New World Symphony’s 34th Annual Gala
America’s Orchestral Academy held its highly anticipated annual gala this year featuring Broadway star Leslie Odom, Jr. as the guest performer.
New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, held its highly anticipated annual gala featuring Broadway star Leslie Odom, Jr. as the guest performer. The gala began with a cocktail reception inside the New World Center, where guests toasted the accomplishments of NWS over the past 34 years. The concert opened with Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, followed by a special performance by acclaimed singer and actor Leslie Odom, Jr. Odom Jr. is a multifaceted Tony and Grammy award-winning performer – spanning Broadway, television, film and music– known most recently for hosting the Tony Awards and starring in One Night in Miami and Hamilton.
Following the performance, gala chairs John and Jama Haley joined guests for a seated dinner by Thierry Isambert Culinary & Event Design presented throughout the New World Center.
All proceeds from “Broadway and Beyond” benefited New World Symphony’s mission, helping to prepare young musicians for leadership roles in the world of classical music, and in the communities in which they will live and work.
About New World Symphony
The New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, prepares graduates of music programs for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles. In the 34 years since its co-founding by Artistic Director Michael Tilson Thomas and Lin and Ted Arison, NWS has helped launch the careers of more than 1,150 alumni worldwide. A laboratory for the way music is taught, presented and experienced, the New World Symphony consists of 87 young musicians who are granted fellowships lasting up to three years. The fellowship program offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire, professional development training and personalized experiences working with leading guest conductors, soloists and visiting faculty. Relationships with these artists are extended through NWS’s extensive distance learning via the internet. NWS Fellows take advantage of the innovative performance facilities and state-of-the art practice and ensemble rooms of the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center, the campus of the New World Symphony.
