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Friends of the Arts Awards Dinner

Friends of the Arts Awards Dinner

Each year town hall honors those whose contributions to the arts enrich our city’s cultural life

We began this tradition in 1981 and our honorees include legends such as Beverly Sills, Wendy Wasserstein, Paul LeClerc, Elaine Stritch, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Julie Wilson, Jacques d’Amboise, Dizzy Gillespie and many more whose talent and philanthropy continue to make New York a rich and artistically diverse city.

Past Honorees
2023: André De Shields; Chandrika Tandon; Russ Titelman / 2019: Evan R. Chesler; Mona Golabek / 2018: Laurie Anderson; Charlie Hull; Robert Hurwitz / 2017: Daryl Roth; Roberta Flack / 2016: A Prairie Home Companion feat. Garrison Keillor; Jennifer J. Raab / 2015: Paul Libin; K.T. Sullivan / 2014: Bank of America; George Wein / 2013: Judy Collins; Robert E. Wankel / 2012: Dr. Charlotte K. Frank; Marvin Leffler / 2011: Dr. Joyce Brown; Judith Jamison / 2010: Barbara & Scott Siegel; Elaine Stritch; Meryl H. Tisch / 2009: Tovah Feldshuh; T Phillip J. Smith / 2008: Sharon Dunn; Fyvush Finkel; Lawrence C. Zucker / 2007: Lilian Vernon; Sir George Shearing / 2006: Barbara Cook; Judy & Michael Steinhardt / 2005: Laurie M. Tisch ; Peter Yarrow / 2004: Sheldon Harnick; Morris W. Offit / 2003: Paul LeClerc; Wendy Wasserstein / 2002: Bobby Short; Mortimer B. Zuckerman / 2001: Theodore Bikel; Michael Sovern / 2000: Jacques d’Amboise; Muriel Siebert / 1999:  L. Jay Oliva; George Weissman / 1998: Vartan Gregorian; Andrea Marcovicci / 1988: Beverly Sills / 1987: Martin E. Segal / 1986: Helen Hayes / 1985: Celeste Holm / 1984: Dina Merrill / 1983: Kitty Carlisle Hart / 1982: Gerald Schoenfeld / 1981: John Brademas / 1997: Jane Alexander; John W. Kluge / 1996: Agnes Gund; Lewis Rudin; Julie Wilson / 1995: Betty Comden & Adolph Green; Senator Roy M. Goodman / 1994: Anne Jackson & Eli Wallach; Vincent Sardi, Jr. / 1993: Tony Bennett; Bill Green / 1992: James R. Cherry; Dizzy Gillespie / 1991: Victor Borge / 1990: Marilyn Horne / 1989: Joseph Papp /
2023 Friends
of the arts dinner

On November 2, The Town Hall honored André De Shields, Chandrika Tandon, and Russ Titelman at the Harmonie Club of New York. The evening began with a cocktail reception featuring a performance by the award-winning electro-acousitc duo, Arkai, followed by a three-course dinner. Our deepest thanks go to Gala Chair Marvin Leffler for his commitment and generosity, which ensured the return of this beloved event.

Photography by Don Pollard