurin Dieujuste, Kaylani Ellington, Leah Fernandez, Gabriela Gonzalez, Jenny Guevara Reyes, Besa Hasanovic, Alejandro Mayorquin, Jacelyn Melendez, Steven Merino, Gabriel Morris, Tirso Reyna, Jaylen Ventura Youth Corps, High School
BUILDING OPERATIONS
Marc Von Braunsberg Chief of Building Operations
Samuel Denitz Director of Facilities
Xavier Everett Security/Operations Manager
Emma Paton Administrative and Office Coordinator
Williams Say Superintendent
Olga Cruz, Leandro Dasso, Mayra DeLeon, Jeferson Avila, Felipe Calle, Jose Campoverde, Jacob Garrity, Edwin Romer, Tyrell Shannon Castillo Maintenance Staff
DEVELOPMENT
Patrick Galvin Chief Development Officer
Alan Lane Director of Development
Caity Miret Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer
Jessica Pomeroy Rocca Major Gifts Officer
Chiara Bosco Manager of Individual Giving
Angel Genares Director of Institutional Giving
Hans Rasch Manager of Institutional Giving
Margaret Breed Director of Special Events
Séverine Kaufman Manager of Special Events
Michael Buffer Director of Database and Development Operations
Maeghan Suzik Manager of Development Operations
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Lori Nelson Executive Assistant to the President
Nathalie Etienne Administrative Assistant, President’s Office
Simone Elhart Rentals and Project Manager
FINANCE, HR, AND IT
Judy Rubin Chief Financial Officer
Philip Lee Controller
Khemraj Dat Accounting Manager
Zeinebou Dia Junior Accountant
Neil Acharya Human Resources Manager
Oku Okoko Director of IT
Jorge Sanchez IT Helpdesk Administrator
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND AUDIENCE SERVICES
Tom Trayer Chief Marketing Officer
Nick Yarbrough Associate Director of Digital Marketing
Dileiny Cruz Digital Marketing Coordinator
Allison Abbott Senior Press and Editorial Manager
Mark Ho-Kane Graphic Designer
Joe Petrowski Director of Ticketing and Customer Relations
Monica Diaz Box Office Manager
John Hooper Assistant Box Office Manager
Jordan Isaacs Box Office Lead
Victor Daniel Ayala, Fiona Garner, Sylvie Goodblatt, Sarah Jack, Matthew Kamen, Emma Komisar, Michelle Meged, Caleb Moreno, Arriah Ratanapan, Ester Teixeira Vianna Box Office Associates
Caitlin O’Keefe, Anne Wolf Tour Guides
Natasha Michele Norton Director of House Management
Clayton McInerney, Nancy Gill Sanchez, Rachel Carmona House Managers
Becky Ho, Cody Castro, Kyle McClellan, Neda Yeganeh Assistant House Managers
Adonai Fletcher-Jones, Aiyana Greene, Beth Miller, Billie Martineau, Blue Price, Christina Johns, Christine Lemme, David Lawson, Denise Williams, Eboni Greene, Edwin Adkins, Eileen Rourke, Elijah Tejeda, Eliza Goldsteen, Emmett Pryor, Felipe Aguirre, Glori Ortiz, Grace Hazen, Heather Sandler, Hector Rivera, Hillary Ramirez Perez, John Summers, Joseph Balbuena, Kathleen Rodriguez, Kathleen White, Kedesia Robinson, Kin Tam, Konlan Yenupaak, Lana Hankinson, Mae Cote, Maria Inkateshta, Mariel Mercedes, Mathew Tom, Melina Jorge, MJ Ryerson, Myren Mandap, Naomi Santos, Regina Pearsall, Sandra Kitt, Sarah Gallick, Sebastian Harris, Shannon Wallace, Tess Kondratiev, Yesenia Mayers, Zulay Calamari Ushers
Resnicow + Associates Press Representatives
PRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sarah Billinghurst Solomon, Matthew Epstein
Artistic Consultants for Vocal Recitals
Steinway & Sons
JOIN THE ARMORY
Become a Park Avenue Armory member and join us in our mission to present unconventional works that cannot be fully realized elsewhere in New York City. Members play an important role in helping us push the boundaries of creativity and expression and enjoy the following exclusive benefits.
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE STARTING AT $2,500
Chairman’s Circle members provide vital support for the Armory’s immersive arts and education programming and the restoration of our landmark building, and receive unparalleled access to the Armory, including exclusive experiences and intimate engagements with our world-class artists.
*Subject to ticket availability
AVANT GARDE STARTING AT $350
The Avant Garde is a dynamic group for adventurous art enthusiasts in their 20s to early 40s. Members enjoy an intimate look at Armory productions, as well as exclusive invitations to forward-thinking art events around New York City.
For more information about membership, please contact the Membership Office at (212) 616-3958 or members@armoryonpark.org. For information on ticketing, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 or visit us at armoryonpark.org.
ARTISTIC COUNCIL
The Artistic Council is a culturally adventurous leadership group that champions our full season of “only at the Armory” productions in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall.
Chair
Lisa Miller
Abigail and Joseph Baratta
Blavatnik Family Foundation♦
Jeanne-Marie Champagne
Sasha Cutter and Aaron Hsu
Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort
Caroline and Paul Cronson
Jessie Ding and Ning Jin
Misook Doolittle♦
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
The Lehoczky Escobar Family
Adam and Abigail Flatto
Robin Fowler
Roberta Garza and Roberto Mendoza
Lorraine Gallard and Richard H. Levy
Barbara and Peter Georgescu
LEGACY CIRCLE
Joan Granlund♦
Kim and Jeff Greenberg Lawrence and Sharon Hite
Samhita and Ignacio Jayanti
Carola Jain
Wendy Keys
Irene Kohn
Fernand Lamesch
Almudena and Pablo Legorreta
Christina and Alan MacDonald
Andrew Martin-Weber and Beejan Land♦
John and Lisa Miller
Lily O’Boyle
Valerie Pels
Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker♦
Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel
Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas
Susan and Elihu Rose
Janet C. Ross
Caryn Schacht and David Fox
Stephanie and Matthew Sharp
Brian S. Snyder
Sarah Billinghurst Solomon
Joan and Michael Steinberg
Emanuel Stern
Saundra Whitney
Maria Wirth
Ku-Ling Yurman
Anonymous (2)
♦ Artistic Council Luminary Member. Recognizes individuals whose generous philanthropic support helps underwrite a specific Drill Hall production in this or future seasons.
The Armory’s Legacy Circle is a group of individuals who support Park Avenue Armory through a vitally important source of future funding, a planned gift. These gifts will help support the Armory’s out-the-box artistic programming, Arts Education Programs, and historic preservation into the future.
Founding Members
Angela and Wade F.B. Thompson*
Co-Chairs
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Members
The Estate of Ginette Becker
Wendy Belzberg and Strauss Zelnick
Emme and Jonathan Deland
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Adam R. Flatto
Roberta Garza
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Anita K. Hersh*
Ken Kuchin
Heidi McWilliams
PATRONS
Gwendolyn and Peter Norton
Michelle Perr
Amanda J.T. Riegel
Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief
Susan and Elihu Rose
Francesca Schwartz
Joan and Michael Steinberg
Angela and Wade F.B. Thompson*
Park Avenue Armory expresses its deep appreciation to the individuals and organizations listed here for their generous support for its annual and capital campaigns.
$1,000,000 +
Charina Endowment Fund
Empire State Local Development Corporation
Adam and Abigail Flatto
Anita K. Hersh Philanthropic Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Peter L. Malkin and The Malkin Fund, Inc.
Richard and Ronay Menschel
New York City Council and Council Member
Daniel R. Garodnick
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York State Assemblymember Dan Quart and
the New York State Assembly
Susan and Elihu Rose
The Arthur Ross Foundation and J & AR Foundation
Joan Smilow and Joel Smilow*
Sanford L. Smith*
Starr Foundation
The Thompson Family Foundation
Wade F.B. Thompson*
Anonymous (3)
$500,000 to $999,999
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Almudena and Pablo Legorreta
Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan
Marvin and Donna K. Schwartz
Emanuel Stern
$250,000 to $499,999
American Express
Abigail and Joseph Baratta
Michael Field and Doug Hamilton
Kim and Jeff Greenberg
Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan
Marshall Rose Family Foundation
$100,000 to $249,999
R. Mark and Wendy Adams
Linda and Earle Altman
Blavatnik Family Foundation
Jessie Ding and Ning Jin Misook Doolittle
Caryn Schacht and David Fox
Howard Gilman Foundation
Joan Granlund
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Samhita and Ignacio Jayanti
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
The Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation
Julia Ledda and Hassan Taher
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Morse
New York State Assembly
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust
The Pinkerton Foundation
Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose
Mrs. Janet C. Ross
Matthew and Stephanie Sharp
Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
Mr. William C. Tomson
Van Cleef & Arpels
Anonymous (3)
$25,000 to $99,999
Amy and David Abrams
Arthur R. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation
Sarah Arison Jody and John Arnhold
The Avenue Association
Susan and Jeff Campbell
Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort
The Cowles Charitable Trust
Sasha Cutter and Aaron Hsu
Cora and Luis Delgado
Jenna Fagnan and Thomas Jacquot
Lorraine Gallard and Richard H. Levy
Roberta Garza
Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation
Barbara and Peter Georgescu
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Agnes Gund
Janet Halvorson
Howard Hughes Corporation
Carola Jain
The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation
The Lehoczky Escobar Family
Christina and Alan MacDonald
Marc Haas Foundation
Andrew Martin-Weber and Beejan Land
Lisa S. Miller and John N. Miller
New York State Council on the Arts
Lily O’Boyle
Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker Rhodebeck Charitable Trust
Genie and Donald Rice
Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief
The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
The SHS Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
Sydney* and Stanley S. Shuman
Amy and Jeffrey Silverman
The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering
Joan and Michael Steinberg
TEFAF NY
Tishman Speyer
Jane Toll
Susan Unterberg
Doris Valle Risso
Wescustogo Foundation
Saundra Whitney
Maria Wirth
Ku-Ling Yurman
Ying Zhou and Run Ye Anonymous (6)
$10,000 to $24,999
The Achelis and Bodman Foundations
AECOM Tishman
Judith Hart Angelo
Anne-Victoire Auriault / Goldman Sachs Gives
Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation
Harrison and Leslie Bains
Susan Bram
Dr. Joyce F. Brown and Mr. H. Carl McCall
Alexandra Andrea Cahill
Suzanne Hall and Valentino Carlotti
Mark and Anla Cheng Kingdon
Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation
Courtney and Jonathan Davis
Jeanne Donovan Fisher
Ella M. Foshay and Michael B. Rothfeld
Robin Fowler
Jill and Michael J. Franco
Mrs. Heather Hoyt Georges
John R. and Kiendl Dauphinot Gordon
Lawrence and Sharon Hite
Mary W. Harriman Foundation
Suzie and Bruce Kovner
Sheila and Bill Lambert
Fernand Lamesch
Judy and Leonard* Lauder
Leon Levy Foundation
James C. Marlas
Danny and Audrey Meyer
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Stéphanie and Jesse Newhouse
Michael Peterson
Susan Porter
The Prospect Hill Foundation
Katharine Rayner
Marjorie P. Rosenthal
Valerie Rubsamen and Cedomir Crnkovic
Fiona and Eric Rudin
Mrs. William H. Sandholm
Cynthia and Tom Sculco
Brian S. Snyder
Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation
Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang
Barbara D. Tober
Dabie Tsai
Michael Tuch Foundation
Wendy vanden Heuvel
Anonymous (3)
$5,000 to $9,999
Carolina Abed Gaona
Barbara Goldstein Amster
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Steve Marshall Page Ashley
Stephanie Bernheim
The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation
Melanie Bouvard and Matthew Bird
Nicholas Brawer
Matthew Brown
Amanda M. Burden
Arthur and Linda Carter
Michael Woloz
Judith-Ann Corrente
Andrew and Mimi Crawford
Joshua Dachs / Fisher Dachs Associates
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ABOUT THE BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM
“The
restoration of the Park Avenue Armory seems destined to set a new standard, not so much for its scale, but for its level of respect and imagination.”
— The New York Times
The Board of Officers Room is one of the most important historic rooms in America and one of the few remaining interiors by Herter Brothers. After decades of progressive damage and neglect, the room completed a revitalization in 2013 by the architecture team at Herzog & de Meuron and executive architects Platt Byard Dovell White Architects to transform the space into a state-of-the-art salon for intimate performances and other contemporary art programming. The Board of Officers Room is the third period room at the Armory completed (out of 18) and represents the full range of design tools utilized by the team including the removal of accumulated layers on the surfaces, the addition of contemporary lighting to the 1897 chandeliers, new interpretations of the stencil patterns on areas of loss, the addition of metallic finishes on new materials, new programming infrastructure, and custom-designed furniture. The room’s restoration is part of an ongoing $215-million transformation, which is guided by the understanding that the Armory’s rich history and the patina of time are essential to its character. A defining component of the design process for the period rooms is the close collaboration between architect and artisan. Highly skilled craftspeople working in wood, paint, plaster, and metals were employed in the creation of the building’s original interiors and the expertise—and hand—of similar artisans has been drawn upon for the renovation work throughout.
The renovation of the Board of Officers Room was made possible through the generosity of The Thompson Family Foundation.
