Lunar New Year Gala 

Celebrating the Year of the Horse

 

 

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC LUNAR NEW YEAR CONCERT AND GALA

Honoring Long Yu and Starr International Foundation

Conducted by Long Yu and Featuring Soprano Kathleen Kim, Baritone Changyong Liao, and Morin Khuur Player Hasibagen 

 

February 25, 2026

Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall

 

The New York Philharmonic celebrates the Lunar New Year, welcoming the Year of the Horse with a Concert and Gala on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, in the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall. This year’s Gala honors Long Yu — artistic director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, music director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and a longtime friend of the New York Philharmonic — who also conducts the concert, as well as Starr International Foundation, which has been the presenting sponsor of the Philharmonic’s annual Lunar New Year Gala since 2014.

 

The concert opens with two purely orchestral works, Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture and the US Premiere of selections from Elliot Leung’s Chinese Kitchen. Following this, two acclaimed vocal soloists join the Orchestra in juxtaposed Eastern and Western selections: Chinese baritone Changyong Liao sings Lu Zaiyi’s Prelude to the Water Melody and an aria from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville; Korean soprano Kathleen Kim (in her NY Phil debut) sings New Arirang, Phil Young’s orchestration of the traditional Korean folk song, and a second aria from The Barber of Seville; and Liao and Kim share the stage in a duet from Lehar’s The Merry Widow. To conclude the program, Mongolian morin khuur player Hasibagen (NY Phil debut) performs Rhapsody for Morin Khuur and Orchestra: Longing, arranged by Zou Ye.

 

Gala events will include a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. on the Leon and Norma Hess Grand Promenade; the concert, which begins at 7:00 p.m.; and a seated dinner, attended by the artists, immediately following the performance, also on the Hess Grand Promenade. Attire for the Gala will be heritage formal or black tie. Starr International Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of Lunar New Year Concert and Gala 2026 / Page 2 the Lunar New Year Gala. The Gala Co-Chairs are Angela Chen, Misook Doolittle, Kay and Jackson Tai, Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, and Ling Tian and Diana Wang. 

 

Tickets Tickets to New York Philharmonic performances may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the Welcome Center at David Geffen Hall. The Welcome Center opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Welcome Center closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. 

 

For more information about the entire Gala evening, please visit nyphil.org/lny-gala, call the Office of Special Events at (646) 870-4054, or email events@nyphil.org. 

 

LUNAR NEW YEAR CONCERT AND GALA 

 

Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 7:00 p.m. 

 

ARTISTS

Long Yu, Conductor

Kathleen Kim, Soprano

Changyong Liao, Baritone

Hasibagen, Morin Khuur(*모린 후르: 몽고의 말머리 모양 현악기. 두개의 현으로 되어 있으며, 현과 활은 말꼬리 털로 만들어진다)

 

PROGRAM TO INCLUDE

Li H. Spring Festival Overture

Elliot Leung Selections from Chinese Kitchen

Lu Zaiyi Prelude to the Water Melody

Rossini Largo al factotum, from The Barber of Seville

Traditional / Orch. Phil Young New Arirang 신아리랑

Rossini Una voce poco fa, from The Barber of Seville

Lehar Lippen schweigen, from The Merry Widow

Traditional / Arr. Zou Y. Rhapsody for Morin Khuur and Orchestra: Longing

https://www.nyphil.org/support-us/galas/lunar-new-year-gala