On Wednesday, August 1, 2012 The American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra held its Summer in the City fundraiser.  The fundraiser was held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and took place at the Hudson Terrace, 621 West 46^th Street, New York, NY.

Attendees enjoying the fundraiser (Photo Credit: http://www.afipo.org)

The history of The Israel Philharmonic began back in 1936 when it was originally called The Palestine Orchestra.  At that time it was dedicated to (and still is) presenting the world’s greatest music both in Israel and to the rest of the world. The orchestra was founded by the outstanding Polish violinist of his time, Bronislaw Huberman.  Huberman would spend countless numbers of hours arranging for first chair musicians of Eastern European and German orchestras to migrate to Palestine.   In doing that, Huberman created an “orchestra of soloists” that under the leadership of Maestro Zubin Mehta, Music Director for Life, continues to provide vital inspiration to the people and land of Israel.

Two of the attendees at this event shared why it was so important for them to be there.  First,  Suzanne Ponsot, Executive Director of The American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic, shared that the first fifteen years of her career were involved in the field of music but not with this organization.   It was then that Suzanne was approached by Itzak Perlman and Zubin Mehta and was told about the position of Executive Director.  Suzanne felt that the position was a perfect combination for someone who loved music and had a strong Jewish identity.  It was at that point that Suzanne accepted this position as the next step in her career.   It’s now 23 years later and Suzanne hopes that evenings like Summer in the City will attract a whole new generation of support to continue the great work of this orchestra.

The second guest, Marcy Epstein, also shared why this evening was so important to her. Marcy said that her friend Judy Lobel was chairing this event, and had invited her to attend.  She was thrilled to support her friend in her very important fundraising efforts.

If you’d like to find out more about The Israel Philharmonic then visit their website and learn more!

By: Sora Vernikoff