Conductor George Mathew leads a specially formed orchestra and chorus in a benefit performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, Monday, January 23, 2006 at 7:30 pm. Organized by Mathew to to raise funds and awareness for the survivors of the October 2005 cataclysmic event in South Asia that left 3 million people homeless, the targeted goal is $500,000.
The performance features a quartet of both renowned veterans and rising stars and a chorus of 150-200 assembled from the major choral ensembles in New York City. Musicians from the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta (The Netherlands), Brentano and Emerson Quartets, students, graduates and faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard School, and Mannes College of Music will be participating.
Mr. Mathew, who is also the Artistic Director, conceived the idea of bringing together some of the world's finest orchestral players, to perform Beethoven's masterpiece in a politically neutral setting to help those suffering from the ravages of the harsh conditions in the mountainous regions of a stricken land.
Tax deductible tickets range in price from $30.00 to $175.00 and are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office and may be ordered through CarnegieCharge (212-247-7800) or www.carnegiehall.org.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Within days of the October 8, 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, MSF physicians, nurses, mental health specialists, and logisticians began providing medical assistance and distributing relief and medical supplies to those affected by the disaster. MSF's 566 local and international humanitarian relief workers have vaccinated more than 20,000 children against measles tetanus and polio, and distributed 1,115 tons of relief goods, including 12,000 family tents, and 140,000 blankets. With an estimated 80,000 wounded, MSF mobile clinic teams worked quickly to aid the wounded. Today, MSF medical teams are supporting two district hospitals that were disrupted by the earthquake. MSF physicians and nurses continue to consult daily with approximately 1,000 afflicted, in 10 permanent sites.
Reports from the field and other relief agencies estimate a death toll of over 90,000 people, including more than 17,000 children killed in the first hours of the disaster, and leaving over 3 million homeless or otherwise severely affected. United Nations aid agencies UNICEF and other NGOs have estimated the emergency need in the next six months to be $550 million (USD) and the amount of aid required to rebuild infrastructure and the economy of the affected area to be at least $5.2 billion (USD). The situation on the ground remains extremely severe and the need for immediate help is still dire.
Tax deductible donations should be mailed to:
Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, Inc.
One Tampa City Center, 201 North Franklin Street, Suite 1100
Tampa, FL 33602
(Please specify "Beethoven's 9th for South Asia")
