Carnegie Hall

• There were more than 130 concerts in a vast range of genres.
• The Neighborhood Concert series brought 32 free concerts to neighborhoods in each of the five boroughs.

Carnegie Hall is a place where music history continues to be made, and the 2016–2017 season marked the second of its five-season 125 Commissions Project, ensuring that the future is heard today.

• Over two dozen new works from leading composers—both established and emerging—were permiered at Carnegie Hall.
• Steve Reich, Nico Muhly, Sofia Gubaidulina, Caroline Shaw, and many others debuted notable new works during the season.

The 18 young professional musicians of Ensemble Connect—formerly known as Ensemble ACJW—began their two-year fellowship with performances at a number of New York venues and worked with partner music teachers in all five boroughs.

• 2016–2017 marked the 10th anniversary of Ensemble Connect.
• The ensemble opened its Carnegie Hall series with a performance of Schubert’s Winterreise—A Composed Interpretation by Hans Zender. Sir Simon Rattle conducted the work, which featured tenor Mark Padmore.
• Ensemble Connect traveled to Paris in December for a weeklong residency in cooperation with The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations.
• In June, Ensemble Connect launched its first Audience Engagement Institute, creating an opportunity for the fellows to share skills with a range of young professional musicians.

Carnegie Hall was born of the vision of a great philanthropist, and to this day the generosity of our donors is the bedrock of its continued success. We thank our generous Trustees and the nearly 11,000 donors who contributed more than $27 million for the Annual Fund during the 2016–2017 season, and strengthened Carnegie Hall’s capacity to serve broad new audiences for years to come. Highlights of the year included the following:

• Carnegie Hall unveiled the newly named Blavatnik Family First Tier in recognition of a leading gift of $25 million to the Hall’s 125th Anniversary Campaign from Len Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.   
• We launched our season on October 6, 2016 with a gala concert featuring the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, followed by a post-concert dinner and dancing at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria.
• Adrienne Arsht was presented the 2017 Medal of Excellence by Carnegie Hall Chairman Robert F. Smith, becoming the first woman to receive the honor. Cocktails, dinner, the award ceremony, and performances by Liz Callaway, Storm Large, Daniela Liebman, Nova Y. Payton, Melissa Schott, and Bria Skonberg were held in the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza.