The 63rd annual Young Concerts Artists’ gala honored Damian Woetzel, President of The Juilliard School and Artistic Director of the Vail Dance Festival. The evening was chaired by Ann Ziff, who is also Chairman of The Metropolitan Opera..
“Juilliard and YCA share a common goal,” explained YCA President Daniel Kellogg, “to nurture the talents of brilliant young artists… For 63 years, YCA has invested in the next generation of extraordinary musicians, launching the careers of nearly 300 artists. Our alumni include Emanuel Ax, Julia Bullock, Randall Goosby, Sasha Cook, Mason Bates, Anne Akiko Meyers, Zlatomir Fung, and Jeremy Denk. All these artists also studied at Juilliard.”
YCA Chairman, Paul Sekhri, offered his “deepest gratitude to our Gala Chair, Ann Ziff…. Over the past 10 years she has become one of my closest friends, so it is especially meaningful to thank her for chairing our gala tonight… I’d also like to recognize this evening’s honorary chairs, Deborah Borda, Anne Akiko Meyers, and Christopher Wheeldon… our esteemed co-chairs, Judith Pisar, Ellen Marcus, Annaliese Soros, and Barbara Tober, as well as the entire benefit committee. Judith Pisar is unable to fly in this week. She sends this message to Damian: ‘There could not have been a better person to honor at the 2024 YCA gala…I will raise my glass to you and all of YCA’s guests from Paris.'” Paul Sekhri added, “I’d also like to thank YCA founder Susan Wadsworth, as without you, none of this would have been possible.”
The evening’s performances included musicians Jeremy Denk, Zlatomir Fung, Anne Akiko Meyers, Chaeyoung Park, Anthony Trionfo, Albert Cano Smit, Ying Li, Ziggy and Miles, Bella Hristova, Oliver Neubauer, Toby Appel, Julia Bruskin, and dancer/choreographer/movement artist Lil Buck. Following the music, guests adjourned to a spirited dinner in the Appel room, with its sweeping views of Central Park.
The evening raised in excess of 1.2 million dollars. A few names from the 300 black-tie guest list included Ray and Eva-Marie Berry, Chiara Clemente, Suzi Cordish, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Carole and John French, Margaret and Gregory Hedberg, Bruce C. Horton, Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, LaVon Kellner and Tom Roush, Michele Gerber Klein, Karen Lindquist, Helen and William Little, Jorge Islas López, Vincent and Anne Mai, Liane Pei, Calvin Royal III, Sana Sabbagh, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon, Annaliese Soros, Cory Toevs, Ruben Toledo, Heather Watts.
