Christine Baranski, with Marvin Hamlisch at the piano. (Photo by Don Pollard)

The evening began with a 90-minute concert in the Juilliard Theater. Music Division alumnus Marvin Hamlisch and Drama Division alumna Christine Baranski served as co-hosts for a lively and diverse program of performances and observations by Juilliard alumni, students, faculty, and friends. Mr. Hamlisch led the Juilliard Orchestra in two Broadway musical overtures: Leonard Bernstein’s Candide and his own A Chorus Line. He was also joined by soloists Marilyn Horne, performing songs by Aaron Copland and Stephen Foster; Ms. Baranski, who wowed the audience with her dynamic rendition of Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm with Mr. Hamlisch conducting from the piano; and Mayuko Kamio, a 14-year old Juilliard Pre-College student whose virtuosic performance of Sarasate’s Carmen Fantaisie provided a stirring conclusion to the concert.

Earlier in the program, Maestro Julius Rudel led the orchestra in the first movement of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, with faculty member Emanuel Ax as the formidable soloist, and Wynton Marsalis—alumnus, Board member, and jazz faculty member—joined Victor Goines, director of Juilliard’s Institute for Jazz Studies, for the aptly titled standards Now’s the Time and I’ll Remember April. Joining Mr. Marsalis and Mr. Goines were Carlos Henriquez on bass, Rodney Green on drums, and Michael Weiss—another new member of Juilliard’s jazz faculty—on piano.

		Read Christopher Reeve's remarks to the audience.

Between musical selections, Drama Division alumnus Robin Williams appeared via videotape from San Francisco, delivering a rapid-fire comedic description of his experiences at Juilliard before introducing his friend and fellow Drama Division alumnus Christopher Reeve, who spoke from the audience about the central importance of the arts and artistic freedom in American society. Audience members also viewed brief excerpts from an American Masters Series special on Juilliard, directed by Maro Chermayeff and scheduled to be aired on PBS this coming spring.

Mary Rodgers Guettel and Bruce Kovner. (Photo by Don Pollard)

Adding further excitement to the evening, chairman-elect Bruce Kovner announced that gifts to The Campaign for Juilliard had recently surpassed its original goal of $100 million and that the Board of Trustees, encouraged by this generous response to the School’s needs, had authorized an increase in the goal to $150 million.

After the performance, guests proceeded to Paul Milstein Plaza where they were welcomed to dinner by Chairman Mary Rodgers Guettel and President Joseph W. Polisi. The plaza was festively transformed for the occasion by a billowing white tent decorated with vibrantly colored tulip centerpieces and taffeta tablecloths. The ambiance was further enhanced by a jazz trio comprised of Juilliard students Omar Butler on trumpet, Jennifer Quan on keyboard, and David Wong on double bass.

Left to right: Wynton Marsalis, Irene Diamond, Joseph W. Polisi, and Dawn Greene. (Photo by Don Pollard)

Juilliard Trustees Mary Rodgers Guettel and Nancy Marks were co-chairs for the event, with Mrs. Vincent Astor serving as honorary chairman. Representing Juilliard’s three divisions of music, dance, and drama, the honorary alumni chairmen were John Williams, Martha Clarke, and Christopher Reeve.

Juilliard remains deeply grateful to these and the many other individuals and organizations whose generous contributions of time and financial support made the evening such an extraordinary success.