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Spoiling a crowd that is already well familiar with the highest levels of human creativity and talent, soprano Rosa Feola and tenor Stephen Costello still offered their very best with an intimate recital including excerpts from Rigoletto by Verdi and L’Elisir d’Amore by Donizetti. The recital, punctuating a joyous dinner, was rife with deft humor, astounding vocal power, and charming actions. Even without translation, the story was easy to follow thanks to the rich animation of the performers.

These performers, coming straight from the Metropolitan Opera, managed to create a rich atmosphere out of nearly nothing and defined setting and story by voice and a single prop: a bottle of wine from The Duckhorn Portfolio, the wine choice of the evening. It felt spontaneous and deeply engaging, it was a performance that revealed the diverse talents of today’s opera stars. Pianist Katelan Tran Terrell accompanied on the piano.

Within the dining room of New York City’s legendary Union Club, an air of charm and optimism pervaded. The Salzburg Festival is, without a doubt, the most important performing arts festival in the world. It is unique for combining all types of performance works such as opera, drama and concerts as well offering innovative and refreshing interpretations of a enormous selection of works. Tickets to performances are cherished and go quickly.

“Since its founding more than 100 years ago, the great American tradition of supporting the arts through private philanthropy has enabled the Salzburg Festival to implement artistic projects and other major initiatives which would have otherwise been impossible,” said Dr. Kristina Hammer, the new president of the Salzburg Festival and keynote speaker at the New York Gala.

As part of the celebrations, the evening co-chairs Carole Bailey French and John French III, welcomed their guest of honor, Peter Gelb, the general manager of The Metropolitan Opera. This was an important point of recognition because The Met and Salzburg Festival have had a long and fruitful engagement together.

Peter Gelb speaks at Salzburg Festival Society Gala

“The Met and Salzburg [Festival] have a healthy symbiotic relationship,” opined Gelb, “in those months during fall, winter, and spring when the Salzburg Festival is not in session, The Met is there to help fill the gap.  My personal history with the Salzburg Festival goes back to the time when it was still being ruled imperiously by Herbert von Karajan.

John French III presented both Kristina Hammer, the newly installed as the president of the festival, and Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, with a hand-blown engraved decanter by artisan Simon Pearce.

The uniting factor in the room was the overwhelming appreciation for the traditions of the Salzburg Festival, along with the curiosity of what is to come under Dr. Hammer’s direction. Dr. Hammer expressed particular enthusiasm for supporting younger members of the public who wish to fund or participate in the festival, including through programs like the Young Singers Project as well as other programs strictly for young people.

For those in the US, the Salzburg Festival Society is an appropriate point of entry to the festivities. The Society is the liaison between the Salzburg Festival and its American friends and patrons, providing members with exclusive access to events and services related to the Festival. Support starts at $1,500 and grants, among many other benefits, two tickets to up to 15 performances at the festival, typically held in July and August.

Guests at the Gala included Salzburg Festival Society president Nabil Chartouni and his wife Samantha, as well as board members Isabelle Harnoncourt-Feigen, Maria Hernandez with Joel Bell, Alexandra Kauka-Hamill, Isabella Ponta, and Sana H. Sabbagh, as well as Afsaneh Akhtari, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Elizabeth Stribling, Barbara Tober and more.

The evening’s generous sponsor was Bank of America Private Bank. Rolex was a Gala Benefactor and Global Sponsor of the Salzburg Festival.