The Clarion Music Society presented their 60th Anniversary Masked Gala at the JW Marriott Essex House and raised over $100,000.
Lead by The Young Friends Committee Co-Chairs Andrea Desy and Daniel Levien, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour, a seated ballroom dinner, a silent auction, and an evening of music directed by Artistic Director, Steven Fox. He directed the evening’s program, a nine-piece orchestra in a performance of the Larghetto from Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 413 led by pianist Nimrod David Pfeffer.
Said Fox, “Clarion performs on period instruments that survive from the time of the composer, or on models thereof – in fact, the piano that is being played tonight is an exact replica of one of Mozart’s instruments, which belongs to Queens College.”
The Clarion Music Society’s Gala Chair Charles N.W. Schlangen introduced Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts and Gala Committee member Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, who introduced Honoree Tatiana Pouschine saying that she is “a delight, a near-perfect person with a questing intellect” and thanking her for her dedication to music and the arts.
Ms. Pouschine was greeted with a standing ovation, and said, “I feel like I have woken up in heaven.” She thanked attendees including violinist Sean Lee and close friend Pamela Manice. She continued by describing Mr. Fox’s Clarion concert “Mozart: 1791,” as one of the “top five musical moments of my life.” After Ms. Pouschine’s speech, Mr. Schlangen returned to the stage to officially present her with the Clarion Philanthropic Award and one-of-a-kind “Clarion” charm for her ever-present charm bracelet.
Clarion encompasses one of the oldest and most highly regarded period-instrument orchestras in America, The Clarion Orchestra.
Pictured:
Charles Schlangen, Tania Pouschine
Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Amb. Carl Spielvogel