When the doors swing open at the oldest surviving synagogue building in New York City on Sunday evening, October 20th, guests will embark on a multi-sensory sonic and epicurean adventure in taste, tone, and texture, tracing migration across the generations to Manhattan’s storied Lower East Side and its environs. The much-anticipated event, called
Crossings, will benefit Copland House, the award-winning creative center for American music based at iconic composer Aaron Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in New York’s Hudson Valley.
The wildly-innovative, quickly-rising young chef Will Horowitz, “a fearless explorer” (The New York Times), and Music from Copland House, a “bold, superb ensemble” (The New Yorker), will guide an imaginative culinary and musical tour of the customs, cultures, and dreams of millions from every corner of the globe, who, like Aaron Copland’s parents, pinned their hopes on America’s freedoms, opportunities, and ideals.
Horowitz, a passionate champion of off-the-grid living, eco-sustainability, and primitive survival, is the creative force propelling two buzzworthy East Village dining destinations – Ducks Eatery and Harry & Ida’s Meat Supply Company – that have captivated gastronomes, food journalists, and culinary innovators. “Every culture,” he explained, “has this beautiful way of taking its traditions and techniques to a foreign land, building on what they’ve just discovered there, and making something that’s both old and novel.” Complementing Chef Horowitz’s four-course epicurean tour-de-force are live performances of exhilarating new musical works by Flannery Cunningham, Angel Lam, Gabriela Lena Frank, Derek Bermel, and David Schiff – all inspired by ancestral roots and “served” by the internationally-acclaimed Music from Copland House ensemble.
The magical, mystical setting for this one-night-only collaboration is the landmark Angel Orensanz Center, built in 1849 as a “village” house of worship in the center of what was then the thriving, expanding hub of New York City.
For 12 years, Copland House’s sold-out culinary and musical galas have been hailed as “a triumphant collaboration” (Food and Wine). Past galas have partnered with such marquee chefs as Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, Lidia Bastianich, Michael Lomonaco, and Michael White. As Westchester magazine raved, “this annual Copland House event can be counted upon to uphold the world of original, adventurous music and food, even if other worlds seem to be crumbling around us.”
Crossings co-chairs are Lisa Schultz and Ezriel Kornel. The Angel Orensanz Center is located at 172 Norfolk Street (just south of Houston Street) in New York City. Individual tickets are $600 ($475 tax deductible), and sponsorships begin at $750 ($625 tax deductible). For information, call (914) 788-4659,
e-mail Development Director Elizabeth Hurwitt, or
visit the website.
