Isaac Stern News

The Town Hall today announced the inaugural Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact, the first major entertainment award to be named after a woman of color, honoring excellence at the intersection of arts and activism. The award, named after the celebrated actress, singer and activist Lena Horne, will recognize today's leading artists that are using their platform to promote awareness and create social change, and will be presented to the soon-to-be-announced recipient at an event at The Town Hall, a national historic landmark, in February 2020. The recipient of the Lena Horne Prize was selected by an advisory board that includes Lena Horne's daughter Gail Lumet Buckley, as well as an esteemed list of entertainers and philanthropists including Harry Belafonte, Billy Porter, Judy Collins, Deesha Dyer, Roxane Gay, Bob Santelli, Bruce Cohen, Jose Antonio Vargas, and more. The recipient will receive a $100,000 donation to be directed to a charity of their choice.

Carnegie Hall today announced that Chief Conductor Mariss Jansons has fallen ill and regrettably must withdraw from tonight's concert with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, scheduled for Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 p.m. Carnegie Hall and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra are grateful to conductor Vasily Petrenko, who has agreed to lead the orchestra in his place. The program remains unchanged, including Rudolf Buchbinder's performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23.

Acclaimed Russian pianist Katya Grineva returns to Carnegie Hall for her highly anticipated annual holiday concert for one night only, Friday, December 27th. Celebrating her 19th consecutive Stern appearance, Katya is the most performed solo female artist at the iconic venue. In what has become a seasonal tradition for local New York City families and tourists alike, Katya's festive concert is a highlight of the holiday season. (Program details are below.)

On Saturday, November 2, Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) continues its Jazz Masters music series with the Willie Martinez Latin Jazz Quartet. Martinez, an accomplished drummer, percussionist, arranger/composer and vocalist, will be joined by Nicki Denner on piano/vocals, Bernie Minoso on bass, and Anton Denner on reeds and flute. The group will perform two sets at 7:30 and 9 pm at WCT, 23 Water Street in Ossining.

The Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra of Beijing is proud to make its United States debut under the baton of Feng Yu at New York's iconic concert venue, Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Stage, on Friday, December 13, 2019 at 8 PM. The performance, presented by MidAmerica Productions (MAP), opens MAP's 37th Annual Concert Season.

On Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 8:00 p.m., in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash joins guitar legend and song man Ry Cooder in a program called Cash and Cooder on Cash: The Music of Johnny Cash. Performed in New York City for the first time, this highly anticipated event brings the duo together for a sublime tribute to Johnny Cash, featuring heartfelt personal interpretations of beloved songs from his legendary songbook.

Three-time Grammy Award winner and Benin-born singer Angélique Kidjo brings her intoxicating blend of West African music, American R&B, jazz, and funk to her Perspectives series throughout Carnegie Hall's 2019a?"2020 season. The highly anticipated residency takes audiences on a journey of African music and culture throughout the world including three concerts curated by Kidjo and one spectacular program featuring her as a performer.

Multiple Grammy Award-nominated violinist Philippe Quint returns to perform with the North Carolina Symphony in three performances on Friday, October 11, 2019 and Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 8:00pm at Meymandi Concert Hall, Woolner Stage in Raleigh and on Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 3:00pm at Pinecrest High School's Lee Auditorium in Southern Pines.

Olivier Award-winner and Tony nominee Andy Karl (Pretty Woman: The Musical, Groundhog Day, Rocky) joins Michael Feinstein and previously announced guest artists Liz Callaway (Merrily We Roll Along, CATS) and Lily Rasmussen (prizewinner from Feinstein's Great American Songbook Foundation) on Wednesday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Celebrating Stephen Sondheim at 90: His World and Music. Michael Feinstein celebrates the legendary composer's birthday with some of Sondheim's finest songs.

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin curates a nine-concert Perspectives series during the 2019a?"2020 season, including performances with three orchestras with whom he has built his remarkable careera?"The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, and The MET Orchestraa?"as well as a rare recital appearance with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

In his second season as principal conductor, Bernard Labadie leads Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) in its 33rd concert series in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The series begins with Italian pianist Beatrice Rana joining OSL for two Bach keyboard concertos on Thursday, October 17 at 8:00 p.m. The program is bookended by two works by Mendelssohn: The Hebrides Overture and a?oeScottisha?? Symphony.

The legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra will play The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street) as part of their world tour. Performing two shows on Saturday, October 19 at 3:00PM and 8:00PM, 18 musicians and 2 singers, Nick Hilscher and Hannah Truckenbrod will perform timeless songs such as In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Pennsylvania 6-5000, String of Pearls and Tuxedo Junction. The Glenn Miller Orchestra is musical directed by Hilscher (Young and Foolish, Timeless) and produced by Didier Morissonneau.

Celebrating its twenty-second year, the 2019 Beijing Music Festival (BMF) presents an art feast for audiences during Beijing's golden autumn. Over the past two decades, world-renowned conductor Long Yu established a rich artistic foundation for the Beijing Music Festival. And beginning in 2018, the new artistic director Shuang Zou, with the support of Maestro Long Yu, the BMF Artistic Committee, and supporting staff, has succeeded in incorporating more inclusive and avant-garde artistic elements to the festival, which are sure to surprise and impress audiences.

The third Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) will take place in Shanghai August 4-25, 2020. The Competition's Organisation Committee announced today that it is officially open for global applications. In celebration of the centennial birthday of Maestro Isaac Stern in 2020, a gala concert has been added to commemorate the longtime friend of China.

With Carnegie Hall's Opening Night less than two months away, we are eagerly anticipating the 2019a?"2020 season.

Jacob's Pillow presents the highly-anticipated world premiere of THE DAY, featuring world renowned cellist Maya Beiser and legendary dancer Wendy Whelan with choreography by the groundbreaking postmodern dance artist Lucinda Childs and music by Pulitzer Prize-winning David Lang in the Doris Duke Theatre, July 31-Aug 4. Co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow, the multidisciplinary work explores memory, life's journey, resilience, and survival of the soul through the shared language of music and dance. 

Across the board, from masterpieces to movies, it's going to be a big, fun 201920 season for the Kansas City Symphony.

Jessica Paz and Nevin Steinberg have won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical for HADESTOWN.

Jessica Paz has won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical for HADESTOWN.

In what is becoming a Memorial Day tradition, composer and conductor John Rutter will lead a gala concert for MIdAmerica Productions in Carnegie Hall. The 2019 edition, on Monday, May 27 at 8 pm, will feature his first United States performances of selections from his newly published anthology, Sacred Choruses.