Oscar L. Tang, Agnes Hsu-Tang, Gustavo Dudamel, and Gary Ginstling (Photo by Fadi Kheir)
The New York Philharmonic announces that Oscar L. Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang have made a landmark gift of $40 million that will further expand the Orchestra’s future programming and engagement with New York’s diverse communities and the international music world. The gift is the largest-ever single contribution to the NY Phil’s endowment and will establish The Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music and Artistic Director Chair. The chair will be endowed commencing in 2025, when Gustavo Dudamel becomes the NY Phil’s Music Director Designate. Dudamel becomes Music and Artistic Director in the 2026–27 season.
The Tangs’ gift was motivated by their belief in the ongoing transformation of the New York Philharmonic and their enthusiasm for its future. With the reimagined David Geffen Hall and its improved acoustics, increased intimacy, and flexibility in presentations, and the appointment of Gustavo Dudamel as the Orchestra’s 27th Music Director, the NY Phil is poised to reach broader audiences, elevate diverse voices in symphonic music, and cultivate meaningful artistic and community partnerships in its quest to be a musical organization that serves all New Yorkers and people from around the world. Dudamel is widely known for his ability to universally communicate his deep love of music and his longstanding commitment to music education as a force for social change. The Tangs’ extraordinary $40 million gift to create the chair as Gustavo Dudamel begins his tenure reflects their support of these aspirations for the New York Philharmonic.
“Oscar and Agnes are visionary leaders, setting a new standard in empowering the arts and enriching New York City,” said Gary Ginstling, Philharmonic President and CEO. “Their extraordinary gift will help the NY Phil and Gustavo Dudamel reimagine what a 21st-century orchestra can be and ensure that the Philharmonic’s music-making will serve future generations. All of us at the New York Philharmonic are inspired by their belief in our aspirations.”