Mark Morris Will Be Honored By The New York Landmarks Conservancy At 2019 Living Landmarks Celebration

On November 6, 2019, The New York Landmarks Conservancy will host its 26th Living Landmarks Celebration at The Plaza. In addition to Mark Morris, this year's honorees are Carole Bailey French, Ted Mathas, H. Carl McCall, Emily K. Rafferty and Barbara & Donald Tober. The following previous honorees will also be involved: David Patrick Columbia as host, Peter Duchin and his Orchestra will provide entertainment, and Liz & Jeff Peek and Patsy & Jeff Tarr as Honorary Co-Chairs for the evening. More than 500 guests are expected to attend this 26th annual tribute.

Mark Morris has been hailed as the "the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical." (New York Times). In addition to creating over 150 works for the Mark Morris Dance Group, he conducts orchestras, directs opera, and choreographs for ballet companies worldwide. Morris' work is acclaimed for its ingenuity, musicality, wit, and humanity. Named a Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation in 1991, he has received eleven honorary doctorates to date, and a multitude of awards, including the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society, the Benjamin Franklin Laureate Prize for Creativity, the Cal Performances Award of Distinction in the Performing Arts, the Orchestra of St. Luke's Gift of Music Award, and the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award. In 2015, Morris was inducted to the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, New York. Morris' memoir, Out Loud, co-written with Wesley Stace, is published by Penguin Press and was launched on October 22, 2019.

The Mark Morris Dance Center provides a home for the Dance Group, subsidized rehearsal rental opportunities for hundreds of local artists each year, rental space for the community, programs for local children and seniors in New York City public housing, accessible and inclusive dance and music classes for students of all ages, with and without disabilities and is the headquarters for Dance for PD , an acclaimed program offered internationally for persons with Parkinson's.

"Mark Morris has delighted and inspired countless New Yorkers and helped create Brooklyn's cultural renaissance," said Peg Breen, president of The New York Landmarks Conservancy. "The Living Landmarks Celebration is an opportunity to recognize wonderful New Yorkers such as Mark, as well as celebrate the City we love. It's inspiring, and it's great fun."

Past awardees Paul Binder, Ina & Robert Caro, Christopher Forbes, Tim Forbes, Vartan Gregorian, Agnes Gund, Stephen S. Lash, Larry Leeds, Peter L. Malkin, Lynden B. Miller, Mary Lake Polan & Frank Bennack, Jr., Chita Rivera, Mitch Rosenthal, E. John Rosenwald, Ruth Lande Shuman, Peter Stangl, Robert A.M. Stern, Tommy Tune, Marica & Jan Vilcek, and Bunny Williams serve on the gala's Living Landmark Alumni Committee.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the gala start at $1,500; tables start at $10,000. Please visit www.nylandmarks.org for more information.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy honors distinguished New Yorkers from all professions as "Living Landmarks" for their contributions to the City. The Conservancy has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City's architectural legacy for nearly 50 years. Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $52 million, which has leveraged more than $1 billion in 1,850 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs. The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The Conservancy's work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York's distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.