Galas & Special Events

Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking
Opening Night Gala

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Celebrate the opening of a historic season with the highly anticipated Met premiere of Jake Heggie’s masterpiece—based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer—in a striking new production by Ivo van Hove. The gala evening includes cocktails on the Mercedes T. Bass before curtain and a post-performance dinner at David Geffen Hall with Met Music Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin, who conducts the landmark premiere, and the cast, including mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny.

Dead Man Walking Gala Committee

GALA CHAIRMAN

Ann Ziff

 

GALA CO-CHAIRMEN

C. Graham Berwind, III

Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin

Cindy and Tod Johnson

Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer and Joseph Neubauer

 

GALA VICE-CHAIRMEN

Betsy and Ed Cohen

Mr. and Mrs. John B. Hess

 

PRINCIPAL BENEFACTORS

Matthew Christopher Pietras

Judy and Jim Pohlman

Denise Littlefield Sobel

 

PRIME BENEFACTORS

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Hearst

Henry Schein, Inc.

Rolex

So-Chung Shinn Lee and Tony W. Lee

 

BENEFACTORS

Linda E. Johnson

Anne Welsh McNulty

 

PRINCIPAL SPONSORS

Eleanor N. Caulkins

Louise G. Chapman

Samantha and Nabil Chartouni

Judith-Ann Corrente

Mr. and Mrs. Austin T. Fragomen, Jr.

Barbara and Peter Georgescu

Christian Keesee

Dr. David G. Knott and Ms. Françoise Girard

Ann Marie and Jim McCaughan

Mr. C. William Tanzi

Barbara Tober

Cynthia Vahlkamp and Robert Kenyon

Mr. Christopher Wittmann

 

PRIME SPONSORS

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew S. Georges

Hermione Foundation, Laura J. Sloate, Trustee

Michael and Petra Miebach

Mark H. Rosenberg

Barbara Samuelson

Daisy M. Soros

Cynthia Vahlkamp and Robert Kenyon

Mr. Michael Young and Ms. Debra Raskin

 

SPONSORS

Dr. Christian Alfonsi

Mr. and Mrs. Kimberly and William Anast

Noreen and Ken Buckfire

†Mr. and Mrs. Bruce R. Burton

Jennifer and Keith Cerny

Lisa Choi

David Chou

Drs. Thomas and Virginia Collier

James Demmert

Carol E. and David A. Domina

Juliana and David Dowling

Richard Gaddes

Barbara Winter Glauber

James E. and Sara Haynes

Molly K. Heines and Thomas J. Moloney

Andrew Hinek

Judith M. Hoffman

John Howard

Jake Jamison

Mr. Jack Johnson

Mrs. Mica L. Kaufmann

Anne C. Kolker, M.D.

Helen Little

The Litwin Foundation

Mark Loewen

Marcy Hnath Maguire

Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney

Lara Marcon

Dr. Pamela Marron

Mr. Andrew J. Martin-Weber

Matthew and Julie McAskin

Ms. Monika McLennan

Richard J. Miller, Jr.

David M. Moniz

Dr. Carol D. Morris

Dr. and Mrs. Edward F. Morris

Anthony Mussolino

Marta E. Nottebohm

Ms. Stephanie Olmsted

Opus Advice First

Yves Pfeiller and Arthur Hung

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Pohanka

Leah Prestamo

Drs. David and Helena Rodbard

Thomas Roush and LaVon Kellner

Ms. Jean L. Shafiroff

George Shelden and Yasuko Noguchi

Natasha Slutzky

Richard and Donna Soloway

Mr. Dennis Stattman and Mrs. Beth Grosshans

Julia and Lawrence Steyn

Katherine Upchurch Takvorian

Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Tai

Tanya Thorne

Christine Van Itallie

David Warren and Helen Lee-Warren

Mr. Jeffrey Wernick

Monica Wolfson

Caio and Rebeca Zapata Espinosa

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Beth Ann Day

Jill Enders

Marilyn and Lawrence Friedland

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ketchum

Mr. and Mrs. Corbin R. Miller

Rebecca and James Neary

David Sela

Mary Gene Sondericker

Sabina and Harlan Stone

Paul and Susan Tierney

Kevin and Jennifer Woodruff

1 Anonymous Donor

 

Committee as of September 12, 2023

Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas
Gala Premiere

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Join us for cocktails and a gala dinner before the Met premiere of Mexican composer Daniel Catan’s 1996 opera—the enthralling story of a Brazilian opera diva who returns to her homeland to perform at the legendary opera house of Manaus and to search for her lost lover, who has vanished into the jungle. Soprano Ailyn Perez is Florencia Grimaldi, with Yannick Nezet-Seguin on the podium to lead a spellbinding new production by Mary Zimmerman that brings the mysterious and magical realm of the Amazon to the Met stage.

Bizet’s Carmen
New Year's Eve Gala

Sunday, December 31, 2023

New Year’s Eve at the Met ushers in a vital new production of one of opera’s most enduringly popular and powerful works. Acclaimed English director Carrie Cracknell makes her Met debut, reinvigorating the classic story of deadly passion with a modern-day staging. After the performance, join Maestro Daniele Rustioni and the opera’s stars for dinner, dancing, and fireworks on the Mercedes T. Bass Grand Tier. 

Verdi’s La Forza del Destino
Gala Premiere

Monday, February 26, 2024

Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts Verdi’s grand tale of ill-fated love and deadly vendettas, with stellar soprano Lise Davidsen making her role debut as the noble Leonora, opposite tenor Brian Jagde as her forbidden beloved Don Alvaro. Director Mariusz Treliński delivers the company’s first new Forza in nearly 30 years, a milestone worth celebrating in this gala evening, including cocktails and dinner before the performance and Champagne and dessert at intermission. 

John Adams’s El Niño
Gala Premiere

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Met celebrates the return of eminent American composer John Adams with a gala event featuring a cocktail reception and dinner before curtain followed by dessert and Champagne at intermission. Adams’s acclaimed opera-oratorio has its long-awaited company premiere in a moving, fully staged new production that marks the Met debut of Lileana Blain-Cruz and brings together four fierce champions of new opera: Marin Alsop, one of the great conductors of our time; soprano Julia Bullock, a leading voice on and off stage; radiant mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges; and pathbreaking bass-baritone Davone Tines.