Annandale-on-Hudson, NY—The 2016 SummerScape Gala celebrates the spirit of Montgomery Place, the historic Hudson Valley estate that recently became part of the Bard College campus, with an elegant evening in the company of some very special guests on
Saturday, July 16, 2016.
Ballet star
Sergei Polunin will make a rare U.S. appearance to give the world premiere live performance of his internet video sensation
Take Me to Church, which has garnered more than 15 million views on YouTube. Choreographer
Jade Hale-Christofi will adapt his work for that video, directed by
David LaChapelle, to an outdoor stage with sweeping views of the Hudson River.
Called “the James Dean of the ballet world” (
Daily Telegraph), Polunin is the subject of a forthcoming documentary,
Dancer, from West End Films to be distributed in the U.S. by IFC-Sundance Films in September 2016. Known as ballet’s ‘hottest property,’ Polunin was the Royal Ballet’s youngest ever principal dancer.
Actors
Blythe Danner ‘65,
Parker Posey,
Mary Stuart Masterson, and
Mx. Justin Vivian Bond will perform a lighthearted homage to the matriarchs who created and sustained Montgomery Place, its landscape and gardens, and in particular its apple orchards, written and directed for the occasion by
Jack Ferver. Performances will be followed by an alfresco dinner designed by
Chef Rocco DiSpirito, a James Beard Award winner and best-selling author, with cocktails curated by
Leo Robitschek, beverage director of two of New York’s hottest restaurants: Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad Hotel.
A stellar lineup of artists from across disciplines comprise the SummerScape Gala Artists’ Committee, showing their support for the work of the Fisher Center, including:
Joan Juliet Buck,
Jeremy Davidson,
Nick Flynn,
Neil Gaiman,
Arliss Howard,
Lola Kirke ’12,
Stephin Merritt,
Amanda Palmer,
Peter Riegert,
Ally Sheedy,
Kiki Smith,
Lili Taylor,
Dawn Upshaw, and
Debra Winger.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are
available online from the Fisher Center or by emailing
events@bard.edu or calling 845-758-7414. Performance program subject to change.
SummerScape 2016 Gala CochairsCarolyn Marks Blackwood and Gregory Quinn • Stefano Ferrari and Lilo Zinglersen Advisory Board of The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing ArtsJeanne Donovan Fisher, Chair • Carolyn Marks Blackwood • Stefano FerrariDenise Simon • Thurmond Smithgall • Martin T. Sosnoff • Toni SosnoffFelicitas S. Thorne • Andrew E. Zobler Gala Host CommitteeHarlan Bratcher and Toby Usnik • Steve Dawson and Chandler WilliamsBarbara Ettinger and Sven Huseby • Emily H. Fisher and John AlexanderChris Lipscomb and Monique Segarra • Tricia and Foster ReedIlliana van Meeteren and Terence Boylan ’70 Artists’ Host CommitteeJoan Juliet Buck • Blythe Danner ’65 • Jeremy Davidson • Nick Flynn • Neil GaimanArliss Howard • Lola Kirke ’12 • Mary Stuart Masterson • Stephin MerrittAmanda Palmer • Parker Posey • Peter Riegert • Ally Sheedy • Kiki SmithLili Taylor • Dawn Upshaw • Debra Winger ABOUT THE FISHER CENTERThe Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, designed by Frank
Gehry, illustrates the College’s commitment to the performing arts as a cultural and
educational necessity. The Fisher Center’s adventurous programs and world-class facilities provide an outstanding environment in which to create, learn about, and experience the performing arts. Acclaimed as “seven weeks of cultural delight,” SummerScape 2016 presents opera, music, theater, dance, film, and cabaret. The focus of these offerings is the 27th annual Bard Music Festival, exploring the life and times of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. SummerScape presents over 60 and draws 25,000 attendees every summer. The SummerScape Gala is the Fisher Center’s largest and most prestigious annual fundraising event.
# # #