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Barbara Tober and the memory of her late
husband, Donald Tober, were the honorees
of this year’s New York Philharmonic
Spring Gala. The sold-out concert saw
nearly 600 guests attend the dinner
following, raising $3 million, making it
the highest grossing Spring Gala to
date.
“We are just a few months away from
making history for the Philharmonic, for
New York City, and the greater cultural
world, as we welcome Gustavo Dudamel as
our new Music and Artistic Director,”
said Philharmonic Linda and Mitch Hart
President & CEO Matías Tarnopolsky.
Dudamel led the evening’s concert, which
also included soloist Evgeny Kissin, in
his first appearance with the
Philharmonic in more than a decade.
Elizabeth Segerstrom served as the Gala
Honorary Chair. Gala Co-Chairs included
Marisa Chearavanont, LaVon Kellner, Judy
Glickman Lauder, Leni and Board
Co-Chairman Peter May, Margo and James
Nederlander, Daisy Soros, Board
Co-Chairman Oscar L. Tang, and H.M.
Agnes Hsu-Tang.
“It has been said that New York is the
Philharmonic, and that the Philharmonic
is New York,” said Barbara Tober.
“Tonight is also dedicated to the memory
of my husband, Donald. He adored me, and
I adored him. In our almost 50 years
together, music was always in our lives.
We were married with music in the
background. We used to go downtown and
do a little boogie too. Music is for joy
and love, and I am pleased to share it
with you as it reaches new highs under
Gustavo’s baton for many years to come.”
As a gift for the Tobers’ many years of
support, Tarnopolsky presented her with
a framed Playbill from April 5th, 1973,
the day they were married. Co-Chairman
of the New York Philharmonic, Oscar L.
Tang remarked, “Barbara’s influence is
matched only by her generosity and
kindness. When I came here as a young
professional, Donald and Barbara
introduced my wife and me to the
cultural institutions of the city. We
held a party in honor of my
mother-in-law for 25 years—Donald and
Barbara attended every single one,
dancing away beautifully always.
The Tobers encouraged me, and many in
this room, to get involved with the
Orchestra.”
Upon arrival, guests were invited to
walk a green grass carpet in the Karen
and Richard LeFrak Lobby before a
cocktail reception. The concert included
selections of Musorgsky, Scriabin, and
Stravinsky, on a stage lined with spring
flowers. Following a standing ovation,
Kissin played two encores of Scriabin
and Tchaikovsky, before the orchestra
closed the concert with the Pas de Deux
from The Nutcracker. A three-course
dinner on the Leon and Norma Hess Grand
Promenade went late into the night, with
tables set in arrangements of peonies,
ranunculus, anemones, tulips, orchids,
and roses beneath hanging floral
installations.
Guests included board members Vera
Blinken, Angela Chen, Larisa Martínez
and Joshua Bell, Tania León, Itzhak and
Toby Perlman, Oscar and Didi Schafer,
Sylvia Tóth, Mary Wallach, Sandra and
Stanford Warshawsky, and Rebecca and
Stephen Whyte, as well as special guests
Grimanese Amorós, Deborah Borda and
Coralie Toevs, Carla Bossi-Comelli, Peg
Breen, Gale Brewer, Michele and Martin
Cohen, Suzi Cordish, Barbara de Portago,
Charles Fabius, Chloe Flower, Kip
Forbes, Lucia Hwong Gordon, Denyce
Graves, Susan Gutfreund, Alexander
Hankin, Ben Hartley, Sylvia Hemingway,
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Margo Langenberg,
Patrick McMullan, Judith Pisar, Tim
Rodgers, Faanya Rose, Norman Jean Roy,
Christine Shevchenko, Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner,
Fe and Alessandro Saracino Fendi,
Larissa Saveliev, Maria Manetti Shrem,
John Varvatos, and Christopher Wheeldon
and Ross Rayburn.
Also announced was a special concert
dedication planned for the fall — the
Philharmonic’s September 16th concert
will be dedicated to the memories of the
late Donald Tober as well as Elizabeth’s
husband, Henry Segerstrom. For tickets,
visit https://www.nyphil.org/concerts-tickets/2627/dudamel-conducts-prokofievs-fifth/
The New York Philharmonic is one of the
most influential symphony orchestras in
the world and the longest-living major
orchestra in the United States, founded
in 1842. Based in New York City, it has
played a central role in shaping
American classical music through
performances of both the standard
European repertoire and major premieres
by composers such as Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky and George Gershwin. Over
its long history, the orchestra has been
led by renowned conductors including
Gustav Mahler and Leonard Bernstein, and
continues to be a leading cultural
institution known for its artistic
innovation, global tours, and commitment
to both traditional and contemporary
music. For more information on their
upcoming season, visit https://www.nyphil.org/
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