For immediate release:
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Contact:
GIPEC contact:
Elizabeth Rapuano, (212) 440-2205, erapuano@empire.state.ny.us; www.govisland.com
New York Philharmonic contact:
Katherine E. Johnson, (212) 875-5718, johnsonk@nyphil.org
For more information: nyphil.org/newsroom


NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC TO PERFORM ON GOVERNORS ISLAND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A FREE CONCERT SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2008  
Concert To Be a Highlight of Governors Island Summer-Long Celebration of the Arts That Includes Numerous Weekend Performances, Festivals, and Exhibits

The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) and the New York Philharmonic announced today that New York City’s premiere orchestra will perform on Governors Island in a free concert on Saturday, July 5 at 6:30 p.m. It will be the New York Philharmonic’s first performance on the historic island.

Conducted by Bramwell Tovey, the Fourth-of-July-weekend concert with the New York Philharmonic will feature festive works by Rossini, Copland, and Rimsky-Korsakov, as well as Tchaikovsky’s famous 1812 Overture, and will conclude with a fireworks display. The performance will take place on the Island’s historic Parade Grounds, which features a striking view of Lower Manhattan and New York Harbor. The concert — as well as the ferry ride to the Island — is free to the public.

Concertgoers are invited to spend the day of July 5 on Governors Island, which has been home to the Dutch, the British, the military, and now belongs to the people of New York. Visitors can take a one mile, car-free bike ride, picnic, tour the National Historic District, attend an afternoon folk music concert, among other outdoor activities.

The Philharmonic’s performance is the most recent addition to Governors Island’s open season schedule, which includes numerous exhibits and programs, many by arts organizations.

“There is no better place in New York to enjoy an evening of free music on the Fourth of July weekend than on Governors Island — a place with breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor,” said Leslie Koch, President of GIPEC. “We are thrilled to welcome thousands of New Yorkers to hear the New York Philharmonic play here, and we are honored that such an esteemed ensemble is helping to bring the Island back to life with the performing arts.”

“While we have played in more than 400 cities around the world, we are thrilled at the prospect of making our debut on this historic island in New York Harbor,” said New York Philharmonic President and Executive Director Zarin Mehta. “We are honored to partner with Governors Island on this civic-minded venture to bring music to our hometown audience in this unique outdoor public space.”

“Increasing public access to Governors Island is critical to its future,” said Avi Schick, President of the Empire State Development Corporation. “Incredible performances and activities such as the New York Philharmonic will help achieve the goal of introducing Governors Island to thousands.”

“Governors Island is unmatched in its potential to be New York City’s next great place,” said Dan Doctoroff, Vice Chair of GIPEC. “For more than four months, tens of thousands of New Yorkers will experience concerts, programs, festivals and more, which will revitalize this extraordinary place in New York Harbor.”

“Celebrating the arts is an integral part of re-activating Governors Island,” said Heather Hitchens, Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts. “The Island is an incredible resource for New Yorkers. This year, visitors will have the opportunity to view public art, enjoy interactive art festivals and folk concerts during the Island’s open season.”

“Governors Island is an incredible venue for the arts, and the New York Philharmonic is one of the world’s premiere orchestras,” said Kate D. Levin, New York City Commissioner of Cultural Affairs. “This free concert is the highlight of an exciting schedule of cultural events on Governors Island this summer, offering visitors a great opportunity to explore New York Harbor.”

Governors Island Celebration of the Arts
The New York Philharmonic is one of nearly a dozen organizations that are bringing the arts to Governors Island this year. They include the Figment Festival, Trinity Church Wall Street, the New York Sculptors Guild, the Michael Arenella Orchestra, the African Film Festival, and Pulse Theatre.

In addition to the performing arts, which are prominently featured in the schedule of events, public art will be on display throughout the Island. Olafur Eliasson’s NYC Waterfalls will feature a 120-foot tall waterfall on Governors Island’s north shore, facing the Battery. The New York Sculptors Guild will present In Site, an exhibit of more than two dozen sculptures in Nolan Park. Additional exhibits will take place in several historic homes, including the Commanding Officer’s Quarters.

A full schedule of Governors Island summer events, as well as a specific ferry schedule for July 5, will be released later this spring.

This year, Governors Island will be open for more hours, days, and months than ever before. The Island will be open to the public every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from May 31 to October 5. On Fridays, the Island will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, hours are extended, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.govisland.com.

About the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC)
The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC) is responsible for the planning, redevelopment, and ongoing operations for 150 acres of Governors Island. A partnership of New York City and New York State, GIPEC seeks to bring Governors Island back to life, making this island at the center of New York Harbor a destination with great public open space, as well as future education, not for profit and commercial facilities. For more information please visit www.govisland.com.

About the New York Philharmonic
Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and one of the oldest in the world. Since its inception, the Philharmonic has
played a leading role in American musical life, championing the new music of its time and commissioning or premiering many important works, from Dvořák’s Symphony
No. 9, From the New World (1893) and Gershwin’s An American in Paris (1928) to John Adams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning On the Transmigration of Souls and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Piano Concerto (2007). Lorin Maazel became Music Director in 2002, succeeding Kurt Masur in a distinguished line of 20th-century musical giants that has included Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, and Pierre Boulez; Gustav Mahler, Bruno Walter, and Arturo Toscanini. Over the last century, the Philharmonic has become renowned around the globe, having appeared in 422 cities in 59 countries on five continents, including, most recently, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing on Asia 2008; and in Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the first American orchestra to perform there.

Long a media pioneer, the Orchestra began radio broadcasts in 1922, and is currently represented by The New York Philharmonic This Week, syndicated nationally 52 weeks per year, streamed on the Orchestra’s Website, nyphil.org, and carried on XM Satellite Radio. The Orchestra’s concerts are also broadcast throughout Europe on BBC Radio 3. On television, in the 1950s and ’60s, the Philharmonic inspired a generation of music lovers through Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, telecast on CBS, and its presence on television has continued with annual appearances on PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center, which began with that series’ inaugural episode in 1976. The Internet has expanded the Orchestra’s reach, and in 2006 the Philharmonic became the first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded live, which are available on the DG Concerts label, exclusively on iTunes.

The Governors Island concert is a highlight of the New York Philharmonic’s summer 2008 season, which includes the annual New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer — free performances in parks throughout New York and in New Jersey and on Long Island; the Summertime Classics series at Avery Fisher Hall; a return to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts; and the Orchestra’s annual residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

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Credit Suisse is the Global Sponsor of the New York Philharmonic.

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96.3 FM WQXR is the Radio Home of the New York Philharmonic.

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Programs of the New York Philharmonic are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Saturday, July 5, 2008, 6:30 p.m.

Governors Island

New York Philharmonic
Bramwell Tovey conductor
 

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Governors Island opens to the public at 10:00 a.m. on July 5. Free ferries leave every half hour from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, and will return immediately following the concert. A specific ferry schedule for July 5 will be available later this spring on www.govisland.com.