Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night Gala Brought Out New York City’s Finest
“New York is booming again, and so are the arts,” remarked Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader and one of the city s most notable cheerleaders. Addressing a ballroom full of powerful and passionate patrons and supporters of live music, he added: “If we neglect the arts, our lives become a lot less rich.” It wasn’t a statement that fell on deaf ears: together, those in attendance had helped Carnegie Hall’s Opening Night Gala raise $5 million.
Regarded as one of the most prestigious social events on the calendar, Tuesday’s installment of the black tie evening was the most well-attended gala since before the pandemic. As always, the event’s glamorous lineup began in the Rohatyn Room, the towering 57th Street institution’s banquet space, where guests in tuxedos and sequin gowns rubbed shoulders over pre-performance cocktails and Champagne.
Come 7 p.m., it was time to flit over to the main event, where some 2,800 well-heeled folks were eagerly taking their seats in the historic Stern Auditorium. A red rose-adorned Perelman Stage gave a warm East Coast welcome to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the night. The multi-Grammy Award-winning orchestra was under the baton of their music and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel, who in 2026 will lead the New York Philharmonic (“We always take the best from you, California,” Schumer would later joke over dinner). The Venezuelan conductor has also found favor amongst a whole host of today’s contemporary music heavyweights, such as Billie Eilish, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, and Nas—giving a taste of the flair and cachet he will no doubt bring to this side of the country in the near future.
Afterward, renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang—who’s on speed dial to perform for everyone from Pharrell to the Pope and Presidents worldwide—mastered Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with spine-tingling vigor. Later in the program, acclaimed baritone Gustavo Castillo from Venezuela delivered a powerful solo from Ginastera’s ballet, Estancia.
With gusto, Opening Night also served to usher in the 2024-2025 season Nuestros Sonidos—Our Sounds—which recognizes what Carnegie Hall chairman Robert F. Smith calls the “enormous influence of Latin culture and music in the U.S” through a “joyous ongoing celebration” highlighting classical, pop, salsa, and reggaeton music.
Not in New York? Not a problem. Smith proudly noted how the hallowed Hall’s thriving Carnegie Hall+ streaming program is fast becoming one of the largest providers of music-focused content to a global audience, with access to unforgettable concerts and programming for $7.99 a month. Along with education and appreciation, ensuring the legacy of Carnegie Hall remains for future generations is of the utmost importance to Smith and his fellow custodians on the Board.
And so, nourished with world-class music, all that remained was to enjoy the festivities and a late-night dinner of Waygu beef and warm apple pie. Town cars, chauffeurs, yellow cabs, and Ubers lined up on 7th Avenue to spin guests over to Cipriani in Midtown East, where the Big Apple-themed fête awaited. Showing the breadth that the storied institution reaches, musicians mixed with Hollywood stars, philanthropists, tastemakers, dancers, entertainers, writers, fashion favorites, and financiers of all ages well into the wee hours.
“Carnegie Hall makes sure that fine music reaches young people, enriches their lives, and makes them better people—I don’t know an institution that does that better than Carnegie Hall,” Schumer opined. “All of this gives me hope during times like these. We need the arts more than ever to help us make sense of the world and our place in it, to bring us together and help connect us with our shared humanity, and to express our feelings when words fall short.”
David Benthal/BFA.com1/21Peter Marino, Hope Dworaczyk, Robert F. Smith
David Benthal/BFA.com2/21