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