Hamlen-Palm Series To Feature Celebrated Artists Denyce Graves, Emerson String Quartet & André Watts

The newly named Hamlen-Palm Series will welcome three legendary performances in one intimate space: mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, the Emerson String Quartet and pianist André Watts. The house concerts are produced by and benefit Classical Action, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Graves will perform Thursday, January 31, 2019; Emerson String Quartet's concert will be on Tuesday, April 9, 2019; and Watts will play Thursday, May 9, 2019. The intimate house concerts will take place in the stunning TriBeCa loft home of longtime Classical Action supporters Kevin Roon and Simon Yates. The series is curated by David Lai, co-president and founder of Park Avenue Artists.

Supporter tickets for the series, which include prime seats to all three house concerts, are on sale now at classicalaction.org.

Graves, recognized as one of today's most exciting vocal stars, continues to garner unparalleled acclaim in performances around the world. She has become most beloved to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. These signature roles have taken her to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, Teatro Real in Madrid and many more.

The Emerson String Quartet has amassed an unparalleled list of achievements over four decades: more than 30 acclaimed recordings, nine Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize and Musical America's "Ensemble of the Year." Formed in 1976 and based in New York City, the Emerson Quartet, which took its name from the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, is quartet-in-residence at Stony Brook University. In January 2015, the quartet received the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award, Chamber Music America's highest honor, in recognition of its significant and lasting contribution to the chamber music field.

One of America's most celebrated artists, Watts' recent and upcoming appearances include the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, Minnesota Orchestra and Dallas, Cincinnati and Houston Symphonies, among others. Watts' 1976 Live from Lincoln Center recital was the first full-length recital broadcast in the history of television. His performance at the 38th Casals Festival was nominated for an Emmy Award. A recipient of the 1988 Avery Fisher Prize, Watts received a National Medal of Arts from former President Barack Obama and was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl of Fame in 2006.

The series was recently renamed from the Michael Palm Series to the Hamlen-Palm Series in honor of Charles Hamlen. Hamlen was the founding director of Classical Action, a visionary in the world of classical music management as the co-founder of what would become IMG Artists, and artistic adviser to the Orchestra of St. Luke's. Hamlen passed away from leukemia on August 1, 2018. Earlier this summer, Hamlen learned that Classical Action's Michael Palm Series would be renamed the Hamlen-Palm Series in his honor.

"Of all my professional accomplishments, to be remembered in this way means the most to me," Hamlen said shortly before his death. "It brings all my worlds, all the people I love, together. Michael Palm was a visionary and an extraordinarily generous man whose dedication to the work of Classical Action continues to resonate with each and every house concert we present. To share his name on this series is a deeply personal honor."

Palm, the original namesake for the Hamlen-Palm Series, was a financial expert and philanthropist who dedicated his life to the arts, gay rights and the fight against HIV/AIDS. He first met Hamlen backstage at Carnegie Hall following a recital by pianist Earl Wild, where Palm learned about Classical Action. Palm was inspired by the classical musicians coming together to make a difference and launched a series of benefit house concerts that ultimately bore his name. Palm died in 1998.

Founded in 1993, Classical Action draws upon the talents, resources and generosity of the classical, opera and jazz communities to raise money for those battling HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses.

As a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Classical Action helps fund the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and The Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

Since its founding in 1988, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $300 million to help provide access to lifesaving medications, health care, counseling, nutritious meals and emergency financial assistance to hundreds of thousands of men, women and children across the country.

For more information, please visit Classical Action at classicalaction.org, facebook.com/classicalaction and twitter.com/classicalaction.