{"id":217047,"date":"2026-05-01T20:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/217047\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T20:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:34:40","slug":"photos-inside-brooklyn-academy-of-musics-2026-bam-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/217047\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTOS: Inside Brooklyn Academy of Music\u2019s 2026 BAM Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"2026<\/a>Talib Kweli at the BAM Ball afterparty. Getty Images for BAM<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Academy of Music<\/a> has never been conventional, and the same is true of its much-anticipated spring benefit gala, the annual BAM Ball. Earlier this week, a culturally clued-in crowd convened in the cavernous Adam E. Max Gathering Space for a monochromatically outfitted evening that moved from cocktails and the step-and-repeat through to a seated dinner and speechifying and finally, the New York premiere of Robert Wilson<\/a>\u2019s acclaimed Moby Dick\u2014a production that transforms Herman Melville\u2019s saga of obsession and vengeance via tart dialogue and soaring ballads by British singer-songwriter Anna Calvi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The evening delivered more than its fair share of memorable highlights, among them the tribute to honoree Gabriel Pizzi<\/a>, who was recognized for his leadership of BAM\u2019s Endowment Trust and was met with a standing ovation. The evening\u2019s most moving moment, however, came when choreographer Lucinda Childs<\/a> accepted on behalf of late artistic visionary Robert Wilson<\/a>, recalling in her remarks how Wilson would write thank-you notes to artists and collaborators after attending opening nights. The dinner hour ended with Watermill board chair William Cambell leading gala-goers in a collective chant: \u201cWe miss you, Bob. We love you, Bob!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"2026\"2026<\/a>William Campbell at the dais. Getty Images for BAM<\/p>\n

The guest list was a precise distillation of the BAM universe\u2014intellectually serious, artistically omnivorous and incapable of a dull conversation. Political strategist Huma Abedin<\/a>, St. Ann\u2019s Warehouse founder Susan Feldman<\/a>, architect Charles Renfro<\/a> and producer and philanthropist Fabiola Beracasa Beckman<\/a> shared the room with Grammy-nominated composer and songwriter Clyde Lawrence<\/a>, poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib<\/a> and interdisciplinary artist Helga Davis<\/a>. From the theater world came opera director Julie Taymor<\/a>, choreographers Lucinda Childs and Annie B Parson, director Annie Dorsen<\/a>, actor and director Paul Lazar<\/a> and Tony-nominated director, actor and musician Whitney White<\/a>. The screen contingent was equally well-cast: Severance<\/a> actor John Turturro<\/a>, Game of Thrones alumnus Robert Aramayo<\/a> and comedian and actor Jaboukie Young-White<\/a> held their own in a space where the competition for most interesting person present was pleasantly stiff. Fashion entrepreneur Cynthia Rowley<\/a> rounded out this well-heeled crowd.<\/p>\n

By the time DJ Miss Hap<\/a> kicked off the afterparty (where a surprise set from Talib Kweli<\/a> sent the crowd into a frenzy), the evening had raised over $1.25 million in support of BAM\u2019s mission. Not a bad night\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Carla Shen
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Carla Shen. Getty Images for BAM
\nClyde Lawrence
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Clyde Lawrence. Getty Images for BAM
\nKaren Brooks Hopkins and John Turturro
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Karen Brooks Hopkins and John Turturro. Getty Images for BAM
\nGeorge Sheldon and Yasuko Noguchi
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>George Sheldon and Yasuko Noguchi. Getty Images for BAM
\nJaboukie Young-White
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Jaboukie Young-White. Getty Images for BAM
\nWill Davis, Amy Cassello, Lindsay Pizzi, Hilary Jager and Annie MacRae
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Will Davis, Amy Cassello, Lindsay Pizzi, Hilary Jager and Annie MacRae. Getty Images for BAM
\nCharmaine Warren
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Charmaine Warren. Getty Images for BAM
\nJames Sheldon and Janel Callon
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>James Sheldon and Janel Callon. Getty Images for BAM
\nElizabeth Holtzman and Tim Sebunya
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Elizabeth Holtzman and Tim Sebunya. Getty Images for BAM
\nEmilia Sherifova, Raj Keswani, Kabir Ahuja and Amena Chaudry
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Emilia Sherifova, Raj Keswani, Kabir Ahuja and Amena Chaudry. Getty Images for BAM
\nEzra Max, Diane Max and Ros Shinkle
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Ezra Max, Diane Max and Ros Shinkle. Getty Images for BAM
\nJake Friedman and Kristen McElwain
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Jake Friedman and Kristen McElwain. Getty Images for BAM
\nDonna Augustin and Cynthia Rowley
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Donna Augustin and Cynthia Rowley. Getty Images for BAM
\nAlex Ching, Roni De Toledo, Jim Wilentz, John Buttrick and Nora De Toledo
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Alex Ching, Roni De Toledo, Jim Wilentz, John Buttrick and Nora De Toledo. Getty Images for BAM
\nSerge Laurent and Virginie Bos
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Serge Laurent and Virginie Bos. Getty Images for BAM
\nDaniel Gortler and Charles Renfro
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Daniel Gortler and Charles Renfro. Getty Images for BAM
\nHuma Abedin and Fabiola Beracasa Beckman
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Huma Abedin and Fabiola Beracasa Beckman. Getty Images for BAM
\nAlex Ching and John Buttrick
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Alex Ching and John Buttrick. Getty Images for BAM
\nWilliam Campbell, Edward Tyler Nahem and Tanya Minhas
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>William Campbell, Edward Tyler Nahem and Tanya Minhas. Getty Images for BAM
\nCarla Shen and Lindsay Pizzi
\n\"2026\"2026<\/a>Carla Shen and Lindsay Pizzi. Getty Images for BAM
\nMore in Parties<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"From<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Talib Kweli at the BAM Ball afterparty. Getty Images for BAM The Brooklyn Academy of Music has never…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[85589,85582,85579,4982,98,2905,100,99,85592,85574,17,85577,85581,85573,85586,14821,85578,85580,85571,85576,41552,85584,39151,85590,2538,15241,9,24,1791,63,8368,85583,85575,85588,85572,85591,85585,85587],"class_list":["post-217047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-anna-calvi","tag-annie-dorsen","tag-annie-b-parson","tag-arts","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-academy-of-music","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-charles-renfro","tag-clyde-lawrence","tag-culture","tag-cynthia-rowley","tag-donna-augustin","tag-fabiola-beracasa-beckman","tag-gabriel-pizzi","tag-galas","tag-hanif-abdurraqib","tag-helga-davis","tag-huma-abedin","tag-jaboukie-young-white","tag-john-turturro","tag-julie-taymor","tag-lucinda-childs","tag-miss-hap","tag-music","tag-musicians","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nightlife-dining","tag-nyc","tag-parties","tag-paul-lazar","tag-robert-aramayo","tag-robert-wilson","tag-susan-feldman","tag-talib-kweli","tag-whitney-white","tag-william-campbell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}