NEW YORK-SEPTEMBER 16: The New York Philharmonic opened its 168th season with their Opening Night Gala and concert on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at Avery Fisher Hall (63rd Street and Columbus Avenue), New York City, NY. Mr. Alec Baldwin,Mr. Paul Calello, and Mr. Gary W. Parr (see also: NY Times) served as this year’s Gala Chairmen. Mr. Gerald L. Hassell served as the Gala’s Executive Vice Chairmen with global sponsor Credit Suisse. Under the direction of Music Director Alan Gilbert in his inaugural season, with guest soprano Renée Fleming, the New York Philharmonic performed the World Premiere of EXPO, a New York Philharmonic commission by Magnus Lindberg, Messiaen’s Poèmes pour Mi, and Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz. The gala raised $2.5 million dollars with over 800 guests. Guests included: Alec Baldwin, Billy Joel, Meryl Streep, Christiane Amanpour and James Rubin, Robert DeNiro and Grace Hightower, Robert and Denise Benmosche, Artist-in-Residence Thomas Hampson, Robert and Beverly Bartner, Sid and Mercedes Bass, The Honorable Donald and Vera Blinken, Kenneth and Noreen Buckfire, Lori Singer, Matt Haimovitz, James and Nancy Buckman, Frank A. and Mary Lake Bennack, Daniel and Anna Nikolayevsky Benton, Yefim Bronfman, Judith Carson, Yoko Nagae Ceschina, Gustavo and Patricia Cisneros, H. Rodgin Cohen, John S. and Jill Chalsty, Alan D. and Betsy Cohn, Toos N. and Hira Daruvala, Richard S. and Susan Braddock, Richard and Jennie DeScherer, Timothy and Cosby George, Peter and Barbara Georgescu, Gunther and Renata Greiner, Florence Davis and Tony Gooch, Elizabeth de Cuevas, Paul Demarais, Sr. and Jacqueline Desmarais, Katherine G. Farley and Jerry I. Speyer, Professor Meyer Feldberg and Barbara Feldberg, Niall Ferguson, J. Christopher Flowers, Alan and Sandra Gerry, The Honorable Roy M. Goodman, Robert M. Frehse, Jr. and Dale Frehse, John French, III and Marina French, Leonard S. and Jennifer Gruenberg, G. Chris Andersen and Sung E. Han-Andersen, Robert and Colleen Hekemian, Peter and Barbara Georgescu, John and Maggy Kongsgaard, Gurnee and Marjorie Hart, Robert and Mary Henrikson, Roger and Susan Hertog, Eugene and Barbara Kohn, Bruce and Suzie Kovner , Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis, Frederick Krimendahl, II and Emilia A. Saint-Amand, Honey Kurtz, Stewart Lane, Petra Lang, Leonard and Evelyn Lauder, Laurence C. Leeds, Jr. and Dalia Leeds, Richard and Karen LeFrak, John and Betty Levin, William Lewis and Carol Sutton Lewis, Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg, Samuel and Linda Lindenbaum, Kenneth Lipper, Albert and Carol Lowenthal, Alan and Christina MacDonald, Morris and Susan Mark, Peter and Leni May, William and Suzanne McDonough, Thomas and Diahn McGrath, David and Nancy McKinney, Slade and Phyllis Mills, Vivian Milstein, Sylvester and Gillian Miniter, Georgette Mosabacher, The Honorable Frank and Lizabeth Newman, Charles and Anne Niemeth, Martin and Suzanne Oppenheimer, Stuart Orsher and Gladys George, Liliane Peck, Donald Pels and Wendy Keys, Itzhak and Toby Perlman, Charles and Elaine Petschek, Joel and Joan Picket, Cynthia and Leon Polsky, Peter and Barbara Regna, Ira and Ingeborg Rennert, Thomas and Elizabeth Renyi , Leon and Paula Root, Benjamin and Donna Rosen, James and Barbara Schadt, Charles and Carol Schaefer, Oscar and Didi Schafer, Marvin and Donna Schwartz, Martin and Edith Segal, Charles Shirley Shamel, Fred and Irene Shen, Joel and Joan Smilow, Dick and Ann Solomon, Paul and Daisy Soros, Michael and Joan Steinberg, Leonard and Allison Stern, The Honorable Scott Stringer, Peter and Lynn Tishman, Donald and Barbara Tober, Ronald and Christie Ulrich, John and Lauren Veronis, Geza and Elizabeth Von Habsburg, Mary J. Wallach, Stanford and Sandra Warshawsky, Bruce and Angela Wasserstein, Sandy and Joan Weill, James and Elaine Wolfensohn, Masamoto and Yoko Yashiro, and Ann Ziff. PHOTO CREDIT:Copyright ©Manhattan Society.com 2009 by Christopher London | tel: Private |e-mail: ChrisLondon@manhattansociety.com***PLEASE NOTE: More photos, notes and id's to come.