New York Philharmonic Forms International Advisory Board

By: Oct. 29, 2014
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The New York Philharmonic has established an International Advisory Board (IAB) to develop relationships beyond the United States in order to support the Philharmonic's activities abroad, including regular Philharmonic residencies, educational and entrepreneurial projects, and the launch of the newly formed New York Philharmonic Global Academy. The International Advisory Board will serve as an international network of advocates and ambassadors who will connect with individuals and institutions in their home cities and countries to cultivate the Philharmonic's long-term reach and influence worldwide. IAB members will work with the Philharmonic to secure engagements, activities, and funding sources in a variety of international locations.

The 12-member International Advisory Board includes:

- Angela Chen, Co-Chair (U.S. and China)

- Christian A. Lange, Co-Chair (U.S. and Germany)

- Antonio Quintella, Co-Chair (U.S. and Brazil)

- Charles C.Y. Chen (Taiwan)

- Mitsuhiko Kawai (Japan)

- Federico R. Lopez (Philippines)

- Pedro Pullen Parente (Brazil)

- Washington SyCip (Philippines)

- Ming-Hsing (Richard) Tsai (Taiwan)

- Susanne Wamsler (Germany)

- Chaoyong Wang (China)

- Long Yu (Honorary Member, China)

"The New York Philharmonic has a rich tradition of touring that has led to its acclaim both as a force for cultural diplomacy and as one of the world's most brilliant orchestras," said Philharmonic Chairman Gary W. Parr. "The Board of Directors is committed to creating an even deeper and more immersive presence in important cities around the world, which we could not do without the insight and counsel of the members of this remarkable group of international individuals. They will be crucial to developing a 21st-century model for the Philharmonic's global presence and impact, in pursuit of the organization's artistic, educational, and economic goals."

"The New York Philharmonic is committed to reimagining our international activities to foster a more meaningful impact as a performing organization and an educational resource," said Philharmonic President and Executive Director Matthew VanBesien. "The establishment of the International Advisory Board will be a powerful force in making that possible. This group will enable us to seek additional cultural partnerships and funding sources to support activities such as the Global Academy. I am grateful to the men and women who have graciously agreed to offer their time, wisdom, and international business and artistic connections to enrich the life and contributions of the Orchestra."

The New York Philharmonic has launched the New York Philharmonic Global Academy, a series of long-term, immersive partnerships with select cultural and music education institutions in New York, the United States, and worldwide. Building on its renowned history of international touring and cultural diplomacy, as well as its longstanding commitment to education, the Philharmonic is collaborating with partners to offer intensive training of pre- professional musicians by Philharmonic members, often alongside regular performance residencies by the full Orchestra.

The Global Academy will expand to include additional partners, joining two previously announced partnerships that are currently underway -- the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and Residency Partnership, a collaboration with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, which was inaugurated with the opening of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy (SOA) in September 2014, and Music Academy of the West, the first American Global Academy partnership, which began in July 2014. The Philharmonic has also created Philharmonic Academy Jr., which provides training for pre-college students by Philharmonic musicians in partnership with institutions in the New York City area. Further Global Academy projects, involving collaborations with several additional domestic and international partners, will be announced in the coming year.

The New York Philharmonic's century-long international tradition has brought the Orchestra to 432 cities in 63 countries on five continents. Music Director Alan Gilbert led the Orchestra in debut performances in Hanoi and Abu Dhabi in 2009. In February 2008 the musicians, led by then Music Director Lorin Maazel, gave a historic performance in Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea - the first visit there by an American orchestra and an event that was watched around the world, and for which the Philharmonic received the 2008 Common Ground Award for Cultural Diplomacy. Other historic tours have included the 1930 tour to Europe, the first European tour with Toscanini; the first tour of South America and Latin America, in 1958; the first tour to the USSR, in 1959 with Leonard Bernstein; the 1984 Asia Tour, including the first tour of India with Zubin Mehta; the 1998 Asia Tour, with the first performances in mainland China with Kurt Masur; and the 75th Anniversary European Tour in 2005 with Lorin Maazel. In 2012 the Orchestra became an International Associate of London's Barbican Centre, with an extended residency comprising four concerts, including a London edition of the Young People's Concerts. The Philharmonic will return there in the spring of 2015.

New York Philharmonic International Advisory Board Co-Chairs Angela Chen (elected to the New York Philharmonic Board in 2013) is the president and founder of China Arts Foundation International, a non-profit private foundation based in New York City dedicated to promoting the U.S./China relationship. Ms. Chen is also the founder and managing director of Global Alliance, a boutique business relationship consultancy for U.S. companies seeking to establish a presence in mainland China. She has held senior positions with the world's largest financial institutions and has assisted them in establishing a presence in China. As vice president at Prudential Insurance, Ms. Chen established the Group's International Private Banking Group in China and developed and managed its high net worth private client base. Previously, she was instrumental in establishing the China Futures Trading Desk for Merrill Lynch; as president of the International Division, she oversaw the trading desk, which generated annual trading volumes of more than $500 million. She also acted as relationship manager for large private and investment banking portfolios. In her professional career, Angela Chen has established and strengthened an extensive network of proprietary personal and professional relationships throughout Asia. She was educated in China and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. She is a board member of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and is an active member of the Asia Society in New York City.

Christian A. Lange (elected to the New York Philharmonic Board in 2012), a native of Germany, is president of EII Capital Management, Inc. (EII Capital), the company he co- founded in 1983. He is chief investment officer of EII Capital's direct real estate, real estate securities, and general portfolio investment activities. He is also responsible for providing investment advisory services to European-based families. From 1976 to 1983 he was a managing director of Friedrich Flick Industrieverwaltung KgaA, Dusseldorf, with responsibilities for international securities portfolios, real estate investments, and major direct industrial investments. Between 1968 and 1974 Mr. Lange served as vice president of Goldman Sachs AG in Zurich, where he was instrumental in forming the firm's first European office. He and his wife, Heidi, maintain homes in New York and in Klosters, Switzerland.

Antonio Quintella (a member of the New York Philharmonic Board from 2011 to 2014) is co- founder and chief executive officer of Peninsula Investimentos, a Brazilian investment management firm. He was chairman of Credit Suisse Hedging Griffo, a wholly owned Brazilian subsidiary of Credit Suisse Group (June 2012-June 2014) after serving as chief executive officer of Credit Suisse's Americas Region and a member of the Firm's Executive Board (July 2010- May 2012). Mr. Quintella joined Credit Suisse in 1997 from ING Barings as a senior relationship banker in the Investment Banking department and was named chief executive officer of Credit Suisse's Brazil operations in 2003, in which capacity he oversaw the expansion of the Bank's presence in that market, including the 2006 acquisition of Hedging-Griffo, a leading independent asset management and private banking firm in Brazil. Mr. Quintella is a member of the Global Advisory Council of the London Business School; a director of Sa?o Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP); a director of the Sa?o Paulo Museum of Art (MASP); and a director of Cyrella Commercial Properties, a Brazilian listed real estate company. A Brazilian citizen, Antonio Quintella holds a BA in economics from Pontifi?cia Universidade Cato?lica of Rio de Janeiro and MBA from the London Business School.

Based in Taiwan, Charles C.Y. Chen has extensive experience in the technology, financial services, insurance, and transportation management sectors. He is currently chairman of Eyon Holding Group, a private holding entity that is the leading shareholder of Wan Hai Lines, Epistar Corporation, and Shih Lin Paper. He is vice-chairman of Taiwan Air Cargo Terminal Corporation and Taian Insurance Co., Ltd. and a board member of China Airlines and Regent Hotel Group, in addition to many other local and foreign directorships. Mr. Chen was chairman of the UTAC Group (2000-07), ranked the world's fifth largest back-end services provider of semiconductors in 2006. He was also chairman of Epistar Corporation (2005-07), a world- leading LED chip manufacturing company. Mr. Chen is co-president of Chen Yung Memorial Foundation in Taiwan and sits on the boards of a number of other non-profit organizations, including Children Liver Foundation, Taiwan Cancer Foundation, Formosa Cancer Foundation, and Taiwan Orthopedic Sports Medicine Research Foundation. He is vice chairman of Society Entrepreneur Ecology (SEE), the first non-government sponsored environmental NGO in China, and board director of Pacific Council, a U.S. West Coast based think tank. Mr. Chen was the chapter chairman of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Taipei Chapter (2006-07) and Board Member of YPO North Asia Region (2006-08). He received his MBA from New York University in 1991 and bachelor of economics from Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan in 1985, and received Fu-Jen University's Outstanding Alumni Award in 2004.

Mitsuhiko Kawai (a member of the New York Philharmonic Board from 2011 to 2014) became president and chief executive officer of Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (Mitsui USA) in April 2011 and served concurrently as an executive managing officer and chief operating officer of the Americas Business Unit of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsui USA's parent company in Japan, until March 2014. A graduate of Keio University, Japan, who earned a BA in economics, Mr. Kawai joined Mitsui & Co., Ltd. in 1976 and has since built a career primarily in the company's energy and financial business area, which involves global trade and investment activities. He was previously Mitsui & Co.'s managing officer and the chief operating officer of its Financial Markets Business Unit. Prior to his post as president and chief executive officer of Mitui USA, Mr. Kawai served in overseas posts three times: in Houston and New York offices of Mitsui USA (1981-90); Melbourne, Australia, with Japan Australia LNG (MIMI), Pty., Ltd. (1996-2000); and London, U.K., as deputy managing director of Mitsui & Co. Europe Plc. and managing director of Mitsui & Co., UK plc. (2006-08). In New York he served on the Board of the Japan Society.

Federico R. Lopez is chairman and chief executive officer of First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH), a major conglomerate public-listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange with interests in energy, real estate, construction, and manufacturing. He is chairman and chief executive officer of First Gen Corporation and Energy Development Corporation, two premier power generation companies at the forefront of clean and renewable energy development. He is vice chairman of Rockwell Land Corporation, one of the prime real estate development companies in the Philippines. He is a member of the board of directors of ABS-CBN Corporation, the country's leading media and entertainment organization. An advocate of the environment, Mr. Lopez is chairman of the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Chang Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation and the Sikat Solar Challenge Foundation. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation, World Wildlife Fund Philippines, and the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation. Mr. Lopez is president of Ang Misyon, a foundation committed to igniting social change and youth development through the pursuit of excellence in classical music. This advocacy has led to the formation of the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth (in July 2012), composed of some 55 young musicians handpicked from various ensembles throughout the Philippines.

Pedro Pullen Parente was elected chairman of BM&F BOVESPA S.A., a stock exchange based in Sa?o Paulo, Brazil, in 2013. He was president and chief executive officer of Bunge Brazil, one of the country's largest agricultural exporters, from 2010 to 2014, after serving as chief executive officer of Grupo RBS - a leading Brazilian multimedia company that owns several TV stations, newspapers, and radio stations - from 2003 to 2009. Prior to joining RBS, Mr. Parente held high-level posts in Brazil's public sector, including chief of staff to the Brazilian President (1999-2002) and minister of planning and deputy minister of finance (1995-99). He has also served as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund and has worked at the Brazilian Central Bank and at Banco do Brasil; in a number of other positions in the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning; and as chairman of the board of Petrobras and Banco do Brasil. Mr. Parente earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Brasilia in 1976 and is a fellow at the George Washington University Center of Latin American Studies. In 2006 he was named Financial Officer of the Year by the Brazilian Institute of Financial Executives-RS Section.

Washington SyCip is the founder of the SGV Group, a leading firm of auditors and management consultants. He is one the founders and chairman emeritus of the Asian Institute of Management, and serves on the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School, the Council on Foreign Relations, and on the boards of a number of major corporations in the Philippine and abroad. Mr. SyCip graduated summa cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines, and earned an MBA at Columbia Business School in 1943. He has been awarded a number of honorary degrees and has received awards from the Republic of Austria, the King of Sweden, the Philippine government, and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Ming-Hsing (Richard) Tsai is chairman of Fubon Bank and has more than 30 years of experience in financial and insurance businesses. He is vice chairman of Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd. Mr. Tsai joined Fubon Group in 1983 and became a director of the Bank in February 2004; he served as chairman of Fubon Securities Co., Ltd. and Fubon Life Insurance Co., Ltd. Richard Tsai is currently the chairman of the telecommunication services providers Taiwan Mobile Co., Ltd. and Taiwan Fixed Network Co., Ltd; is on the advisory board of the Taipei City Museum; and serves as chairman of Taiwan Telecommunication Industry Development Association and vice chairman of Taiwan Basketball Association. He earned a BBA in 1979 from National Taiwan University and an MBA in 1981 from New York University.

Susanne Wamsler is a patron of the Bavarian Staatsoper and a member of its Inner Circle society. She grew up in Germany and currently lives near Munich with her husband, Paul Singer, a retired advertising business owner. An alumna of St. Paul's School, Princeton University, and INSEAD Business School in Fontainebleau, France, she has been involved in diverse entrepreneurial ventures. Ms. Wamsler -- whose mother, the late Honore? Wamsler, and father, Karl Wamsler, have been enthusiastic New York Philharmonic supporters -- is a longtime fan of the Orchestra, traveling on the Patron Tour to Beijing, Pyongyang, and Seoul that accompanied the Philharmonic's historic visit there in February 2008.

Chaoyong Wang is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of ChinaEquity Group, one of China's earliest independent institutions devoted to venture capital and private equity investment. In 1985 Tsinghua University selected him to study in the U.S., and he was one of the first students from mainland China to become a financial professional on Wall Street. He worked for Morgan Chase bank and Standard & Poor's, concentrating in real estate (1987-92) and was Asia vice president and chief representative of the Beijing Office for Morgan Stanley (1993-98). A founder of Morgan Stanley's China Investment Banking business, he led a series of overseas financing for the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises. Since 1998 he has been a Senior Consultant at the State Development Bank. Mr. Wang is also an active member of the China Entrepreneur Club, one of the country's most influential organizations of business leaders, and a major promoter of sports in China. He is the founder of China Team, the first Chinese team to compete for the America's Cup.

Long Yu (Honorary Member) is a Chinese conductor serving as artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, which he co-founded in 2000; music director of the Shanghai and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestras; founding artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival; and artistic co-director (with Charles Dutoit) of the MISA Festival, which brings classical music to the young people of Shanghai. Mr. Yu played a leading role in creating the Shanghai Orchestra Academy, China's first, as a partnership between Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He regularly appears with the world's leading orchestras and opera companies, including the New York, Munich, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Tokyo Philharmonic orchestras. As a champion of new music, he has commissioned works from composers including Krzysztof Penderecki, Philip Glass, John Corigliano, Guo Wenjing, and Ye Xiaogang. Mr. Yu led the China Philharmonic's performance for Pope Benedict XIV, the first time in history a Chinese orchestra performed at the Vatican. Born in 1964 in Shanghai, he studied at the Shanghai Conservatory and the Hochschule der Kunst in Berlin. He is a Chevalier dans L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the recipient of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation's 2002 Arts Patronage Award, and in 2005 the Republic of Italy honored him with the title of L'onorificenza di commendatore. Long Yu's first Philharmonic appearance was leading the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra on a New York Philharmonic Concert in the Park in 2010, and he made his Philharmonic debut conducting the inaugural Chinese New Year Concert in 2012, a tradition he has continued annually, including in February 2015, after making his Philharmonic subscription debut in January 2015.


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