WELCOME
Park Avenue Armory strives to engage audiences with eclectic, immersive, and thought-provoking works that are in direct dialogue with the Armory’s unconventional spaces, whether it is the soaring Wade Thompson Drill Hall or the intimate period rooms. And with its pristine acoustics and austere elegance, the Board of Officers Room is like no other in offering the chance to enjoy the art of the recital and music-making in the most personal of settings.
The 2023 season marks the tenth year of the Armory’s celebrated Recital Series. Over the past ten years, we have held over 100 intimate performances by 230 internationally renowned musicians, including important North American, US, and New York debuts like the North American recital debut of pianist Igor Legit and the US recital debut of soprano Barbara Hannigan. We have also been proud to serve as the locale for 15 premieres by contemporary composers, including works by Michael Hersch, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, John Zorn, Dai Fujikura, Michael Gordon, Jake Heggie, and others.
The 2023 Recital Series continues the tradition of offering the chance to hear internationally renowned vocalists in a close and personal setting. Tenor Allan Clayton returns to New York after his appearance in the title role of Peter Grimes at the Met last fall for his North American recital debut at the Armory performing with pianist James Baillieu. American soprano Julia Bullock showcases her versatile artistry and probing intellect in recitals this September, returning to the Armory following her critically acclaimed performance in Michel van der Aa’s Upload. Other vocal recitals include an intimate evening with baritone Stéphane Degout and pianist Cédric Tiberghien and performances by mezzo soprano Kate Lindsey with pianist Justina Lee.
“Poet of the piano” Pavel Kolesnikov appears in a two-program residency this May. He opens the residency with Bach’s towering classical keyboard masterpiece, the Goldberg Variations, and follows with a program inspired by artist Joseph Cornell’s orrery Celestial Navigation. Finally, leading contemporary percussion ensemble Sandbox Percussion take the Recital Series to the Veterans Room in October for a spirited program that vibrantly showcases their solid technique, rhythmical musicality, and lively showmanship, including the world premiere of Chris Cerrone’s Ode to Joy—commissioned by Park Avenue Armory—and the New York premiere of Viet Cuong’s Next Week’s Trees
This year’s lineup offers audiences even more chances to enjoy the intimacy of a beautiful range of chamber music experiences performed by artists with a highly distinctive international profile, in one of the only spaces that could provide such a personal encounter—the Board of Officers Room. We hope you join in our excitement for witnessing these magical moments in music.
Rebecca Robertson
Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer
Pierre Audi
Marina Kellen French Artistic Director
2023 RECITAL SERIES IN THE
RESTORED VETERANS ROOM
SANDBOX PERCUSSION
sunday, october 1, 2023 at 3:00pm tuesday, october 3, 2023 at 7:30pm
Thompson Arts Center at Park Avenue Armory
Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by the Thompson Family Foundation, Charina Endowment Fund, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Prospect Hill Foundation, the Reed Foundation, Wescustogo Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg, The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Foundation, the Richenthal Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Armory’s Artistic Council. Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
The Recital Series is supported in part by the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation.
PROGRAM
Andy Akiho Haiku 2
Viet Cuong Next Week’s Trees (New York premiere)
Amy Beth Kirsten may the devil take me
Juri Seo vv
Intermission
David Crowell Verses for a Liminal Space
Chris Cerrone Ode to Joy (world premiere)
Julius Eastman “Joy Boy”
Andy Akiho “Pillar V” from Seven Pillars
This performance is approximately 90 minutes including a 15-minute intermission.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
HAIKU 2 BY ANDY AKIHO
Haiku 2 (2011) is the second in a set of six short pieces that Andy Akiho wrote for the contemporary music ensemble Loadbang in 2011. It was originally scored for trumpet, trombone, bass clarinet, and baritone voice, but is presented here for the first time in a version for tuned ceramic bowls, metal pipes, wooden slats, a metal pot lid, a glass bottle, and a piece of scrap metal. Akiho and Sandbox Percussion developed this version of Haiku 2 during a residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in 2019.
This work has no text, but it observes the 5-7-5 form of a haiku musically. The rhythmic structure of each measure consists of a group of 5 sixteenth notes, then a group of 7, then another group of 5. The larger metric structure is also based on the 5-7-5 of a haiku—the material is played 5 times, then 7 times, and then 5 again. When one returns to the beginning of the cycle again, each player in turn leaves their pitched instrument and moves to an unpitched sound, until by the end, all that is left is a dense hocket among the four players.
Ian RosenbaumNEXT WEEK’S TREES BY VIET CUONG NEW YORK PREMIERE
The title of this piece comes from Mary Oliver’s poem
“Walking To Oak-Head Pond, And Thinking Of The Ponds I Will Visit In The Next Days And Weeks.” I was deeply inspired by Oliver’s words—words that are a gentle reminder of the uncertainty of the future, the confident hope of the present, and the propulsive force of life that drives us through any doubt that a new day will arrive.
Next Week’s Trees (2021) was originally commissioned by the California Symphony as part of their Young American Composer-in-Residence program, and the percussion quartet adaptation was commissioned by Sandbox Percussion.
— Viet Cuong“Walking to Oak-Head Pond, And Thinking Of The Ponds I Will Visit In The Next Days And Weeks” by Mary Oliver What is so utterly invisible as tomorrow? Not love, not the wind, not the inside of a stone. Not anything. And yet, how often I’m fooled –I’m wading along in the sunlight –and I’m sure I can see the fields and the ponds shining days ahead –I can see the light spilling like a shower of meteors into next week’s trees, and I plan to be there soon –and, so far, I am just that lucky, my legs splashing over the edge of darkness, my heart on fire.
I don’t know where such certainty comes from –the brave flesh or the theater of the mind –but if I had to guess I would say that only what the soul is supposed to be could send us forth with such cheer as even the leaf must wear as it unfurls its fragrant body, and shines
against the hard possibility of stoppage –which, day after day, before such brisk, corpuscular belief, shudders, and gives way.
MAY THE DEVIL TAKE ME BY AMY BETH KIRSTEN
may the devil take me (2019) is inspired by the following passage in Cervantes’ iconic work, Don Quixote:
Sancho Panza hung on his words but said none of his own, and from time to time he turned his head to see if he could see the knights and giants his master was naming; since he could not make out any of them he said,
“Señor, may the devil take me, but no man, giant, or knight of all those your grace has mentioned can be seen anywhere around here; at least, I don’t see them; maybe it’s all enchantment, like last night’s phantoms.”
“How can you say that?” responded Don Quixote.
“Do you not hear the neighing of horses, the call of the clarions, the sounds of the drums?”
“I don’t hear anything,” responded Sancho, “except the bleating of lots of sheep.”
I’m fascinated by the idea that one character’s reality is so at odds with another’s. This bears out musically by converting triangles into objects that are contrary to their true nature. They aren’t resonant but are choked or muted. Perhaps this makes them untrue somehow. Perhaps the counterpoint of true and untrue sounds creates a kind of sonic enchantment reflecting the world between reality and fiction that Cervantes creates.
— Amy Beth KirstenVV BY JURI SEO
My first inspiration for vv (2015, rev. 2018) was the instrument itself, particularly its dark metallic sound with deep resonance. I built harmonies that evolve over the course of their durations by selectively muting some of the notes. The players use their fingers and mallets to dampen the notes, feeling the decay intimately. The introduction gives rise to a playful theme. vv then unfolds in an unconventional sonata form in which the themes head toward dissolution rather than consolidation. Throughout, the players interact with each other to collectively execute intricate musical gestures, as if the mallets are the fingers of a single person.
— Juri SeoVERSES FOR A LIMINAL SPACE BY DAVID CROWELL
In Verses for a Liminal Space (2021), the percussionists move through various transitional states. The polyrhythms which begin the piece are bound by pulse but also suspended in time. Amid this euphoric jumble of tightly organized sound, ankle bells spontaneously rattle while toms unpredictably dart through the texture. Eventually the music opens into long, held chords, another approach to suspension which is sprinkled with the same rattlers, light scraping on brake drums, and other ambient sounds winding their way inside the stillness.
Verses for a Liminal Space was composed as a fellow at Dumbarton Oaks in Spring 2021 and was premiered there one year later. It is my latest collaboration with Sandbox Percussion, and I continue to be inspired by their musical vision, sensitivity, and unrivaled technical ability.
— David CrowellODE TO JOY BY CHRIS CERRONE WORLD PREMIERE, A PARK AVENUE ARMORY COMMISSION
Ode to Joy (2023) is my sixth composition to feature a percussion quartet, but my first for a solely acoustic quartet (the other pieces featured piano solo, voice solo, or electronics). It was written at the behest of my good friends Sandbox Percussion, based in Brooklyn, New York, who asked for a relatively short, relatively simple piece in terms of instrumentation that they could take on tour without a soloist or sound system.
To that end, I endeavored to use a maximum number of traditional percussion instruments—vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, crotales—while limiting the “special” instruments to those that can be carried in a small bag or suitcase.
Six is a lot of percussion quartets. When surveying the prior five, I found a relatively wide range of emotions: from contemplative to dramatic to mysterious to elegiac. But one felt missing: joy. This composition—through its use of simple, optimistic harmonies and pulsating rhythms—seeks to remedy that. Its title playfully references the iconic Beethoven tune, but the source is one of America’s, and one of New York City’s, great joy-havers: the poet Frank O’Hara. His poem of the same name iterates an enthusiastic passion for the city I have long called home—a passion I felt more urgently while living in Europe on a residency.
One more thing about joy: Joy is hard. It’s much easier to feel anger, sadness, or nothing. That hardness is part of the piece. While writing, I set these harmonics in unison against bowed crotales and vibraphones. Despite the best efforts of these excellent musicians, none of these instruments will ever sound entirely in tune with one another. These imperfections, these distances between the joys I have in my life and the joys I aspire toward, are something I have come to embrace.
Ode to Joy is jointly dedicated to Sandbox Percussion and to Blow Up Percussion, a group from Rome who have been wonderful champions of my music in Italy and beyond and who co-commissioned the work. The work was created with the support of a residency from the Stiftung Laurenz-Haus in Basel, Switzerland.
— Chris Cerrone"JOY BOY" BY JULIUS EASTMAN
Julius Eastman was born in Ithaca in 1940 and studied piano and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music. He was a talented vocalist in addition to his work as a composer, and was an active participant in the 20th-century new music scene. He was a member of the Creative Associates at SUNY Buffalo and the S.E.M. Ensemble, and yet his identity as an unapologetic Black and gay man did not fit comfortably into the music establishment. While his music was somewhat known during his life, much of his work was lost after his untimely death in 1990. It has only been recently that many of his scores have been found and republished, and his music championed.
Eastman’s work features elements of minimalism, which he often blends with pop-style harmonies, rhythms, and riffs. Eastman often gives his performers a lot of freedom in the choices that they make—in terms of instrumentation, dynamics, and even the patterns that are played. “Joy Boy” (1974) is a work for open instrumentation, scored on a single page for “four treble instruments.” Sandbox Percussion has created the arrangement that you’ll hear today.
— Ian Rosenbaum"PILLAR V" FROM SEVEN PILLARS BY ANDY AKIHO
“Pillar V” is a movement from Andy Akiho’s extended work Seven Pillars (2021), a 75-minute work that includes seven quartets and one solo for each member of the group.
This movement is built around an ostinato that is 25 sixteenth notes long—six quarter notes + one sixteenth note, and the melodies and rhythms that surround the ostinato are based on multiples of 25. It is a rhythmic game with a hidden pulse—as soon as you start to tap your foot, the beat moves. The pitch content for all of Seven Pillars is based on a scale that Andy created. The pitches in “Pillar V” are a hexatonic subset of that scale—this piece uses only six unique notes that are organized in alternating half steps and minor thirds.
— Ian Rosenbaumarmoryonpark.org | @ParkAveArmory
ABOUT SANDBOX PERCUSSION
Described as “exhilarating” by The New York Times and “utterly mesmerizing” by The Guardian, Grammy-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion brings out the best in composers through their unwavering dedication to artistry in contemporary chamber music. The members were brought together in 2011 by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together; they have since captivated audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning. Today, Sandbox Percussion—Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney—are established leaders in the fields of contemporary music and percussion, engaging a wider audience for classical music through multidisciplinary collaborations with leading composers and artists.
Sandbox Percussion’s 2021 album Seven Pillars was nominated for two Grammy awards—Best Chamber Music/ Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Nationally recognized “as pure as music gets” (The New York Times), Andy Akiho’s feature-length work, with stage direction and lighting design by Michael Joseph McQuilken, is Sandbox Percussion’s largest commission to date. The ensemble also commissioned 11 short films to accompany each movement, and performed the full piece more than 15 times throughout the United States and Europe last season, including at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris with the LA Dance Project and choreographer Benjamin Millepied.
In the 2023-24 season, Sandbox Percussion performs Seven Pillars at the VIVO Music Festival (Columbus, OH); the New School (New York); Aperio, Music of the Americas (Houston); the Frost School of Music (Miami); Brown University (Providence, RI); and the Peace Center (Greenville, SC), among other venues.
Additional season highlights include two performances at the Park Avenue Armory’s Veterans Room (New York), presenting music by Andy Akiho, Amy Beth Kirsten, Juri Seo, David Crowell, Julius Eastman, and new music by past collaborators Christopher Cerrone (world premiere) and Viet Cuong (New York premiere); a performance at the 92nd Street Y with pianist and new-music champion Conor Hanick featuring New York premieres of two works composed for them by Christopher Cerrone and by Tyshawn Sorey; and an appearance at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with acclaimed new-music performers Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish, and Alisa Weilerstein. Sandbox Percussion also continues to champion Viet Cuong’s acclaimed concerto for percussion quartet, Re(new)al, including performances with the Des Moines Symphony and with the Albany Symphony, which commissioned the piece.
This season, Sandbox Percussion also releases their fourth album, Wilderness, featuring the piece of the same name by experimental composer Jerome Begin. The hourlong work seamlessly fuses the raw impact of live percussion instruments with electronic manipulations in real time. Last season, Sandbox Percussion released Bathymetry, on Cantaloupe Music, featuring music for percussion and analog synthesizer by Matt McBane. The album draws from various strains of minimalism and modern electronic music production, and from ASMR and ambient modular synth videos. In 2020, the ensemble released their debut album And That One Too, on Coviello Classics, featuring music by longtime collaborators Andy Akiho, David Crowell, Amy Beth Kirsten, and Thomas Kotcheff.
Besides maintaining an international performance schedule, Sandbox Percussion holds the position of Ensemble-inResidence and Percussion Faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and The New School’s College of Performing Arts, where they have created a curriculum with entrepreneurship and chamber music at its core.
Sandbox Percussion has led masterclasses and coachings at prestigious music schools in the United States, including Curtis Institute, The Juilliard School, the Peabody Conservatory, and Cornell University. In 2016, Sandbox Percussion founded the Sandbox Percussion Seminar—a weeklong seminar that invites percussion students from around the globe to rehearse and perform today’s leading repertoire for percussion chamber music.
In 2022, Sandbox Percussion launched their Creator Mentorship Program, a commissioning program that solicits proposals from early-career creators around the world. The selected creators are commissioned to create a new work for the ensemble, and they receive time, space, and funding for a yearlong workshop and development period.
Sandbox Percussion endorses Pearl/Adams musical instruments, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Remo drumheads, and Black Swamp accessories.
ABOUT THE RECITAL SERIES
Park Avenue Armory presents more intimate performances and programs in its acclaimed Recital Series, which showcases musical talent from across the globe in an intimate salon setting. Now celebrating its tenth season, the series has held the debuts of many world-class artists, including: the North American recital debuts of pianist Igor Levit, soprano Sabine Devieilhe, tenor Ilker Arcayürek, baritones Benjamin Appl and Roderick Williams, clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer, and cellist István Várdai; the North American solo recital debuts of tenor Michael Spyres and mezzo soprano Emily D’Angelo; the US Recital debuts of sopranos Barbara Hannigan and Anna Lucia Richter and baritone Thomas Oliemans; and the New York debut of pianist Severin von Eckardstein and the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam.
The Recital Series has programmed the world premieres of Roger Reynolds’ FLiGHT performed by the JACK Quartet and Michael Hersch’s “…das Rückgrat berstend” performed by violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and cellist Jay Campbell. Actor Charlotte Rampling and cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton gave the US premiere of The Night Dances on the series in 2015, which brought together Benjamin Britten’s suites for solo cello and poetry by Sylvia Plath; Wieder-Atherton returned to the Armory in 2017 for the North American premiere of Little Girl Blue, a program that reimagined the music of Nina Simone. New York premieres include: Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s In the Light of Air and Shades of Silence performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble; Dai Kujikura’s Minina, John Zorn’s Baudelaires, and a new arrangement of Messiaen’s Chants de terre et de ciel, also performed by ICE; Michael Gordon’s Rushes performed by the Rushes Ensemble; Michael Harrison’s Just Constellations performed by Roomful of Teeth; David Lang’s depart, Gabriel Jackson’s Our flags are wafting in hope and grief and Rigwreck, Kile Smith’s “Conversation in the Mountains” from Where Flames A Word, Louis Andriessen’s Ahania Weeping, Suzanne Giraud’s Johannisbaum, David Shapiro’s Sumptuous Planet, Benjamin CS Boyle’s Empire of Crystal, and Ted Hearne’s Animals (commissioned by Park Avenue Armory), all performed by The Crossing under conductor Donald Nally; and John Zorn’s Jumalatteret sung by soprano Barbara Hannigan with pianist Stephen Gosling.
Additional notable programs include performances by: baritone Christian Gerhaher with pianist Gerold Huber; the Flux Quartet; tenor Ian Bostridge with pianist Wenwen Du; pianist David Fray; soprano Lisette Oropesa with pianist John Churchwell countertenor Andreas Scholl with harpsichordist Tamar Halperin; soprano Kate Royal with pianist Joseph Middleton; pipa player Wu Man and the Shanghai Quartet; tenor Lawrence Brownlee with pianists Myra Huang and Jason Moran; mezzo soprano Isabel Leonard with pianist Ted Sperling; soprano Nadine Sierra with pianist Brian Wagorn; soprano Rosa Feola with pianist Iain Burnside; cellist Nicolas Altstaedt; tenor Paul Appleby with pianist Conor Hanick; baritone Will Liverman with pianist Myra Huang; mezzo soprano Jamie Barton with pianist and composer Jake Heggie; new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound; French period choir and chamber orchestra Ensemble Correspondances under the direction of harpsichordist and organist Sébastien Daucé; baritone Justin Austin and pianist Howard Watkins; and soprano Ying Fang with pianist Ken Noda.
NEXT IN THE SERIES
KATE LINDSEY AND JUSTINA LEE
october 16 & 17
Mezzo soprano Kate Lindsey is one of the most promising voices of her generation, receiving ovations from audiences in the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, and Salzburg, Glyndebourne, and Aix-en-Provence festivals. She performs on a far more intimate stage with pianist Justina Lee in a chamber program that beautifully highlights her vivacious musicality, agile technique, and unmatched command of an audience. The program will include works by Schumann, Fauré, and Sondheim.
armoryonpark.org | @ParkAveArmory
NEXT AT THE ARMORY
MUTANT;DESTRUDO
october 11 – 15
World Premiere, A Park Avenue Armory Commission
Directed by Arca, Mutant;Destrudo congregates her close friends and collaborators around a shared vision of creating space to allow for deconstruction of preconceptions. This ambitious new project is steeped in electronic music sound design to induce various states of embodied physicality and synthesize new ways to mediate both the ego and identity at large. The resulting Armory commission continues her ongoing practice of creating instances which merge all forms of creative practice, reexamining the ritual of the concert as a moment of heightened connection between those present.
THE RITE OF SPRING / COMMON GROUND[S]
november 29 – december 14
New York Premiere
Faithful to Stravinsky’s visceral score, Pina Bausch’s monumental choreography is given a thrilling new life by a specially assembled company of 36 dancers from 14 African countries. Danced on a peat-covered stage, they clash and engage in a wild and poetic struggle of life, ritual, and sacrifice that pays tribute to her unparalleled genius. Rite is paired with a new work created, performed, and inspired by the lives of two remarkable choreographers, professors, and grandmothers: Germaine Acogny, the founder of the Senegalese École des Sables who is widely considered to be “the mother of contemporary African dance,” and Malou Airuado, who performed leading roles in many of Bausch’s early works as a member of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. This poetic and tender antidote to Rite reflects their shared histories, emotional experiences, and common ground.
MAKING SPACE AT THE ARMORY CORPUS DELICTI
october 14
At a moment of maximum anxiety and backlash over the fundamental human rights to autonomy, expressivity, modification, and self-transformation of the body, this afternoon happening uplifting the NYC Trans Oral History Project includes a series of panel discussions exploring topics including an examination of trans life through the lens of time, intergenerational voices telling their stories, and exploring the creative projects that have been born out of trans life.
SEASONS OF DANCE
december 3
Thomas F. DeFrantz moderates a consideration of the living legacy of Pina Bausch and a celebration of the diversity of contemporary dance flourishing in Africa today. He is joined by Jorge Puerta Armenta, Germaine Acogny, Malou Airuado, dancers from the company of The Rite of Spring, and others.
ARTISTS STUDIO
THE AACM: POWER STRONGER THAN ITSELF, A TALK BY GEORGE
E. LEWISnovember 18 at 3pm
Founded on the virtually all-Black South Side of Chicago in 1965 and still active today, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians has played an unusually prominent role in the development of American experimental music, exploring an unprecedented range of methodologies, processes, and media. Scholar-composer George E. Lewis, Professor of Music at Columbia University and an AACM member since 1971, presents an historical overview of the works of the famed collective.
THE REGGIE NICHOLSON PERCUSSION CONCEPT
november 18 at 7pm & 9pm
Reggie Nicholson’s signature style and sound have made him one of the most inventive and inspirational drummer/ percussionists of his generation, composing and improvising original music that showcases his formidable technique and considerable skill. He performs some of his recent works and world premieres for percussion ensemble, displaying his “exquisite splashes of color and unmetered cascades on the drums” (Chicago Tribune) with his ensemble, the Reggie Nicholson Percussion Concept.
AMINA CLAUDINE MYERS CHORAL WORKSHOP
december 17
Prodigious pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, and improvisationist Amina Claudine Myers is a visionary in the areas of composition for vocal choirs and instrumental ensembles, composing a wide range of works that distinctly blend traditional influences from spiritual, gospel, and jazz, to extended forms and improvisations. The multi-talented trailblazer leads a vocal workshop for aspiring singers and the general public to perform some of her original compositions.
ARMORY PUBLIC TOURS
various times
Get an insider’s look at the Armory with a guided walking tour of the building. Explore from the soaring 55,000-squarefoot Wade Thompson Drill Hall to the extraordinary interiors designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Herter Brothers, and others, and learn about the design plans by acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron.
ABOUT PARK AVENUE ARMORY
Part palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory supports unconventional works in the performing and visual arts that cannot be fully realized in a traditional proscenium theater, concert hall, or white wall gallery. With its soaring 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall—reminiscent of 19th-century European train stations—and an array of exuberant period rooms, the Armory provides a platform for artists to push the boundaries of their practice, collaborate across disciplines, and create new work in dialogue with the historic building. Across its grand and intimate spaces, the Armory enables a diverse range of artists to create, students to explore, and audiences to experience epic, adventurous, relevant work that cannot be done elsewhere in New York.
The Armory both commissions and presents performances and installations in the grand Drill Hall and offers more intimate programming through its acclaimed Recital Series, which showcases musical talent from across the globe within the salon setting of the Board of Officers Room; its Artists Studio series curated by Jason Moran in the restored Veterans Room; Making Space at the Armory, a public programming series that brings together a discipline-spanning group of artists and cultural thought-leaders around the important issues of our time; and the Malkin Lecture Series that features presentations by scholars and writers on topics related to Park Avenue Armory and its history. In addition, the Armory also has a year-round Artists-in-Residence program, providing space and support for artists to create new work and expand their practices.
The Armory’s creativity-based arts education programs provide access to the arts to thousands of students from underserved New York City public schools, engaging them with the institution’s artistic programming and outside-the-box creative processes. Through its education initiatives, the Armory provides access to all Drill Hall performances, workshops taught by Master Teaching Artists, and in-depth residencies that support the schools’ curriculum. Youth Corps, the Armory’s year-round paid internship program, begins in high school and continues into the critical post-high school years, providing interns with mentored employment, job training, and skill development, as well as a network of peers and mentors to support their individual college and career goals.
The Armory is undergoing a multi-phase renovation and restoration of its historic building led by architects Herzog & de Meuron, with Platt Byard Dovell White as Executive Architects.
PARK AVENUE ARMORY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chairman Emeritus
Elihu Rose, PhD
Co-Chairs
Adam R. Flatto
Amanda J.T. Riegel
President
Rebecca Robertson
Vice Presidents
David Fox
Pablo Legorreta
Emanuel Stern
Treasurer
Emanuel Stern
Marina Abramović
Abigail Baratta
Joyce F. Brown
Cora Cahan
Hélène Comfort
Paul Cronson
Jonathan Davis
Tina R. Davis
Jessie Ding
Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Roberta Garza
Kim Greenberg
Andrew Gundlach
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Samhita Jayanti
Edward G. Klein, Brigadier General NYNG (Ret.)
Ralph Lemon
Jason Moran
Janet C. Ross
Joan Steinberg
Peter Zhou
Founding Chairman, 2000–2009
Wade F.B. Thompson
Pierre Audi, Marina Kellen French Artistic Director
Avant Garde Chair
Adrienne Katz
Directors Emeriti
Harrison M. Bains, Jr.
Angela E. Thompson
PARK AVENUE ARMORY STAFF
Rebecca Robertson Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer
Pierre Audi Marina Kellen French Artistic Director
ARTISTIC PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING
Michael Lonergan Chief Artistic Producer
Kevin Condardo General Manager
Rachel Rosado Producer
Samantha Cortez Producer
Darian Suggs Associate Director, Public Programming
Kanako Morita Associate Producer/Company Manager
Oscar Peña Programming Coordinator
ARTISTIC PRODUCTION
Paul King Director of Production
Claire Marberg Deputy Director of Production
Nicholas Lazzaro Technical Director
Lars Nelson Technical Director
Aidan Nelson Technical Director
Rachel Baumann Production Coordinator
ARTS EDUCATION
Cassidy L. Jones Chief Education Officer
Monica Weigel McCarthy Director of Education
Aarti Ogirala Associate Director of Education, School Programs
Nadia Parfait School Programs Coordinator
Ciara Ward Youth Corps Manager
Bev Vega Youth Corps Manager
Drew Petersen Education Special Projects Manager
Emily Bruner, Donna Costello, Alexander Davis, Asma Feyijinmi, Hawley Hussey, Larry Jackson, Hector Morales, Peter Musante, Drew Petersen, Leigh Poulos, Neil Tyrone Pritchard, Vickie Tanner Teaching Artists
Wilson Castro, Shar Galarza, Daniel Gomez, Nancy K. Gomez, Maxim Ibadov, Amo Ortiz Teaching Associates
Arabia Elliot Currence, Victoria Fernandez, Sebastian Harris, Melissa Velasquez Teaching Apprentices
Kenny Amesquita, Nat Banaszek, Eden Battice, Adwoa Boateng, Vicky Braga Dos Santos Casey, Wildany Ferol, Adonai FletcherJones, Lolo Iberle, Mia Kokilashvili, Sheena Luke, Sofia Maza, Oscar Montenegro, Kelsy Padilla, Silas Rodriguez, Fahmida Rimpa, Denivia Rivera, Arley Suarez, AJ Volkov Youth Corps
BUILDING AND MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS
Jenni Kim Chief Operating Officer
Ashlee Willaman Director of Human Resources
Marc Von Braunsberg Director of Operations and Security
Paul Sutter Director of Facilities and Capital Projects
David Burnhauser Collection Manager
Frank Duda Facilities Manager
Emma Paton Administrative and Office Coordinator
Williams Say Superintendent
Olga Cruz, Leandro Dasso, Mayra DeLeon, Mario Esquilin, Jeferson Avila, Branden Fell, Jacob Garrity, Joshua Rosa, Tyrell Shannon Castillo Maintenance Staff
Jason Moran Curator, Artists Studio
Tavia Nyong’o Curator, Public Programming
Oku Okoko Director of IT
Ethan Cohen IT Administrator
Natasha Michele Norton Director of House Management
Alejandra Ortiz House Manager
Jacqueline Babek, Emma Buford, Sarah Gallick, Daniel Gomez, Eboni Green, Nariah Green, Maxim Ibadov, Sandra Kitt, Christine Lemme, Beth Miller, Drew O’Bryan, Jon Ovadia, Regina Pearsall, Shimel Purnell, Eileen Rourke, Michael Simon, Kin Tam, Kathleen White Ushers
DEVELOPMENT
Melanie Forman Chief Development Officer
Charmaine Portis Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer
Sarah Rodriguez Director of Development
Chiara Bosco Individual Giving Coordinator
Angel Genares Director of Institutional Giving
Kelly Carr Associate Director of Special Events
Séverine Kaufman Special Events Manager
Michael Buffer Database Manager
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Lori Nelson Executive Assistant to the President
Nathalie Etienne Administrative Assistant, President’s Office
Simone Elhart Rentals and Project Manager
FINANCE
Khemraj Dat Accounting Manager
Zeinebou Dia Junior Accountant
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS and BOX OFFICE
Tom Trayer Chief Marketing Officer
Nick Yarbrough Senior Digital Marketing Manager
Allison Abbott Press and Editorial Manager
Joe Petrowski Director of Ticketing and Customer Relations
Monica Diaz Box Office Manager
John Hooper Box Office Lead
Victor Daniel Ayala, Isabelle Graham, Sarah Jack, Max Komisar, Mary McDonnell, Michelle Meged, Maeghan Suzik Box Office Associates
Resnicow + Associates, Inc. Press Representatives
JOIN THE ARMORY
Become a Park Avenue Armory member and join us in our mission to present unconventional works that cannot be fully realized elsewhere in New York City. Members play an important role in helping us push the boundaries of creativity and expression.
FRIEND $100
$64 is tax deductible
» 10% discount on tickets to all Armory tours and performances*
» 20% discount on member subscription packages*
» Invitations to member preview party for visual art installations
» Complimentary admission for two to visual art installations
» Access to the Membership Hotline for ticket assistance
» Discounts at local partnered restaurants
SUPPORTER $250
$194 is tax deductible
All benefits of the Friend membership plus:
» Fees waived on ticket exchanges*
» Two free tickets to Armory Public Tours***
» Invitation to annual Member event
ASSOCIATE $500
$348 is tax deductible
All benefits of the Supporter membership plus:
» Complimentary admission for two additional guests (total of four) to visual art installations and member preview party
» Two free passes to annual fairs held at the Armory, such as TEFAF, The Art Show, Salon Art + Design, etc.**
» Access to the Patron Lounge at select productions
BENEFACTOR $1,000
$824 is tax deductible
All benefits of the Associate membership plus:
» Recognition in the Armory printed programs
» No-wait ticket pick up at the patron desk
» Handling fees waived on ticket purchases*
» Invitation for you and a guest to a private Chairman’s Circle event
» Two complimentary tickets to the Malkin Lecture Series*
CHAIRMAN’S CIRCLE starting at $2,500
Chairman’s Circle members provide vital support for the Armory’s immersive arts and education programming and the restoration of our landmark building. In grateful appreciation of their support, they are provided unique and exclusive opportunities to experience the Armory and interact with our world-class artists.
AVANT-GARDE starting at $350
The Avant-Garde is a group for adventurous art enthusiasts in their 20s to early 40s. Members enjoy an intimate look at Armory productions, as well as invitations to forward-thinking art events around New York City.
For information on ticketing, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Box Office at (212) 933-5812 or visit us at armoryonpark.org.
For more information about membership, please contact the Membership Office at (212) 616-3958 or members@armoryonpark.org.
Each membership applies to one household, and one membership card is mailed upon membership activation.
*Subject to ticket availability **Certain restrictions apply ***Reservations required
PARK AVENUE ARMORY ARTISTIC COUNCIL
Co-Chairs
Noreen Buckfire
Lisa Miller
Anonymous (2)
Anne-Victoire Auriault/Goldman Sachs
Gives
Abigail and Joseph Baratta
Ken and Noreen Buckfire
Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort
Caroline and Paul Cronson
Jessie Ding and Ning JIn
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
The Lehoczky Escobar Family
Adam R. Flatto
Roberta Garza
LEGACY CIRCLE
Lorraine Gallard and Richard H. Levy
Barbara and Peter Georgescu
Kim and Jeff Greenberg
Barbara and Andrew Gundlach
Anita K. Hersh*
Lawrence and Sharon Hite
Samhita and Ignacio Jayanti
Wendy Keys
Kameron Kordestani
Fernand Lamesch
Almudena and Pablo Legorreta
Christina and Alan MacDonald
John and Lisa Miller
Lily O’Boyle
Valerie Pels
Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel
Susan and Elihu Rose
Janet C. Ross
Caryn Schacht and David Fox
Brian S. Snyder
Joan and Michael Steinberg
Emanuel Stern
Jon Stryker and Slobodan Randjelović
Merryl and James Tisch
Saundra Whitney
Peter Zhou and Lisa Lee
The Armory’s Legacy Circle is a group of individuals who support Park Avenue Armory through a vitally important source of future funding, a planned gift. These gifts will help support the Armory’s outside-the-box artistic programming, Arts Education Programs, and historic preservation into the future.
Founding Members
Angela and Wade F.B. Thompson
Co-Chairs
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
SUPPORTERS
Members
The Estate of Ginette Becker
Wendy Belzberg and Strauss Zelnick
Emme and Jonathan Deland
Adam R. Flatto
Roberta Garza
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Ken Kuchin
Heidi McWilliams
Michelle Perr
Amanda Thompson Riegel
Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief
Susan and Elihu Rose
Francesca Schwartz
Joan and Michael Steinberg
Angela and Wade F. B. Thompson
Park Avenue Armory expresses its deep appreciation to the individuals and organizations listed here for their generous support for its annual and capital campaigns.
$1,000,000 +
Charina Endowment Fund
Citi
Empire State Local Development Corporation
Adam R. Flatto
Marina Kellen French
Barbara and Andrew Gundlach
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter L. Malkin and The Malkin Fund, Inc.
Richard and Ronay Menschel
New York City Council and Council Member
Daniel R. Garodnick
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York State Assemblymember Dan Quart and the New York State Assembly
The Pershing Square Foundation
Susan and Elihu Rose
The Arthur Ross Foundation and J & AR Foundation
Joan Smilow and Joel Smilow*
The Thompson Family Foundation
Wade F.B. Thompson*
The Zelnick/Belzberg Charitable Trust
Anonymous
$500,000 to $999,999
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz
Almudena and Pablo Legorreta
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan
Donna and Marvin Schwartz
Emanuel Stern
Anonymous
$250,000 to $499,999
American Express
Abigail and Joseph Baratta
Michael Field
Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan
The Rockefeller Foundation
Marshall Rose Family Foundation
$100,000 to $249,999
The Achelis and Bodman Foundations
R. Mark and Wendy Adams
Linda and Earle Altman
Booth Ferris Foundation
Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort
Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Courtney and Jonathan Davis
Jessie Ding and Ning Jin
Roberta Garza
Howard Gilman Foundation
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart
Anita K. Hersh
Samhita and Ignacio Jayanti
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Leonard & Judy Lauder Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Morse
New York State Assembly
New York State Council on the Arts
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Donald Pels Charitable Trust
Slobodan Randjelović and Jon Stryker
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose
Mrs. Janet C. Ross
Caryn Schacht and David Fox
Stacy Schiff and Marc de La Bruyère
Harold and Mimi Steinberg
Charitable Trust
Joan and Michael Steinberg
Mr. William C. Tomson
Peter Zhou and Lisa Lee
$25,000 to $99,999
Arthur R. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation
Anne-Victoire Auriault / Goldman Sachs Gives
The Avenue Association
Christine and Turner Batty
Sonja and Martin J. Brand
Noreen and Ken Buckfire
The Cowles Charitable Trust
Caroline and Paul Cronson
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Emme and Jonathan Deland
Andrew L. Farkas & Island Capital Group LLC
Lorraine Gallard and Richard H. Levy
Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation
Barbara and Peter Georgescu
Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Kim and Jeff Greenberg
Agnes Gund
Janet Halvorson
The Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation
The Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation
Fernand Lamesch
The Lehoczky Escobar Family
George S. Loening
Christina and Alan MacDonald
Christine and Richard Mack
Marc Haas Foundation
The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Katharine Rayner
The Reed Foundation
Rhodebeck Charitable Trust
Genie and Donald Rice
Amanda J.T. and Richard E. Riegel
Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief
The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
Sydney and Stanley S. Shuman
Amy and Jeffrey Silverman
Sanford L. Smith
Brian S. Snyder
Mimi Klein Sternlicht
TEFAF NY
Tishman Speyer
Barbara D. Tober
Jane Toll and Robert Toll*
Deborah C. van Eck
Wescustogo Foundation
Winston & Strawn LLP
Anonymous (3)
$10,000 to $24,999
AECOM Tishman
Jody and John Arnhold
Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation
Harrison and Leslie Bains
Mercedes Bass
Debra and Leon Black
Sergey G Butkevich
Tim Cameron Coach
Ania Coffey
Betsy and Edward Cohen
Con Edison
Antoinette Delruelle and Joshua L. Steiner
William F. Draper
Sarah Jane and Trevor Gibbons
Kiendl and John Gordon
Herzog & de Meuron
Lawrence and Sharon Hite
Kameron Kordestani
Suzie and Bruce Kovner
Leon Levy Foundation
James Marlas and Marie NugentHead Marlas
Danny and Audrey Meyer
John and Lisa Miller
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Helen Nash
Lily O’Boyle
Michael Peterson
Joan and Joel I. Picket
Anne and Skip Pratt
Esther Rosenberg
Valerie Rubsamen and Cedomir Crnkovic
Fiona and Eric Rudin
May and Samuel Rudin Family
Foundation, Inc.
Mrs. William H. Sandholm
Philip Schmerbeck/Herzog & de Meuron USA
Cynthia and Tom Sculco
Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation
Jean and Gene Stark
Beatrice Stern
The Polonsky Foundation
Merryl and James Tisch
Andrew and Purva Tsai
Susan Unterberg
Saundra Whitney
George Wang
Michael Weinstein
Maria Wirth
Samiah Zafar and Minhaj Patel
Anonymous (5)
$5,000 to $9,999
Amy and David Abrams
Donald Allison and Sumiko Ito
Judy Hart Angelo
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Mortimer Berkowitz III
Sara and Mark Bloom
The Emma and Georgina
Bloomberg Foundation
Nicholas Brawer
Catherine and Robert Brawer
Dr. Joyce F. Brown and Mr. H. Carl McCall
Amanda M. Burden
Mary and Brad Burnham
Michael Clifford and Robert Levy
Ben Cohen
Orla Coleman and Rikki Tahta
Joyce B. Cowin
Irene Danilovich
David Schwartz Foundation, Inc.
Jennie L. and Richard K. DeScherer
Jeanne Donovan Fisher
Peggy and Millard Drexler
Family Foundation
Douglas and Susanne Durst
Caryl S. Englander
Dr. Nancy Eppler-Wolff and Mr. John Wolff
The Felicia Fund
Andrew and Theresa Fenster
Jill and Michael J. Franco
Amandine Freidheim
Mary Ann Fribourg
Bart Friedman and Wendy A. Stein
Martin and Lauren Geller
Heather & Andrew Georges
The Georgetown Company
Elizabeth and David GranvilleSmith
Dedrea and Paul Gray
Great Performances
Guenther Greiner
Allen and Deborah Grubman
George and Patty Grunebaum
Tania Higgins
Adrienne Katz
Claire King
The David L. Klein, Jr. Foundation
Jill and Peter Kraus
Sheila and Bill Lambert
Kate Lauprete
Julia Ledda and Hassan Taher
Gail and Alan Levenstein
The Honorable and Mrs. Earle I Mack
Shelly and Tony Malkin
Marian Goodman Gallery
Joyce F. Menschel
James and Margo Nederlander
Jesse and Stéphanie Newhouse
Elyse and Michael Newhouse
Anna Nikolayevsky
Lynn Nottage and Tony Gerber
Arlena Olsten
David Orentreich, MD / Orentreich Family Foundation
PBDW Architects
Susan Porter
Preserve New York, a grant program of Preservation League of New York
Frances A. Resheske
Frank Richardson and Kimbra Wood
Richenthal Foundation
Robert Rosen and Dr. Dale Atkins Rosen
Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation
Jane Fearer Safer
Robyn and Seymour Sammell
Susan Savitsky
Sara Lee and Axel Schupf
David Schwartz Foundation Inc.
Matthew and Stephanie Sharp
Denise Simon and Paulo Vieira da Cunha
Lea Simonds
Patricia Brown Specter
Doug C. Steiner
Michael & Allison Stillman
Michael and Veronica Stubbs
Michael Tuch Foundation
L.F. Turner
Cynthia and Jan van Eck
Alyssa Varadhan
Theodora Velys
Bob Vila and Diana Barrett
Cristina von Bargen and Jonathan McHardy
Anastasia Vournas and J. William Uhrig
Mr. and Mrs. Stanford Warshawsky
Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation, Inc.
Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg
Gary and Nina Wexler
Valda Witt and Jay Hatfield
Lisa and David Wolf
Cynthia Young and George Eberstadt
Toni Young
Elham Yousefi
Judy Francis Zankel
Kiddy Zhou and Lu Li Zubatkin Owner Representation, LLC
Anonymous (3)
$2,500 to $4,999
Katie Adams Schaeffer
Allen Adler and Frances Beatty
Fabrizio and Enrica Arengi
Bentivoglio
Michael S. Arlein
David and Janice Barnard
Laurel Beebe Barrack
BDO United States
Tony Bechara
Catherine Behrend
Marjaleena and Jonathan Berger
Mr. Stephen Berger and Ms. Cynthia Wainwright
Stephanie Bernheim
Katherine and Marco Birch
Allison M. Blinken
Clemence Boissonnas
Melanie Bouvard and Matthew Bird
Carolyn S. Brody
Annabel Buckfire
Arthur and Linda Carter
Alexandre and Lori Chemla
Betsy Cohn
Margaret Conklin
Connelly McLaughlin & Woloz
Ellie and Edgar Cullman
Joshua Dachs / Fisher Dachs Associates
Joan K. Davidson* (The J.M. Kaplan Fund)
Peter Droste
Susan Dunn and Rob Cunjak
Karen Eckhoff
Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz
Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg Foundation
Deborah and Ronald Eisenberg Foundation
Leslie Falk
Jared Feldman / Anchin Private Client
Laura Jane Finn
Megan Flanigan
Ella M. Foshay and Michael B. Rothfeld
Gwen and Austin Fragomen
Eleanor Friedman and Jonathan J. Cohen
Julie Geden
Buzzy Geduld
Rosalind and Eugene Glaser
Sylvia Golden and Warren Friedman
Robert and Trudy Gottesman
Robert S. Gregory
Phillip Gulley
Ian and Lea Highet
Andrea Hirsch
Johanna Hudgens and Matthew Wilson
Phyllis Hyde
Laura Isenberg
Kamila Islam
Shujaat Islam and Fay Sardjono
Judith Jadow
Anu Jayanti
Tianyue Jiang
Jim and Leslie Johnson
Jeanne Kanders
Jennie A. Kassanoff and Daniel H. Schulman
Lee Kern
Timothy and Jessica Kisling
Jana and Gerold Klauer
Meghan Klopp
Douglas and Judith Krupp
Lizbeth & George Krupp
Theodore and Adeline Kurz
Jerome and Sara Lande
Lazarus Charitable Trust
Les Yeux Art Foundation Inc.
Stephen Ludwig
Lili Lynton and Michael Ryan
Gina Giumarra MacArthur
Charles and Georgette Mallory
Joanie Martinez-Rudkovsky
Bonnie Maslin
Nina B. Matis
Peter and Leni May
Claudia and Eduardo Mazzi
Peter D. McCann, MD
Ryan McNaughton and Anastasia
Antoniev
Constance and H. Roemer McPhee
Israel Meir & Steve Rivera
Saleem and Jane Muqaddam
Leslie and Curt Myers
Susan and Peter* Nitze
Stephen Novick
Susan Numeroff
Kathleen O’Grady
Patsy Orlofsky
Peter and Beverly Orthwein
Robert Ouimette and Lee Hirsch
Claudia and Gunnar Overstrom
Lee and Lori Parks
The Pass Family
Sanjay and Leslie Patel
Louis and Barbara Perlmutter
Richard and Rose Petrocelli
Marnie Pillsbury
Natalya and Nicolas Poniatowski
Phyllis Posnick and Paul Cohen
Rajika and Anupam Puri
Jennifer Reardon
Diana and Charles Revson
Laura and Gerald Rosberg
Tamika Rose
Marjorie P. Rosenthal
Deborah and Chuck Royce
Susan Rudin
Sana H. Sabbagh
John and Shelby Saer
Susan and Charles Sawyers
Nicholas and Shelley Schorsch
Stefan and Heidi Selig
Douglas Sills
Laura Skoler
Daisy M. Soros
Stephen and Constance Spahn
Michael and Marjorie Stern
Susan Stockel
Leila Maw Straus
Stella Strazdas and Henry Forrest
Geri Thomas
Union Square Events
Mrs. William J. vanden Heuvel
Robert Warshaw and Debbie Schmidt
Jacqueline Weld Drake
Andrew and Sarah Wetenhall
Michael Woloz
Amy Yenkin and Robert Usdan
Anonymous (9)
$1,000 to $2,499
Diane and Arthur Abbey
Marina Abramović
Travis Acquavella
Gina Addeo
Benigno Aguilar and Gerald Erickson
Eric Altmann
Ksenia Anisimova
Dr. Lora Aroyo
Catherine S.G. Atterbury
Edward and Elizabeth Baker
Barbara and Jude Barbera
Laurie G Beckelman
Stefan Beckman
Judy and Howard Berkowitz
Richard Berndt and MarieCamille Havard
Elaine S. Bernstein
Bluestem Prairie Foundation
Boehm Family Foundation
Maegan Boger
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz
Polly Shih Brandmeyer
Daniel and Estrellita Brodsky
Spencer Brownstone
Hugh Burns and Molly Duffy
Cora Cahan
Janel Anderberg Callon
Sana Clegg
Christine Connolly
Dr. and Mrs. Bradley A. Connor
Andre Cornelius
Marina Couloucoundis
Sophie Coumantaros
Abby and Andrew Crisses
Austen and Ernesto Cruz
Sasha Cutter and Aaron Hsu
John Charles and Nathalie Danilovich
Richard and Peggy Danziger
Richard and Barbara Debs
David desJardins & Nancy Blachman
Amy and Tony Downer
Christopher Duda
Eamon Early
Roger and Carol Einiger
Marla Eisbruck
Frederick & Diana Elghanayan
Patricia Ellis
Cristina Enriquez-Bocobo
Dasha Epstein
Darice and Jason Fadeyi
Patricia Falkenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas N. Farmakis
Femenella & Associates, Inc.
Walter and Judith Flamenbaum
Frances Fontaine and Anthony Chedid
Melanie and Robert Forman
Kristin Gamble
Sayuri Ganepola and Jeff Kaczynski
Bruce and Alice Geismar
Elisa H Gerarden
DeNora Getachew
David and Susan Getz
Gregory Gilmartin
Steven and Jan Golann
Katja Goldman
Mitch Gordon and Julie Appel
Notoya Green and Fred Mwangaguhunga
Karen and Jeff Groeger
Jan M. Guifarro
Frances and Gerard Guillemot
Kathleen and Harvey Guion
Yen Ha and Richard Tesler
Qusai Hammouri and Elizabeth Cho
Kathleen Harrison and Edward Flinn
Nicole Hart
Matthew Hemberger
Travis Hennings
Jill Herman
William T. Hillman
David and Rochelle Hirsch
Bruce Hoffman
Mr. Joseph C. Hoopes, Jr.
Julie and Dan Horton
Tom and Amy Houston
Weslie and William Janeway
Christopher and Hilda Jones
Boriana Karastoyanova
Mahesh and Bhavna Katkar
Sharon Kim
Tracy Kimmel
Brigadier General Edward G. Klein, NYNG (Ret.)
Quentin and Jayee Koffey
ABOUT THE VETERANS ROOM
The Veterans Room is among the most significant surviving interiors of the American Aesthetic Movement, and the most significant remaining intact interior in the world by Louis C. Tiffany and Co., Associated Artists. The newly formed collective led by Tiffany included some of the most significant American designers of the 19th century at early stages of their very distinguished careers: Stanford White, Samuel Colman, and Candace Wheeler among them. The design of the room by these artists was exotic, eclectic, and full of experimentation, as noted by Decorator and Furnisher in 1885 that “the prepondering styles appear to be the Greek, Moresque, and Celtic, with a dash of Egyptian, the Persian, and the Japanese in the appropriate places.”
A monument of late 19th-century decorative arts, the Veterans Room is the fourth period room at the Armory completed (out of 18). The revitalization of the room responds to the original exuberant vision for the room’s design, bringing into dialogue some of the most talented designers of the 19th and 21st centuries – Associated Artists with Herzog & de Meuron, Platt
Byrd Dovell White Architects, and a team of world-renowned artisans and experts in Tiffany glass, fine woodworking, and decorative arts.
The revitalization of the Veterans Room follows Herzog & de Meuron’s design approach for the Armory building, which seeks to highlight the distinct qualities and existing character of each individual room while interweaving contemporary elements to improve its function. Even more so than in other rooms at the Armory, Herzog & de Meuron’s approach to the Veterans Room is to amplify the beauty of the room’s original vision through adding contemporary reconstructions of lost historic materials and subtle additions with the same ethos and creative passion as the original artisans to infuse a modern energy into a harmonious, holistic design. The room’s restoration is part of an ongoing $215-million transformation, which is guided by the understanding that the Armory’s rich history and the patina of time are essential to its character, with a design process for the period rooms that emphasizes close collaboration between architect and artisan.
The restoration and renovation of the Veterans Room was made possible The Thompson Family Foundation, Inc., Susan and Elihu Rose, the Charina Endowment Fund, Lisa and Sanford B. Ehrenkranz, Almudena and Pablo Legorreta, Assemblymember Dan Quart and the New York State Assembly, Emanuel Stern, Adam R. Flatto, Olivia Tournay Flatto, Kenneth S. Kuchin, R. Mark and Wendy Adams, American Express, Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief, Amy and Jeffrey Silverman, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Anonymous (2).
armoryonpark.org | @ParkAveArmory
“The rest of the world is not like this … that sublime and exclusive room, almost too opulent for this world.” —The New York Times