Last night in Berlin, Music Director Alan Gilbert accepted this year's AmCham Germany Transatlantic Partnership Award on behalf of the New York Philharmonic. The award is given annually by the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany (AmCham) to a person or entity — one American, one German — that has made "significant contributions to the German-American relationship and seeking to support future endeavors," according to AmCham's website. This year's German awardee was the Berlin Philharmonic.
About their choice, AmCham said:
"The jury of AmCham Germany’s Transatlantic Partnership Award has chosen to recognize both orchestras for their outstanding international cultural achievements in and around the metropolitan areas of Berlin and New York. Through the universal language of music and their mutual efforts on both sides of the Atlantic, they build bridges and bring continents together."
The photo shows Gilbert and Sir Simon Rattle, principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (holding awards) and, at far right, Executive Director Matthew VanBesien. Between Gilbert and Rattle is Joachim Gauck, President of Germany.
"I’m honored that the New York Philharmonic is being acknowledged in this way, as I fully embrace the belief that music does have a power to speak in a universal language which spans borders, languages, and cultures,” said Gilbert.
