Sharon Isbin and Jeffrey Gural to be honored at The Little Orchestra Society Winter Gala

Gala Evening to Support LOS‘ Innovative Music Education and 
Community Engagement Programs

The Little Orchestra Society’s^® (LOS) Winter Gala on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, at 6:30 pm will mark the organization’s 71^st Anniversary Season and will honor two individuals whose work supports LOS’ mission of  music education and community service, multi-GRAMMY Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin and philanthropist Jeffrey. Hosted by WQXR broadcaster and producer Elliott Forrest, the Gala will take place at  Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59^th Street, and is a celebration of one of New York City’s premier cultural institutions offering classical music programming for children and families. Proceeds from the Gala will support LOS’ powerful music learning and community engagement programs central to the mission of the Orchestra. LOS’ acclaimed Musical Connections® program teaches music composition to the youngest public school students across New York City and in doing so, seeks to transform lives and unite communities through music.

Sharon Isbin, who has been noted as “the pre-eminent guitarist of our time,” has been featured as a guest artist in LOS’ critically acclaimed Vivaldi’s Venice series. Her talents are showcased in the PBS award-winning documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubador and have been recognized with multiple GRAMMY Awards. On the evening of the Gala, she will be performing Vivaldi Guitar Concerto in D major, RV 93. In recognition of Ms. Isbin’s great artistry and advocacy for music education she will receive The Little Orchestra Society Artistic Excellence Award.  

Jeffrey Gural is the Chairman and Principal of GFP Real Estate, and a philanthropist who supports arts and social service organizations across New York City. Mr. Gural sits on numerous non-profit boards, including the I Have a Dream Foundation, the enCourage Kids Foundation, and A.R.T. New York, among others. For his dedication to community service across New York City, and his invaluable support of LOS, he will be awarded The Little Orchestra Society Philanthropy Award.

LOS Music Director James Judd will conduct the Gala performance, with a script and direction by longtime children’s television writer Craig Shemin who has written all of the LOS KIDS performances, as well as LOS productions of Babes in Toyland, Hansel and Gretel, and The Four Seasons: A Spinning Planet. Participation in the full Gala event ranges from $600 to $25,000. Tickets can be reserved through Director of Development Emily Comisar at 212-971-9500 x302. Performance-only tickets can be purchased at https://www.littleorchestra.org/2019-gala.

The Gala will also feature talented young soloists who have performed with the Orchestra in the LOS KIDS concert series. A special appearance will be made by students from P.S. 122Q in Astoria, Queens, participating in Musical Connections: The School Partnership Program, where they will hear the world premiere of their class composition, and perform with the Orchestra.   

Gala Co-Chairs are long-time LOS supporters who are committed to supporting institutions that are a vital part of New York City’s cultural life: Sharon & Lawrence Hite; Brigid & William Ohlemeyer; Sharon Volckhausen; and Joanne Bernstein-Cohen & David I. Cohen, MD.

Sharon Isbin Photo: J. Henry Fair