Download the invitation - Asia Society

Cultural
Ambassador Award
and Performance
The New York
Philharmonic
Alan Gilbert became Music Director of the New York
Philharmonic in September 2009, the first native New
Yorker to hold the post, ushering in what New York
magazine called “a moment of metamorphosis and continuity.”
America’s oldest symphony orchestra, and one of
the oldest in the world, the New York Philharmonic has
always championed the music of its time, giving world or
US premieres of works from Beethoven to Tan Dun, and
has released nearly 2,000 recordings since 1917.
The Philharmonic is renowned around the globe,
having toured since 1930, and enjoys a particularly
rich relationship with Asia as both a destination and
in the heritage of its Music Director and many current
musicians. On February 26, 2008, the New York
Philharmonic’s historic concert in Pyongyang was broadcast
live, internationally. In October 2009 the Orchestra
made its debut in Vietnam, performing two concerts at
the Hanoi Opera House as part of the Asian Horizons
tour, Alan Gilbert’s first as Music Director.