Opening Gala 2023 with Yo-Yo Ma and Jaap van Zweden. New York Philharmonic Honoring Deborah Borda.

NYPhil Opening Gala 2023 with Yo-Yo Ma and Jaap van Zweden. New York Philharmonic Honoring Deborah Borda.
Kick off the New York Philharmonic’s stellar 2023–24 season and celebrate Deborah Borda’s historic achievements as our Linda and Mitch Hart President & CEO at our Opening Gala. Superstar Yo-Yo Ma, a longtime NY Phil friend, takes the spotlight in Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts beloved works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. This festive evening of music, dining, and dancing is sure to be unforgettable!

Jaap van Zweden conducts this special, one-night-only event, featuring beloved cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Jaap van Zweden, Conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, Cello
BEETHOVEN Overture to Egmont, Op. 84 (1809–10)
(1770–1827)
TCHAIKOVSKY Capriccio italien, Op. 45 (1880)
(1840–93)
DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
(1841–1904) (1894–95)
Allegro
Adagio, ma non troppo
Finale: Allegro moderato
YO-YO MA

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s
multifaceted career
is testament to his
belief in culture’s
power to generate
trust and understanding.
Whether
performing new or
familiar works for
cello, bringing communities together to
explore culture’s role in society, or engaging
unexpected musical forms, he strives
to foster connections that stimulate the
imagination and reinforce our humanity.
Most recently, Ma began Our Common
Nature, a cultural journey to celebrate
the ways that nature can reunite
us in pursuit of a shared future. Our
Common Nature follows the Bach Project,
a 36-community, 6-continent tour
of J.S. Bach’s suites for unaccompanied
cello paired with local cultural programming.
Both endeavors reflect his lifelong
commitment to stretching the boundaries
of genre and tradition to understand
how music helps us to imagine and build
a stronger society.
Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese
parents living in Paris, where he began
studying the cello with his father at age
four. When he was seven, he moved with
his family to New York City, where he
continued his cello studies before pursuing
a liberal arts education.
He has recorded more than 120 albums,
is the winner of 19 Grammy Awards, and
has performed for 9 American presidents,
most recently on the occasion of
President Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration.
Yo-Yo Ma has received numerous awards,
including the National Medal of the Arts,
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and
the Birgit Nilsson Prize. He has been a UN
Messenger of Peace since 2006, and was
recognized as one of TIME magazine’s
100 Most Influential People of 2020.

The New York Philharmonic plays a leading
cultural role in New York City, the
United States, and the world. Each season
the Orchestra connects with millions of
music lovers through live concerts in New
York and beyond, as well as broadcasts,
recordings, and education programs.
The 2023–24 season builds on the
Orchestra’s transformation reflected in
the new David Geffen Hall, unveiled in
October 2022. In his farewell season as
Music Director, Jaap van Zweden spotlights
composers he has championed,
from Mahler and Mozart to Steve Reich
and Joel Thompson, and leads programs
featuring six NY Phil musicians as soloists.
The Orchestra delves into overlooked
history through the US Premiere
of Émigré, composed by Aaron Zigman,
with a libretto by Mark Campbell and
additional lyrics by Brock Walsh; marks
György Ligeti’s centennial; gives World,
US, and New York Premieres of 14 works;
and celebrates the 100th birthday of the
beloved Young People’s Concerts.

Jaap van Zweden began his tenure as the
26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic
in September 2018. He has served
as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic
since 2012, and becomes Music Director
of the Seoul Philharmonic in 2024. He has
appeared as guest conductor with the Orchestre
de Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,
Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic,
London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra,
Los Angeles Philharmonic, and other distinguished
ensembles.
In 2023–24, Jaap van Zweden’s New York
Philharmonic farewell season celebrates his
connection with the Orchestra’s musicians as
he leads performances in which six Principal
players appear as concerto soloists. He also
revisits composers whom he has championed
at the Philharmonic, ranging from Steve Reich
and Joel Thompson to Mozart and Mahler.


#JaapvanZweden, #Conductor
#YoYoMa, #Cello
#BEETHOVEN
#DVOŘÁKCelloConcerto
#TCHAIKOVSKYCapriccioitalien
#newyorkphilarmonics
#lincolncenter
#gala
#DeborahBorda