Met Orchestra Musicians Honor U.S. Veterans with Free Concert at Brooklyn V.A. Hospital
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 1, 2017
Contact:
Christopher Carroll / Local 802, AFM
Maya Kremen / Geto & de Milly, Inc.
(212) 686-4551 / mkremen@getodemilly.com
MET ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS HONOR U.S. VETERANS WITH FREE CONCERT AT BROOKLYN V.A. HOSPITAL
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams Joined the MET Orchestra Musicians to Honor Veterans and Celebrate Live Music in New York City Communities
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, NY—Monday, May 1, 2017—Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams joined the MET Orchestra—the world-renowned musicians of the Metropolitan Opera—in honoring U.S. military veterans at a concert by the ensemble at the Veterans Affairs NY Harbor Healthcare System Brooklyn Campus.
This performance, given in partnership with the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AFM, marked the latest event in the MET Orchestra Musicians Community Performance Series, which will bring performances by the best musicians in the world to communities throughout New York City and highlight issues central to New York’s arts community, including the importance of cultural education, continued funding for the arts, access to live music and increased diversity in the arts. The group also performed at the Veterans Affairs NY Harbor Health Care System Manhattan Campus on April 25. These concerts were funded through the nonprofit by a grant from the Achelis and Bodman Foundation.
The performance began following two short chamber music programs in the hospital’s inpatient wings. MET Orchestra Timpanist Jason Haaheim and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams introduced the 42 musicians, along with star soprano Susanna Phillips and esteemed conductor Marco Armiliato, who went on to perform a 70-minute orchestra concert of pops favorites and cherished opera arias in honor of our veterans. The program, which featured selections from Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, Puccini’s La Boheme, Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate and Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, as well as the Armed Forces Salute and the Stars and Stripes Forever. The concert was open to the general public as well as veterans and those currently serving in the US armed forces and their families.
“We are excited to be bringing our music to the VA’s Brooklyn campus for the first time! As musicians, we were all inspired by music at a very young age, and we want to bring joy and comfort to people who have given so much,” said MET Orchestra clarinetist Jessica Phillips. “Through our community performances, we hope to inspire New Yorkers young and old—especially those who have not had the opportunity to hear classical music and opera.”
“I’m proud to be part of an event that honors our veterans for their incredible service and sacrifice to our country,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “Music has the power to inspire and bring people together, and I commend the MET Orchestra Musicians for seeking innovative ways to share their artistry and talent in service for the greater good of all Brooklynites. This kind of community spirit is what One Brooklyn is all about!”
“We’ve seen how music can have a positive therapeutic impact on the lives and health of our patients,” said Chief of Voluntary Service for NY Harbor Healthcare System Yvette Cintron. “It is wonderful to have such talented musicians come out and honor our veterans with music as part of their new series.”
The idea for playing for veterans came about after MET Orchestra timpanist Jason Haaheim struck up a friendship with an Air Force veteran who recounted a harrowing story of being comforted by a Met Opera radio broadcast while stranded in a blizzard on Mt. Rainier. This led to a 2014 performance organized by Haaheim and trombonist David Langlitz, which the musicians felt was one of the highlights of their year. A number of MET Orchestra musicians have personal connections to the armed forces, relationships that bolstered the decision to launch their Community Concert Program with larger shows at the Manhattan and Brooklyn VA facilities. Langlitz’s father is a World War II veteran who fought in General Patton’s army in the Intelligence Corps, MET Orchestra violist Vincent Lionti’s father and clarinetist Jim Ognibene are veterans who have performed with The President’s Own Marine band.
“My dad is a World War II vet who fought in General Patton’s army in the Intelligence Corps,” said MET Orchestra trombonist David Langlitz. “When I grew up, I heard stories from my dad about being in the war, and I always had a lot of feeling and sympathy for the vets. By bringing music to the VA, we are able to bring the power and beauty of live performance to the people who served our country and for whose sacrifices we are so grateful.”
In recent weeks leading up to this launch of the MET Orchestra Musicians Community Performance Series, the musicians have performed in several smaller ensembles, including at two “Musical Read Along” performances: for families at the Fort Washington Public Library, where narration was performed by NYC Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, and for Pre-K students at Harlem’s PS185/Early Childhood Discovery and Design, as well as for students at the Rudolf-Steiner School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where NYC Councilmember Daniel Garodnick narrated Prokofiev’s children’s classic Peter and the Wolf at an event in support of the environmental advocacy organization Our Children’s Trust.
“Music and the arts play a vital role in our neighborhoods and our city,” said Tino Gagliardi, President, Local 802 American Federation of Musicians. “The MET Orchestra Musicians are not only musicians, they are New Yorkers—parents, teachers and community advocates who are active in the civic life of our city and who care passionately about the making sure our children and all our communities citywide have access to the arts.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF MET ORCHESTRA CONCERT FOR VETERANS IN BROOKLYN
Image Captions (1-6 by Kate Glicksberg, 7-9 by Chris Carroll)
01 – The MET Orchestra and Conductor Marco Armiliato honor military veterans at Brooklyn’s VA Hospital
02 – The MET Orchestra and Soprano Susanna Phillips honor military veterans at Brooklyn’s VA Hospital
03- Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams introduces the MET Orchestra’s performance to honor military veterans
04- The MET Orchestra honors military veterans at Brooklyn’s VA Hospital
05- The MET Orchestra honors military veterans at Brooklyn’s VA Hospital
06- The MET Orchestra honors military veterans at Brooklyn’s VA hospital
About the MET Orchestra Musicians
The MET Orchestra Musicians are dedicated to providing their audience with a beautiful and immersive experience of opera as well as engaging the community and opening an active channel of communication between performer and listener. Members of the MET Orchestra are sought-after teachers, working on faculties of all major universities and conservatories in the New York City Metropolitan Area. In addition, a number of MET Orchestra Musicians dedicate time to working with younger students, teaching lessons and assuming leadership roles in youth orchestras and pre-college programs. Former students of MET Orchestra Musicians can be found in performing arts organizations all across the country.
Members of the MET Orchestra have also engaged in outreach efforts abroad, including teaching in Haiti and Central America, and bringing South African students to New York for intensive study. In addition, they teach at some of the world’s leading summer music festivals, including the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, where the coaching faculty has been comprised of MET Orchestra Musicians since its founding in 2000. http://www.metorchestramusicians.org
About the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, AFM
Local 802, AFM is one of the largest local unions of professional musicians in the world, working to promote artistic excellence and strengthen New York City’s vibrant arts community by advocating for fair treatment and compensation of hardworking musicians and performers. They seek to organize a community of all musicians and aspiring musicians whiling advocating for the preservation and creation of opportunities for live musical performance, promoting recording and film scoring in New York City, increasing children’s access to live music and high-quality music education, advancing the vital role music plays in our communities, and ensuring that the musicians who are essential to New York City’s economy and cultural life are able to continue to live and work here. http://www.local802afm.org/
About VA New York Harbor Healthcare System
VA New York Harbor Healthcare System (VANYHHS) is committed to providing outstanding health care and social services to the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. VANYHHS consists of two tertiary care medical centers located in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a Community Living Center located in St. Albans, Queens. VANYHHS also operates two community based clinics situated in Harlem and Staten Island which serve New York, Kings, Queens and Richmond Counties. VANYHHS is a part of the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 2), which includes facilities throughout New York State and northern New Jersey.
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