Itzhak Perlman joins New York Philharmonic in Concert to End Polio
by Wayne Hearn and Dan Nixon
Rotary International News -- 19 October 2009
Itzhak Perlman will perform in a benefit concert 2 December at 7:30 p.m. in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Buy tickets.
Photo by Akira Kinoshita
Rotary International is teaming up with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman and the world-renowned New York Philharmonic to present the Concert to End Polio, a benefit performance supporting the global effort to eradicate this disabling, sometimes fatal, childhood disease.
The concert will be held on 2 December at 7:30 p.m. in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Buy tickets.
The polio eradication effort resonates strongly with Perlman, who contracted the disease at age four and overcame serious physical challenges to become one of the world's most celebrated musicians. In this special one-night-only performance, his first with the New York Philharmonic in four years, Perlman will help Rotary in its effort to raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
"We are honored that an artist of Mr. Perlman's stature and a cultural institution as revered as the New York Philharmonic are supporting Rotary in our effort to achieve a polio-free world," says RI President John Kenny. "Their participation demonstrates the importance of this unprecedented global health initiative. It will be our lasting gift to the world's children." Watch a video.
"The fact that polio is still around is ridiculous," says Perlman, winner of 15 Grammy Awards, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. "There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to get polio. This is an issue that has to be dealt with immediately."
Tickets to the concert are priced between $70 and $200. A private reception with Perlman will follow the concert. A premium concert seat and admission to the reception will be offered at a package price of $500. Music program information will be announced at a later date.
- To buy tickets, phone the Philharmonic box office at 212-875-5656 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays) and mention that you're a Rotarian so you can access the block of tickets reserved for Rotarians until 1 November.
- Tickets also can be purchased online through the Philharmonic, but they are not part of the Rotary ticket block. Tickets are expected to go quickly. All proceeds will benefit Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge .
- If you can't attend the concert, donate online now to help eradicate polio .
- Help promote this special event by placing an ad in your club or district newsletter or on its Web site. Download graphics and learn more at www.rotary.org/endpolioconcert .
- Also, download a press release about the event.
Rotary International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Since then, ending polio has been Rotary's top priority. The number of polio cases has been slashed by more than 99 percent, preventing five million cases of childhood paralysis and 250,000 deaths.
The wild poliovirus remains endemic in just four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. However, the final 1 percent of cases are the most difficult and expensive to prevent, which is why support for Rotary's challenge is crucial to the initiative's success.