An Afternoon of Guts and Glory
“To all who admire the guts and glory of opera, Denyce Graves and her students are here to amaze and amuse you at this Opera Party,” said Barbara Tober, welcoming guests to the tea she hosted to launch the Denyce Graves Foundation’s Harvest Moon Gala. The gala, set for September 28th, will honor Ann Ziff, Misty Copeland, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Tober, who will co-chair the evening, made her pitch without much ceremony. “This gala will be a very special evening,” she said. “All the honorees are exciting, deserving, and impressive. I urge you to take tickets and tables, and I look forward to greeting you that evening.”
Graves, for her part, framed the night in different terms. “Yes, our Harvest Moon Gala will be extraordinary,” she said, “but more importantly, it will be an evening with a purpose: to celebrate the artists and stories that have too often been neglected, and to ensure that those voices are heard, studied, performed, and carried forward.”
The three honorees make an unusual trio, and that appears to be the point. Ziff has spent decades as one of the Metropolitan Opera’s most consequential patrons. Copeland’s rise to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre changed assumptions about who belongs on a ballet stage. Nézet-Séguin has built a conducting career on the argument that the standard repertoire is not a closed list. Between them, they cover philanthropy, performance, and programming, which happens to be the same three levers the Foundation itself pulls.
A World Premiere for Ann Ziff
The reception featured performances by DGF artists and culminated in mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson singing the world premiere of There Is Another Sky, composed and accompanied by John Conahan. The piece was dedicated to Ziff in recognition of her long support of artists and the arts.
Ann Gottlieb, a DGF board member and gala co-chair, offered a portrait of the honoree that had nothing to do with opera at all. “We have known each other for probably 20 years,” she said. “One of my fondest memories of Ann is when I came to visit her home. She took me on a tour of her magnificent garden, and it blew me away that she knew every plant, every tree. You could see the passion and what they meant to her. So it is no surprise that it is that same passion she applies to the Met.”
Ziff seemed slightly ambushed by the attention. “This is really a bit overwhelming, being recognized by one of the pillars of the operatic community, who probably does more for young singers than anyone else,” she said. “What Denyce understands so beautifully is that talent needs someone to believe in it. She has made that belief the heart of this Foundation, and I am so happy to support her and these extraordinary young artists.”
The Room
Board member Clyde Jones attended, along with Matthew Aucoin, Carrie Rebora Barratt, Janna Bullock, Angela Chen, Cornelius H. Escaravage and Ryan Nash, Joanna Fisher, Carol Guest, Susan Gutfreund, Alberto Mariaca, Aimée Sehnaoui Maroney, Maria Eugenia Maury and William A. Haseltine, Raphael Mostel, Graham Parker, Alexandra Penney, Judith F. Pisar, Marc Rosen, Cory Toevs, Ann and William Van Ness, Andrew Martin Weber, and HRH Prince Dimitry de Yougoslavie.
The Work Behind the Party
Founded by the much-loved mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, the Denyce Graves Foundation runs three programs, each addressing a different point in an artist’s life. Shared Voices provides young artists with training, mentorship, and opportunities to perform. Generational Voices supports emerging artists as they build their careers. Hidden Voices works in the other direction, recovering the stories of overlooked musicians and returning them to the historical record.
The Foundation operates at the intersection of social justice, American history, and the arts, and has partnered with HBCUs, conservatories, schools of music, and cultural institutions across the country. Its reach extends to students and audiences through performances, educational programs, research, and community events. More information is available at https://www.thedenycegravesfoundation.org/
Attending
Tickets and tables for the Harvest Moon Gala can be reserved at my.onecause.com
