2014 RECITAL SERIES
A NOTE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Last autumn, we inaugurated the reopening of the Board of Officers Room with recitals by Christian Gerhaher, one of the greatest living baritone voices for lieder. He and the subsequent 2013 recitalists—violinist Vilde Frang and pianist Anton Batagov—could not have been more positive about our new recital space and its excellent acoustics. Invigorated by this, we welcome leading soloists to our 2014 recital series to perform major works from the classical music repertoire. Igor Levit masterfully interprets some of Beethoven's most cherished sonatas, István Várdai virtuosically performs a number of Bach's solo cello suites, and Anna Lucia Richter expertly brings to life some of Wolf's most sublime lieder—all while making their U.S. recital debuts. Together with the fearless talents of Manhattan's very own FLUX Quartet enlivening Morton Feldman's groundbreaking String Quartet No. 2, this year’s recital series offers rare opportunities to witness major new talent in New York performing some of the most inspiring music in this gem of a recital room. I hope you enjoy these intimate performances. Alex Poots Artistic Director, Park Avenue Armory
2014 RECITAL SERIES IN THE NEWLY RESTORED BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM wednesday, may 21 at 8:00pm thursday, may 22 at 8:00pm
ISTVÁN VÁRDAI, cello all-bach program Cello Suite No.1. in G Major, BWV 1007 Prelude Allemande Courante Sarabande Minuet I and II Gigue Cello Suite No.5. in C Minor, BWV 1011 Prelude Allemande Courante Sarabande Gavotte I and II Gigue Intermission Cello Suite No.6. in D Major, BWV 1012 Prelude Allemande Courante Sarabande Gavotte I and II Gigue This performance is approximately one hour and forty minutes in length, including intermission. The Recital Series is supported in part by a generous grant from Gwen Norton on behalf of the IKBS and The Reed Foundation, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Support for Park Avenue Armory’s artistic season has been generously provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Marc Haas Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation, and the Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation.
SEASON SPONSORS
ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND ARTIST The Baroque era in music is also known as the era of the continuo, and with good reason: it is a musical style founded on the principle of the “thoroughbass,” that is, on the premise that the movement of the melodic voices is controlled by a bass line that provides the harmonic backbone for everything that happens in the music. Bach’s six solo suites for cello, like the three sonatas and three partitas for violin, are exceptional in that they dispense with the accompanying bass line altogether. Yet Baroque music can never exist without harmonic support; therefore, in the absence of a keyboard and a string bass, the solo instrument has to provide melody and accompaniment at the same time. The latter is implied by broken chords: the notes of a chord played in succession rather than simultaneously are still capable of expressing a harmonic function. Since the soloist has to do the work of at least two people, Bach’s unaccompanied works represent a compositional tour-de-force of a very special kind. Their astonishing technical difficulty makes them the ultimate challenge for the performer. The daily bread of every conservatory student, they are also a lifelong preoccupation for even the greatest artists: the musical and interpretive problems they pose can never be fully resolved. In spite of their complexity, the unaccompanied suites and partitas are really dance music—stylized to the point of no longer being always easy to dance to, but dance music nevertheless. The lightness of the dance shines through even in the most complicated textures, but Bach transcended the conventionality of the dance forms he had inherited to incorporate a tone that is clearly related to his great religious works. (Wilfrid Mellers shows this in his fascinating 1981 book, Bach and the Dance of God, which contains a chapter on the “Solo Cello Suites as an Apotheosis of the Dance.”) We don’t know exactly when the unaccompanied string works were written. They were most likely the products of the Cöthen years (1717-1723), like the majority of Bach’s instrumental music; but the series may have been started earlier, in Weimar, where Bach lived from 1708 until 1717. All six cello suites follow the same format: prelude, allemande, courante, sarabande, “X,” gigue, with “X” standing for a dance of a more modern type than the others. These newer dances— sometimes collectively referred to as Galanterien—always come in pairs, with the first dance repeated after the second one; they can be minuets, gavottes, or bourrées. At tonight’s recital, Mr. Várdai will perform the First Suite, which, perhaps, has the fewest irregularities, followed by the last two, which are noted for their exceptional features. In fact,
the Fifth Suite calls for scordatura, or a tuning of the cello’s strings that departs from the norm. In this case, the uppermost string, the A, is tuned down to G, a note frequently needed in the key of C-minor, in which the suite was written. (This makes it possible to play four-note C-minor chords.) The Sixth Suite, even more unusually, originally called for a cello with five strings. Bach was counting on an E string above the A; this suite represents an almost superhuman challenge on an ordinary four-string cello, because the absence of a high E string has to be compensated for by playing in extremely high positions on the A string. It is possible that Bach intended this suite for the violoncello piccolo, an instrument he included in several of his church cantatas. The family resemblance within each movement type is very strong throughout the suites, yet each movement also possesses significant individual characteristics. Preludes often consist of unbroken or almost unbroken even motion; any interruptions or changes in that motion, then, are all the more surprising and greatly enhance the communicative power of the music. The Prelude of the First Suite has no irregularities at all and therefore represents something like a “textbook example.” The Prelude of No. 5, by contrast, is modeled after a French overture in which a slow opening section, in dotted rhythm, is followed by a faster, contrasting section in 3/8 time. Prelude No. 6, the longest of the preludes, is the only movement in the suites to include original dynamic markings (forte and piano). It begins with the almost maniacal repetition of a single note (played alternately on two different strings) and builds to a movement of great dramatic energy from this simplest of ideas. In the last third of the Prelude, the already considerable technical difficulties are increased even further by a rhythmic switch from eighth-notes to sixteenths, doubling the speed. Bach’s Allemandes (the word literally means a “German dance”) have all but lost their dance character and foreshadow the future sonata form, with sophisticated motivic transformations and progressions that first lead away from the home key and then back to it again. Continuous motion in sixteenths is prevalent as in the preludes, but the movements are neatly divided into two halves, the first ending in the new tonality and the second back in the home key. Here again, the relatively stable, even motion of the First Allemande represents the norm, from which the later suites depart with jagged dotted rhythms and wide leaps in the Fifth Allemande and extravagant ornamentation in the Sixth.
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The term “Courante,” always denoting a fast movement, actually covers two rather different dance types in the Bach suites. In the First and the Sixth Suites, we find the Italian form of the dance known as the “Corrente,” with joyful skips in the melodic motion. The Fifth Suite, on the other hand, includes a more stately French “Courante,” with a more continuous melody and a more dignified general demeanor. The Sarabande is the slow movement of each suite; it is based on a characteristic triple rhythm, often consisting of a quarter-note, a dotted-quarter, and an eighth. Yet there is considerable variation within this general formula. In the First Sarabande, the melody is embellished with groups of faster sixteenth-notes; in the Sixth, the corresponding movement is more austere, with full-bodied double, triple, and quadruple stops throughout. Once again, the Sarabande of the Fifth Suite is the absolute exception; it even drops the usual sarabande rhythm and features an enigmatic, tonally ambiguous melodic line that shows Bach at his most daring and “experimental.” One cannot miss the shift to a more modern style in the “Galanterien,” in which the new, “galant” style of the 18thcentury is unmistakably manifest. Catchier melodies and simpler musical designs prevail both in the minuets (Suite No. 1) and in the gavottes (Nos. 5 and 6). Yet even here the more complex textures in the later suites, with their frequent chordal writing, contrast with the greater simplicity found in the First Suite. Finally, the Gigues “pull out all the stops” in terms of both instrumental virtuosity and musical imagination. The stakes are raised higher and higher as we move from the even motion in the First Suite to the sharper rhythmic profile in the Fifth to the expanded dimensions and extravagant technical demands of the Sixth. © 2014 by Peter Laki István Várdai was born in Pécs, Hungary, in 1985. He started playing the cello at the age of eight. Four years later he was admitted to László Mezö’s class for “exceptionally gifted” musicians at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. In 2005, he moved to the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna to study with Reinhard Latzko. He also attended masterclasses given by Natalia Gutman, János Starker, Natalia Shakhovskaja, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, and András Schiff. In 2010, he was awarded the two-year Boris Pergamenschikow Scholarship at the Kronberg Academy.
Várdai has received prizes and awards at numerous international music competitions. He won the David Popper International Music Competition in Budapest three times (in 2000, 2003, and 2004). In 2006, he was awarded a special prize at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuerman in Berlin. In the same year he won first prize in the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria. In 2007, he was a laureate at the International Tchaikovsky Competition (Third Prize and Special Prize) and in 2008 at the Geneva International Music Competition (First Prize, Audience Prize, Prix Pierre Fournier, and Prix Coup de Coeur Breguet). In 2009, he was awarded the Junior Prima Prize as best young artist of the year, and received the highly prestigious Prix Montblanc in 2012, awarded to the world’s most promising young musician. His debut CD, on which he plays Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the Prokofiev Sonata, and Janácek’s Pohádka with the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève conducted by Simon Gaudenz, was released on the Nascor label in 2009. In 2010, he recorded the Cello Concerto in C major by Johann Baptist Vanhal with the Camerata Swiss and Howard Griffith. On his recent CD released by he Hännsler label in 2013, he plays works by Mendelssohn, Martinu, Paganini, Beethoven, and Popper. Since his debut concert in 1998 in The Hague, Várdai has performed with numerous major orchestras such as the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre Genève, Helsinki Strings, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Schweiz, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and Kremerata Baltica. He has worked with conductors such as Ádám Fischer, Howard Griffith, Zoltán Kocsis, Josep Pons, Nicolás Pasquet, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Marcus Bosch, Roman Kofman, and Simon Gaudenz. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed at the Schwetzingen Festival, the Festival de Bellerive, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, the Festival de Radio France Montpellier, the Budapest Spring Festival, the Cello Biennale Amsterdam, the Central European Music Festival, the Kobe International Cello Festival, the Yuri Bashmet Winter Arts Festival, and Kronberg Academy’s Cello Festival. Várdai plays a cello by J Cuypers (1763) and a modern instrument by Carsten Hoffman.
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ABOUT THE ARMORY Part American palace, part industrial shed, Park Avenue Armory is dedicated to supporting unconventional works in the visual and performing arts that need non-traditional spaces for their full realization, enabling artists to create and audiences to experience epic and adventurous presentations that can not be mounted elsewhere in New York City. In its first six years, the Armory opened its doors to visionary artists, directors, and impresarios who provided extraordinary experiences in a range of art forms. Such was its impact that in December 2011, The New York Times noted, “Park Avenue Armory … has arrived as the most important new cultural institution in New York City.” Built between 1877 and 1881, Park Avenue Armory has been hailed as containing “the single most important collection of nineteenth century interiors to survive intact in one building” by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall, with an 80-foot-high barrel vaulted roof, is one of the largest unobstructed spaces in New York City. The Armory’s magnificent reception rooms were designed by leaders of the American Aesthetic Movement, among them Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Candace Wheeler, and Herter Brothers. The building is currently undergoing a $200-million renovation designed by Herzog & de Meuron.
PARK AVENUE ARMORY STAFF Rebecca Robertson, President and Executive Producer Alex Poots, Artistic Director Laura Allen, Executive Assistant to the President Elizabeth Bennett, Manager of Institutional Giving Liz Bickley, Event Manager David Burnhauser, Collection Manager David Crouse, Associate Technical Director Leandro Dasso, Porter Khemraj Dat, Accountant Jay T. Dority, Director of Facilities Sarah Frankel, Assistant Technical Director, Front of House Lissa Frenkel, Managing Director Peter Gee, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Mary Greene, Development Events Coordinator Isabelle Harnoncourt, Senior Advisor, Special Projects Reginald Hunter, Building Mechanic Antonella Inserra, Office Manager Cassidy Jones, Education Director Allison Kline, Project Coordinator Ellen Knuti, Digital Marketing Manager Jill Turner Lloyd, Major Gifts Officer Wayne Lowery, Security Director Heather Lubov, Chief Development Officer and VP of Planning Jason Lujan, Operations Manager
Rebecca Mosena, Development Assistant Utsuki Otsuka, Production Coordinator Daniel Park, Tessitura Application Manager Charmaine Portis, Executive Assistant to Chief Development Officer Nancy Ramirez-Gomez, Porter Kirsten Reoch, Director of Design and Construction William Say, Superintendent Jerad Schomer, Technical Director Jennifer Elise Smith, Manager of Corporate Relations Jennifer Stark, Special Projects Director Heather Thompson, Director of Membership and Events Tom Trayer, Director of Marketing Ted Vasquez, Finance Director Libby Vieira da Cunha, Youth Corps Coordinator Clyde Wagner, Senior Producer Bernie Waters, Security Manager Monica Weigel, Education Coordinator Youth Corps Nisat Begum, Kathleen Burke, Lilia Chunir, Raymondy Ciceron, Jevon Daniels, Brian Espinal, Tanai Estwick, Kyla Gardner, Nancy Gomez, Eric Harris, Matthew Lopez, Stephanie Mesquita, Paola Ocampo, Alexandra Ortiz, Joanne Pereira Melo, Widline Valentin
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NEXT IN THE BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM RECITALS AND OTHER CONCERTS
UNDER CONSTRUCTION SERIES
Co-presented with the Mostly Mozart Festival
LAUREN FLANIGAN
INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE august
september
17 – 21
The cutting-edge ensemble performs an intimate chamber music series crafted with the Board of Officers Room in mind. Two of ICE’s three performances will be portrait concerts of leading female composers Sofia Gubaidulina and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, with the final concert featuring three New York premieres among works by John Zorn, Dai Fujikura, Alvin Lucier, and a new arrangement of a chamber work by Messiaen.
ANNA LUCIA RICHTER, soprano october
2–6
The songs of Hugo Wolf offer some of the greatest challenges in the entire lieder repertory for rising singers and vocal veterans alike, both for their nuanced musical subtlety and their complex interaction between prose and music. German soprano Anna Lucia Richter comes to the Board of Officers Room to interpret these glittering vocal works in her U.S. recital debut.
15
Soprano Lauren Flanigan returns to the Armory following her residency in 2012 to use film to expand her work on the unknown songs of Kurt Weill and Songs for Lulu by Rufus Wainwright with filmmaker James Dabiel and stage director Kevin Newbury.
JASON AKIRA SOMMA october
14 – 15
Visual artist and choreographer Jason Akira Somma creates a new project that combines his analog video techniques and technological innovations with the Flex dancer community to explore the complete merging of artistic, technological, and interactive media and practices.
SASHA FRERE-JONES november
12
Sasha Frere-Jones presents an intimate evening documenting all of the pursuits undertaken during his residency, including several book-length projects and the development of a nomadic arts collective which produces original work and collaborates with artists to create new performance-based events.
AGING MAGICIAN january
11 – 13, 2015
Composed by Paola Prestini with libretto by Rinde Eckert and direction by Julian Crouch, this new music-theater work uses a composite of sonic and visual elements to follow a man entering his final stages of life to the fantastical world of Coney Island. This work features vocalist Rinde Eckert with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and string quartet.
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NEXT AT THE ARMORY MACBETH
ST. MATTHEW PASSION
may
october
31 – june 22
“Fast, furious and unstoppable … this Macbeth [knocks] the breath out of everyone, audience included.” – The New York Times Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston make their highlyanticipated New York stage debuts in the U.S. premiere of the intensely physical, fast-paced production by Branagh and Rob Ashford, which places the audience directly on the sidelines of battle, where blood, sweat, and the elements of nature can be directly felt as the action unfurls across the traverse stage. Support for this production has been provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Susan and Elihu Rose, The Bodman Foundation, Lizabeth and Frank Newman, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and the Richenthal Foundation. Commissioned and produced by Park Avenue Armory and Manchester International Festival.
“Astonishing … I challenge you not to be an emotional wreck by the end of it.” – The Guardian (London) Regarded as one of the quintessential masterpieces of classical sacred music, Bach’s revered account of Christ’s Passion is ritualized by inventive director Peter Sellars, who creates a communal grieving process in a radically inclusive approach that eliminates the separation between artist and audience. Simon Rattle leads the Berliner Philharmoniker, a cast of superb singers, and extensive choral forces for the U.S. premiere of this epic production. Co-presented by Park Avenue Armory and Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival. The Berliner Philharmoniker residency in New York City is made possible by a leadership gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, and Marina Kellen French. Park Avenue Armory and Lincoln Center would like to thank Carnegie Hall for its collaboration in making possible these Berliner Philharmoniker performances.
THE PASSENGER july
7–8
10 – 13
“In Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s holocaust opera The Passenger, we have one of the most unflinching engagements with this subject ever made.” – The Daily Telegraph (UK) Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s opera is an astonishing account of the horrors of World War II and the unshakable hold that memories and torment from that time can have, even today. Visionary director David Pountney brilliantly stages this landmark work, which only now makes its eagerly-awaited New York premiere. Co-presented by Park Avenue Armory and Lincoln Center Festival. The Passenger is a co-production of Bregenzer Festispiele, Teatr Wieki, English National Opera, and Teatro Real. Houston Grand Opera’s performances of The Passenger in New York are generously underwritten by Bill and Sara Morgan and Amanda and Morris Gelb.
tears become … streams become … douglas gordon & hélène grimaud december 9 – january 4
“One of the most prominent artists of his generation.” – The Guardian (UK) on Douglas Gordon “Grimaud doesn’t sound like most pianists: she is a rubato artist, a reinventor of phrasings, a taker of chances.” – The New Yorker Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon takes the elemental force of water as inspiration for a large-scale visual art installation in which acclaimed pianist Hélène Grimaud will perform a program of water-themed works by Debussy, Ravel, Liszt, and others, creating a confluence of live music and visual art that allows audiences to experience this celebrated music in a refreshingly new way. The installation will be open to the public in addition to performance times for further reflection. Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory.
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OTHER HAPPENINGS AT THE ARMORY UNDER CONSTRUCTION SERIES
FAMILY PROGRAMS
“The moment I learned I’d been granted an Armory residency, I felt like Little Orphan Annie when she first arrives at Daddy Warbucks’s mansion.” – Former Artist-in-Residence Young Jean Lee Get an inside look into the creative process of the Armory’s artists-in-residence, who set up studios and offer intimate public previews of works-in-progress, including dance, theater, music, and visual art. The Armory’s period rooms provide a unique backdrop for their workshops, serving as both inspiration and as a collaborator in the development of their work. Previous artists-in-residence have included director and designer Julian Crouch, choreographer Faye Driscoll, soprano Lauren Flanigan, artist Ralph Lemon, maverick musician and composer Meredith Monk, post-classical string quartet ETHEL, playwright and director Young Jean Lee, performance artist Okwui Okpokwasili, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and singer/songwriter Somi.
ARMORY AFTER HOURS
Salon culture has enlivened art since the 19th century, when friends gathered in elegant chambers to hear intimate performances and share artistic insights. Join us following select performances for libations with fellow attendees as we revive this tradition in our historic period rooms. You may also get to talk with the evening’s artists, who often greet friends and audience members following their performances.
Park Avenue Armory invites children and parents to participate in interactive art-making workshops in our historic period rooms. Drawing upon the Armory’s castle-like setting and unique artistic offerings, these programs are offered monthly during the school year and designed to spark the imagination of children of all ages.
ARTIST TALKS
Held in our historic period rooms, these insightful dialogues give audiences the opportunity to hear directly from the artists, and explore the inspirations, ideas, and themes behind their work.
MALKIN LECTURE SERIES
Each fall, the popular Malkin Lecture Series presents scholars and experts on topics relating to the Armory and the civic, cultural, and aesthetic life of New York City in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Lecture topics have ranged from history makers like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt to Gilded Age society’s favorite restaurants and the Hudson River painters.
HISTORIC INTERIORS TOURS “[The Armory contains] the single most important collection of nineteenth century interiors to survive intact in one building.” – New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Get an insider’s look at the Armory with a guided walking tour of the building with our staff historian. From the soaring 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall to the extraordinary interiors designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Stanford White, Herter Brothers, and others, see rooms not regularly open to the public and learn about the design plans by acclaimed architects Herzog & de Meuron.
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JOIN THE ARMORY MEMBERSHIP Become a member of Park Avenue Armory and support the presentation of epic, unconventional arts and educational programming in the Armory’s landmarked building. Members have access to the best seats for Armory productions during exclusive presales, and are invited to experience the Armory and its artists through preview parties, open rehearsals, members-only viewing hours, building tours, and open houses. friend $100 ($80 is tax-deductible) »» Exclusive access to the best seats for Armory performances through members-only presale »» Invitations to opening night previews for Armory visual art installations »» Free admission to Armory visual art installations »» Discounts on Artist Talks »» Invitations to select open rehearsals »» Special members-only viewing hours for select exhibitions »» Invitation to the annual Members event »» 10% discount on merchandise sold during Armory productions »» Discount on tickets to the Malkin Lecture Series »» Free admission for guided tours of the Armory family circle $225 ($205 is tax-deductible) All benefits of the Friend membership plus: »» Pre-registration for educational workshops »» Special access to talks, programs, and tours Benefits extend to children in household under 18 years of age. supporter $250 ($210 is tax-deductible) All benefits of the Family Circle membership plus: »» Up to two ticket exchanges per season* »» One complimentary pass to an art fair**
associate $500 ($400 is tax-deductible) All benefits of the Supporter membership plus: »» Free admission for two additional guests to Armory visual art installations »» Access to VIP lounge in one of the Armory’s historic rooms during performance intermissions »» Recognition in Armory printed programs »» One additional complimentary pass to an art fair** benefactor $1,000 ($880 is tax-deductible) All benefits of the Associate membership plus: »» Members concierge ticket service »» Two complimentary tickets to the Under Construction Series armory avant-garde $350 or $600 This exciting group invites forward-thinking individuals in their 20s through early 40s to experience new, surprising, and innovative ideas in art, and provides access to the Armory and its artists through exclusive events designed for younger supporters. chairman’s circle starting at $2,500 Members of this exclusive group are provided unique and intimate opportunities to experience the Armory, including invitations to private tours and VIP receptions with worldclass artists; priority seating and concierge ticket service; and an invitation for two to the annual Chairman’s Circle Reception. education committee starting at $5,000 The Armory’s arts education program reaches thousands of public school students each year, immersing them in the creative process of exceptional visual and performing artists and teaching them to explore their own creative instincts.
Education Committee members are invited to special events, meetings, and workshops that allow them to witness the students’ progress and contribute to the growth of the program.
for more information on membership, go to armoryonpark.org/join, email members@armoryonpark.org, or call (212) 616-3958.
*For same production; subject to availability. **Certain restrictions apply. All memberships are subject to various levels of tax deductibility.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Co-Chairman Elihu Rose, PhD. Co-Chairman Adam R. Flatto President and Executive Producer Rebecca Robertson
Marina Abramović William A. Ackman Harrison M. Bains Kent L. Barwick Wendy Belzberg Carolyn Brody Cora Cahan Hélène Comfort Sanford B. Ehrenkranz Michael Field David Fox Marjorie L. Hart Karl Katz Edward G. Klein Ken Kuchin Stephen Lash Pablo Legorreta
Ralph Lemon Burt Manning Heidi McWilliams David S. Moross Gwendolyn Adams Norton Joel I. Picket Joel Press Genie H. Rice Janet C. Ross Jeffrey Silverman Emanuel Stern Angela E. Thompson Donald J. Toumey Deborah C. van Eck Founding Chairman, 2000-2009 Wade F.B. Thompson
SUPPORTERS 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, Inc. Empire State Local Development Corporation New York City Council and Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick New York City Department of Cultural Affairs The Pershing Square Foundation Susan and Elihu Rose The Arthur Ross Foundation and J & AR Foundation Joan and Joel Smilow The Thompson Family Foundation Wade F.B. Thompson* The Zelnick/Belzberg Charitable Trust Anonymous
$500,000 to $999,999 Citi Almudena and Pablo Legorreta Adam R. Rose and Peter R. McQuillan Donna and Marvin Schwartz Liz and Emanuel Stern
$250,000 to $499,999 Michael Field and Jeff Arnstein The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation Marshall Rose Family Foundation
$100,000 to $249,999 The Achelis and Bodman Foundations Linda and Earle S. Altman American Express Historic Preservation Fund Bloomberg Philanthropies Booth Ferris Foundation
Marjorie and Gurnee Hart Ken Kuchin and Tyler Morgan Mr. and Mrs. Peter L. Malkin and The Malkin Fund, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McWilliams Mr. and Mrs. Lester S. Morse, Jr. New York State Assembly New York State Council on the Arts Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Stavros Niarchos Foundation Mr. and Mrs. William C. Tomson
$25,000 to $99,999 The Avenue Association Harrison and Leslie Bains British Council Carolyn S. Brody Burberry Paul Chan and Don Toumey Chanel, Inc. C-III Capital Partners LLC Hélène and Stuyvesant Comfort The Cowles Charitable Trust Crum & Forster Lisa and Sandy Ehrenkranz Sandi and Andrew Farkas / Island Capital Group Florence Fearrington Olivia and Adam Flatto Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Gundlach and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation Kirkland & Ellis LLP Lynne and Burt Manning Cindy and David Moross National Endowment for the Arts Lizabeth and Frank Newman Gwen and Peter Norton Joan and Joel I. Picket
The Pinkerton Foundation Slobodan Randjelovic and Jon Stryker Rhodebeck Charitable Trust Genie and Donald Rice Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Janet C. Ross Fiona and Eric Rudin Caryn Schacht and David Fox Amy and Jeffrey Silverman Sanford Smith and Jill Bokor The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Nanna and Daniel Stern Deborah Van Eck
$10,000 to $24,999 Lindsey Adelman Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc. Emma Bloomberg and Chris Frissora Brown Harris Stevens Eileen Campbell and Struan Robertson Pamela and J. Michael Cline Mrs. Daniel Cowin Mary Sharp Cronson; Paul Cronson; Caroline Cronson Emme and Jonathan Deland William F. Draper Andra and John Ehrenkranz The Felicia Fund Florian Papp Gallery Ella M. Foshay and Michael B. Rothfeld Lorraine Gallard and Richard H. Levy John and Kiendl Gordon Susan and Peter Gottsegen Agnes Gund Marc Haas Foundation Molly Butler Hart and Michael D. Griffin Josefin and Paul Hilal Suzie and Bruce Kovner
Leon Levy Foundation Lili Lynton and Michael Ryan Christina and Alan MacDonald Nancy A. Marks Larry and Mary McCaffrey Northern Bay Contractors, GDO Contracting Corp & Phoenix Contracting Susan Patterson and Leigh Seippel Platt Byard Dovell White Architects LLP Andrea Markezin Press and Joel Press The Reed Foundation Mary Jane Robertson and James A. Clark Rebecca Robertson and Byron Knief Lady Susie Sainsbury The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation William H. and Patricia Sandholm Stacy Schiff and Marc de la Bruyere Dr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Sculco The Shubert Foundation Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Margaret Smith Sarah and Howard Solomon A. Alfred Taubman Tishman Construction, an AECOM Company Tishman Speyer Properties, LP World of Deco Mr. and Mrs. William Zeckendorf Anonymous (3)
$5,000 to $9,999 Akustiks, LLC Jody and John Arnhold Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Abigail Baratta Tina Brown Veronica Bulgari and Stephan Haimo Marian and Russell Burke Paula Cooper Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Davis Decorating with Fabric, Inc. Antoinette Delruelle and Joshua L. Steiner Jacqueline Marie Didier Peggy and Millard Drexler Mary Ellen Dundon David and Frances Eberhart Foundation Cheryl Cohen Effron and Blair W. Effron Alice and David Elgart Inger McCabe Elliott EverGreene Edmée and Nicholas Firth Joshua Dachs / Fisher Dachs Associates Theatre Planning and Design Bart Friedman and Wendy A. Stein Barbara and Peter Georgescu Mr. and Mrs. George J. Gillespie, III Gail Golden and Carl Icahn Allen and Deborah Grubman Ambassador and Mrs. John L. Loeb Jr. Liliane and Christian Haub Elizabeth and Dale Hemmerdinger Beth Jacobs Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Jarecki Nancy Josephson Jennie Kassanoff and Dan Schulman Florence and Robert Kaufman Mr. and Mrs. Dan Keegan Christian K. Keesee Mary Kush Stephen S. and Wendy Lehman Lash The Ronald and Jo Carole Lauder Foundation Gail and Alan Levenstein Levien & Company, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Chris Liddell Aaron Lieber / Bruce Horten Kamie Lightburn Pat and Michael Magdol
Shelly and Tony Malkin Mr. and Mrs. Adam Max Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Mayberry, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. J. K. Menoudakos Deborah Miller Zabel and William D. Zabel Antonia and Spiro Milonas Whitney and Andrew Mogavero Sue and Alan Morris The Donald R. Mullen Family Foundation, Inc. National Philanthropic Trust Patty Newburger and Bradley Wechsler Nancy Newcomb and John Hargraves Georgiana and Eric Noll Francesca and Dick Nye Oberdier Ressmeyer LLP Nancy and Morris W. Offit David Orentreich, MD / Orentreich Family Foundation Beverly and Peter Orthwein Mr. and Mrs. Mark Ostroff Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Nathan Bernstein Oxley Gin Mr. and Mrs. Simon Palley Anne and Skip Pratt Preserve New York, a grant program of Preservation League of New York David J. Remnick and Esther B. Fein Richenthal Foundation Isabel Rose and Jeffrey Fagen Jonathan F.P. and Diana Rose Charles and Deborah Royce Merle Rubine and Elliot M. Glass Kathe A. Sackler Nicholas and Shelley Schorsch JLH Simonds Melissa Schiff Soros and Robert Soros Sotheby’s Patricia Brown Specter Gayfryd Steinberg Michael and Joan Steinberg Steinway & Sons Miriam and Howard N. Stern Mr. and Mrs. Barry Sternlicht Michael and Veronica Stubbs Sharzad and Michael Targoff Merryl H. and James S. Tisch Michael Tuch Foundation Universal Builders Supply, Inc. (UBS) / Kevin O’Callaghan - President Universal Services Group, Ltd. Amanda and John Waldron Susan and Kevin Walsh Isak and Rose Weinman Foundation, Inc. Marcia Whitaker Kate R. Whitney and Franklin A. Thomas Judy Francis Zankel Anonymous (2)
$2,500 to $4,999 ABSOLUT R. Mark Adams, William Ritt, Joan Sussman Affinia Gardens & The Surrey Olga Aidinian Cristi Andrews Cohen Helen and Robert Appel Candace and Rick Beinecke Judy and Howard Berkowitz Sara and David Berman Stephanie Bernheim Allison M. Blinken Noreen and Kenneth Buckfire Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy Sandra Buergi and Carol Flaton Mr. and Mrs. Carlton Cabot Ellen Sue Cantrowitz Carroll M. Carpenter Shirin and Kasper Christoffersen
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Cohn Elizabeth Coleman Bonnie Comley and Stewart Lane Margaret Crotty and Rory Riggs Ellie and Edgar Cullman Barbara and Ray Dalio Joan K. Davidson / The J.M. Kaplan Fund Gina and James de Givenchy Richard and Barbara Debs Jane and Michael DeFlorio Jennie L. and Richard K. DeScherer Beth Rudin DeWoody Hester Diamond The East Pole Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Leland and Jane Englebardt Dr. Nancy Eppler-Wolff and Mr. John Wolff Mr. & Mrs. Robin S. Esterson Michael Finkelstein Fisher Marantz Stone Foreground Conservation and Decorative Arts Susan Freedman and Richard J. Jacobs Amandine and Stephen Freidheim Ashley Garrett and Alan K. Jones Mr. and Mrs. John Gellert The Georgetown Company Sallie Giordano Mindy and Jon Gray Great Performances Jeff and Kim Greenberg Paula S. Greenman Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gregory Robert S. Grimes RJ and Anne Grissinger Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Guest Amy Guttman Mike & Janet Halvorson Jane Hartley and Ralph Schlosstein Nancy Hutson and Ian Williams Carola Jain Barbara and Donald Jonas Carol-Jeanette Jorgensen Nina and Bill Judson Hon. Bruce M. Kaplan and Janet Yaseen Kaplan Karl and Elizabeth Katz Wendy Keys and Donald Pels Mr. and Mrs. William Kistler Knickerbocker Greys Phyllis L. Kossoff Rok Kvaternik Fernand Lamesch John Lippert and Dawn D’Aluisio Heather Lubov Gina Giumarra MacArthur Benjamin and Hillary Macklowe Mary Ellen and Richard Oldenburg Melissa Meeschaert Joyce F. Menschel Alexandra and Les Meyers Peter de.F. Millard Malu and Sergio Millerman Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Mnuchin Achim and Colette Moeller Nina and Frank Moore Lauren and Don Morel Barbara and Howard Morse Mary Kathryn Navab Ilona Nemeth and Alan Quasha Anne and Chuck Niemeth Marie Nugent-Head and James C. Marlas Kathleen O’Grady Rebecca Pietri Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pruzan Eileen and Tom Pulling Mr. and Mrs. William P. Rayner Carolyn Risoli and Joseph Silvestri Hal and Linda Ritch Liz Rosen
Stacy and Chuck Rosenzweig Susan and Jon Rotenstreich Ms. and Mr. Carmina Roth Terez Rowley Bonnie J. Sacerdote Nathan E. Saint-Amand MD Lisa and Gregg Schenker Roberta Schneiderman Sara Lee and Axel Schupf Mr. Barry Schwartz / M&F Worldwide Corp. Lise Scott and D. Ronald Daniel Alan and Sandy Siegel Mr. and Mrs. David Simon Barbara Slifka Stephanie and Dick Solar Sonnier & Castle Food Daisy Soros and Paul Soros* Stanley Stairs David Steinhardt and Sarah Gould Mr. and Mrs. Sam Stewart Angeline Straka Mr. and Mrs. Melville Straus Elizabeth F. Stribling and Guy Robinson Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tanico Rabbi Malcolm Thomson Barbara and Donald Tober Tony’s DiNapoli Ambassador and Mrs. William J. vanden Heuvel R.T. Vanderbilt Trust / Mr. and Mrs. Hugh B. Vanderbilt, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William Von Mueffling Anastasia Vournas and J. William Uhrig David Wassong Michael Weil Karla Wheeler Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm H. Wiener Valda Witt and Jay Hatfield Daniel Clay Houghton Shannon Wu Amy Yenkin and Robert Usdan
$1,000 to $2,499 Carrie and Leigh Abramson Eleanor M. Alger Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Allan Soros Amsterdam Hospitality Apothic Wines Ark Restaurants Corp. Allison Aronne Martin Atkin and Reid Balthaser Aurora Lampworks, Inc. Inma Barrero Diana Barrett and Robert Vila June and Kent Barwick Peace Hill Press & Susan Wise Bauer Norton Belknap Jayne Bentzen and Benedict Silverman Deborah Berke and Peter McCann Robert D. Bielecki Friederieke and Jeremy Biggs Jill Baker and Jeffrey Bishop Jody Black Bluestem Prairie Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Dixon Boardman Boehm Family Foundation Marianne Boesky Gallery Paige Boller Malik Oskar and Adrienne Brecher Cynthia Brill Tom and Meredith Brokaw Dr. and Mrs. Stafford Broumand Cary Brown and Steven Epstein George and Jane Bunn Amanda M. Burden The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel Carmona Design + Events LLC Beth Carney and Josh Struzziery
Alexandre and Lori Chemla Sheri P. Chromow Joan Hardy Clark CleanTech Ranika Cohen Emy Cohenca Melanie Cook and Woody Woods / Ziffren Brittenham LLP Amelia & Steven Usdan Douglas S. Cramer and Hugh Bush L. Jay and Devon Cross Bernadette Cruz Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Foundation Inc. George Cumbler Boykin Curry and Celerie Kemble Myrna and John Daniels Mr. and Mrs. Munir Dauhajre Suzanne Dawson Scott M. Delman Frederick Eberstadt Loren Eng and Dinakar Singh Katherine Ernest The Lehoczky Escobar Family Robert Fakeley Felice Wine Bar and Restaurant Femenella & Associates, Inc. Victoria Ferenbach Fig & Olive Uptown Lori B. Finkel and Andrew B. Cogan Barbara G. Fleischman Molly O’Neil Frank Teri Friedman and Babak Yaghmaie Shana Gary Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Jay Goldin Mr. and Mrs. Keith Gollust Marjorie and Ellery Gordon Margery Gottesman Gunther Greiner Barbara Grodd and The Ostgrodd Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Martin Gruss Harvey and Kathleen Guion Kitty Hawks and Larry Lederman William T. Hillman Carola Hinojosa Barbara Hoffman Susanna Hong Severa Hurlock JoJo Restaurant The Kandell Fund / Donald J. Gordon Daniel and Renee Kaplan Drs. Sylvia and Byram Karasu Kate Karet Gene Kaufman Mr. and Mrs. George Kaufman Margot Kenly and Bill Cumming Younghee Kim-Wait and Jarett Wait Jana and Gerold Klauer Kathleen and Reha Kocatas Mr. and Mrs. David Koch Eileen O’Kane Kornreich Kate Krauss Mary Helen Krueger Michael Krusell Justin Kush Nanette L. Laitman Karen W. Landau and Rodney W. Nichols Loeber and Barbara Landau Sahra T. Lese Ken Levien and Levien & Company, Inc. Ellen Liman / The Liman Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Harley Lippman Joseph Lomangino Andrew J. Malik Manhattan Parking Group Judith and Michael Margulies Richard J. Massey Christine L. Mattsson and John F. McHale Stephanie and Carter McClelland
Sarah McGee John McGinn Taylor McKenzie-Jackson Shawn McLaughlin Emily McLellan Dede McMahon Constance and H. Roemer McPhee Mr. and Ms. Gregor Medinger Mark Menting and Laura Wilson Sibel Mesta Julie and Jason Miller Claire Milonas Claudia and Douglas Morse Alexis Moses David P. Nolan Foundation Ellen Oelsner Catherine Alison Orentreich Barrie and John Overend Alex Papachristidis and Scott Nelson Mr. and Ms. Michael Patterson Judith Stern Peck Michèle and Steve Pesner Sally Peterson and Michael Carlisle Mr. and Mrs. Brian Pfeifler Anthony Podesta Judge and Mrs. Leon Polsky Jonelle Procope and Fred Terrell Samuel F. Pryor, IV Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Quinlan Anna Rabinowitz Daphne Recanati Kaplan and Thomas S. Kaplan Red Bull North America, Inc. Thomas J.F. Regan III Diana Revson Brad Roaman Fadwa Robb Allison Rockefeller Rodgers & Hammerstein Foundation Mr. and Mrs. David Rogath Jim Rosenfield and Charlotte Rosenblatt Dr. and Mrs. Richard Rubens May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Nina Runsdorf and Omer Tuncata Katie Ryser Mrs. Arthur M. Sackler Deborah Sale and Ted Striggles Mr. and Mrs. David Saltzman Brenda Sanchez Ann and Mel Schaffer David Schlapbach Sabina and Wilfred Schlumberger Caroline Schmidt-Barnett Libby Schnee Isabel Sen and Emily Sen, Julia Gordon and Bridget Sen Tatiana Serafin Virginia Wattiker Sheerin Mr. and Mrs. Michael Shuman Denise Simon and Paulo Vieiradacunha Nancy Sipp Nancy Sloan David S Smith Dawn and John Smith Mr. and Mrs. Michael Solow Robert and Yohanna Sowler Squadron A Foundation Jean and Eugene Stark Kathryn Steinberg Douglas C. Steiner Mr. and Mrs. George Stephenson John Strasswimmer Dorothy Strelsin Foundation / Enid Nemy Kerstin M.M. Strohlein and Francisco Bachiller Mary Delle Stelzer and Karen Capanelli Summit Security Services, Inc. Margot Takian Ira Titunik Mr. and Mrs. Remy Trafelet
Lee Traub Helen Tucker, The Gramercy Park Foundation Gil Turchin & Indigo Two E Bar/Lounge at The Pierre, a Taj Hotel, New York Arline Vogel and Harry Precourt Mr. and Mrs. John Vogelstein Mr. and Mrs. Carl von Bernuth Mr. and Mrs. Alexander von Perfall Christine Wachter-Campbell and William I. Campbell Kathryn F. Wagner Walter B. Melvin Architects, LLC In Memory of Arthur Warner Paula Weinstein Mr. and Ms. Anthony Weldon Barbara and David Zalaznick Franny Heller Zorn and Richard L. Zorn Zubatkin Owner Representation, LLC Anonymous (4)
$500 to $999 Megan F. Abell Noreen and Ahmar Ahmad Matthew Ailey Amy Christine Allen Gregory Alsip and Joseph Guevara Eric Altmann Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Annenberg Mr. and Mrs. Chris Apgar Lisa Applebaum and George Haddad Louise L. Arias Louis Aronne Deborah Aruta Page Ashley Mr. and Mrs. Steven Atkins Baked By Melissa Peter and Tina Barnet Clay Barr Frances Beatty Erich Bechtel Janet Dewart Bell Molly Bell Lorraine Bell and M. Weisdorf David Benattar Veronica Ann and Bruce Campbell Bennett Judy Locker Berger Alison & Barry Berke William A. Bermont Elaine S. Bernstein Ana Bilski William Biondolino and Patrick Folan Amelia Black Jonathan W Bonesteel Arabella Bowen and Tyler Cole Mr. and Mrs. Richard Braddock Bronx Brewery Celeste Brown Amy Brown Ciara Burnham Cora Cahan and Bernard Gersten Chris Cahill Chantelle Mowbray Sommer Chatwin Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Chelberg Meryl and Mel Cherney Neil and Kathleen Chrisman Oya Christopher Michaela Clary Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cochran Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Coles Alexander Cooper Danza Did It! Jon and Jenny Crumiller Adam Cunningham Jaime M Cupertino Myka Dassano and Nicquelle Rhodes Christina R. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Deane John T. DeBell Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Dellosso Renee Domingo Mr. and Ms. Michael Donner Robert and Susan Doran Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Downes Mr. and Mrs. John Dunn Christine and Renaud Dutreil Lauren Eckhart Smith Michael Ellis Philipp Engelhorn & Cameron Yates Mrs. John W. Espy Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fabricant Claudia Fabrizio Mallory Factor II Patricia & Alexander Farman-Farmaian Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Farnos Michael Fazio Joan and William Felder Stacey & Eric Flatt Martha J. Fleischman Annabelle Fowlkes Mark Galvan Mr. and Mrs. Trevor Gibbons Nelsa L. Gidney and Jordan Ringel Mr. and Ms. Matthew Giffuni Lynn Goldberg and J Robert Moskin Rosalie Y Goldberg Jane and Budd Goldman Barbara Goldsmith Mr. and Mr. James Green Gail Gregg Jennifer Griffin and Christophe Demaison Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Guffey Robert H. Haines Cassandra Harris Sylvia Hassenfeld Marian S. Heiskell Rolf Heitmeyer Darren Henault Anita K. Hersh Stephanie Hessler Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ho Lily and Joel Hoffman Pamela Hoiles Jean Huber Mr. and Mrs. James Hunt Fern Hurst and Peter Rubin Mr. and Mrs. Mike Jacobellis Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown Joseph Johnson and Karen Diaz Hilda Jones Patricia S. Joseph Richard Kidd Hadley King Major General Edward G. Klein, NYNG (Ret.) Beth Kojima Leah Kremer Lagunitas Brewing Co. Paul C. Lambert Andrew Landesman Judith Langer and Arthur Applebee Jan Larsen Xia and Richard Leder Horim Kate Lee Hyun-sook Lee Phyllis Levin Ken Lindley and Clay Schudel Angelina M-D. Lippert Jane K. Lombard Michael Lonergan and William Beauchamp Donna and Wayne Lowery Joyce Lowinson Nancy Mack and Chad Smith Elizabeth MacNeill Lara Marcon Leona Marino Nina Mazar Ph.D
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick McBrien Erin Harkness McKinnon Richard Meier Eugene Mercy, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Brett Miller Mr. and Mrs. T. Kelley Millet Abby and Howard Milstein Sally Minard and Norton Garfinkle Mr. and Mrs. Arsen Mrakovcic Kathryn Murdoch Mr. and Mrs. William Nareski Joseph Nazitto Catherine and Guy Nordenson John Orberg William Palley Katherine Park Anne Pasternak Dr. Steven Butensky and Di Petroff Butensky Anthony Piccillo Michael Young and Debra Raskin Sheila and Daniel Rosenblum Joel Rosenkranz Marjorie P. Rosenthal Herbert and Ernestine Ruben Valerie Rubsamen and Cedomir Crnkovic Rudin Management Co., Inc. Russian Standard Vodka Manuel de Santaren Dr. Ulysses H. Scarpidis Zachary Schoenhut, The Schoenhut Family Foundation Barbara A. Schwartz Alessandro Servadei Kimia Setoodeh Daniel S. Shapiro Daniel Shuchman and Lori Lesser Lindy Shuttleworth Lisa Simonsen Mr. and Mrs. Brett Singer Laura Skoler Suzanne Slesin and Michael Steinberg Salwa Smith Eileen Solomon Martha S. Sproule Christian Steiner and Frank Heller Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Stern Mr. and Mrs. Alan Stillman Allison & Stephen Sullens Aleksandra Szczepanowska and Gordon Shearer Brian Keith Tanz DDS Jennie Tarr Coyne Carolee Thea Tracy Thorne Mr. and Mrs. John Troiano Ms. Patricia L. Truscelli and Mr. E.N. Ellis Mr. and Mrs. T.J. Turgeon Zachary Kress Turner Julia von Eichel and Alex Vlack Mr. and Mrs. Max von Zuben V. Vorres Fine Art Gallery, LLC Karen E. Wagner and David Caplan Justine Walsh Ric Wanetik and David Hagans Ryan Wangner Mr. and Mrs. Saul Waring Lisa and Kayla Weisdorf Vincent and Sally Wilt Gisela Winkelhofer Ashley Wotiz Ken Wyse Mr. and Mrs. Michael Young Yulia Yudelevich Dawn Zappetti and Patrick Sullivan Katharine Zarrella Anonymous (3) List as of April 30, 2014 *Deceased
ABOUT THE BOARD OF OFFICERS ROOM “The restoration of the Park Avenue Armory seems destined to set a new standard, not so much for its scale, but for its level of respect and imagination.” – The New York Times The Board of Officers Room is one of the most important historic rooms in America and one of the few remaining interiors by Herter Brothers. After decades of progressive damage and neglect, the room completed a revitalization in 2013 by the architecture team at Herzog & de Meuron and executive architects Platt Byard Dovell White Architects to transform the space into a state-of-the-art salon for intimate performances and other contemporary art programing. The Board of Officers Room is the third period room at the Armory completed (out of 18) and represents the full range of design tools utilized by the team including the removal of accumulated layers on the surfaces, the addition of contemporary lighting to the 1897 chandeliers, new interpretations of the stencil patterns on areas of loss, the addition of metallic finishes on new materials, new programming infrastructure, and custom-designed furniture.
The room’s restoration is part of an ongoing $200-million transformation, which is guided by the understanding that the Armory’s rich history and the patina of time are essential to its character. A defining component of the design process for the period rooms is the close collaboration between architect and artisan. Highly skilled craftspeople working in wood, paint, plaster, and metals were employed in the creation of the building’s original interiors and the expertise—and hand—of similar artisans has been drawn upon for the renovation work throughout.
The renovation of the Board of Officers Room was made possible through the generosity of The Thompson Family Foundation. Cover photo by James Ewing.