Arts & Humanities

NHSO holiday concert marks closing of Yale Center for British Art for renovations

New Haven Mayor Toni Harp joined the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) on Dec. 19 at the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) to celebrate the museum’s partnership with the city. The holiday concert was the final program at the YCBA before it closes to the public in January to begin the second phase of its building conservation project.
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New Haven Mayor Toni Harp joined the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) on Dec. 19 at the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) to celebrate the museum’s partnership with the city. The holiday concert was the final program at the YCBA before it closes to the public in January to begin the second phase of its building conservation project.

The NHSO concert at the Yale Center for British Art marked both the opening of the orchestra’s season and the upcoming closing of the museum for renovations.

Harp described the classic holiday music, performed by NHSO musicians in a world-class art collection, as three gifts in one.

“With today’s performance, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra opens its winter season,” said Harp. “Today’s performance also comes shortly before the temporary closing of this museum to allow for renovation and revitalization.”

Amy Meyers, the YCBA’s director, thanked the city for bringing the concert to the YCBA, and the Mayor for tirelessly supporting the city’s cultural institutions and events. She was joined by Elaine Carroll, executive director of the NHSO, who noted the essential role higher education and the arts play in making the city a unique and vibrant community.

“New Haven continuously distinguishes itself as the cultural center of this region, and the role Yale plays in building, sustaining, and enhancing that reputation cannot be understated,” she said.

The YCBA will reopen in February 2016. Highlights from the collection will be on view at the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG), integrated into the European art galleries. In addition the two museums will co-organize their first major joint exhibition, “The Critique of Reason: Romantic Art, 1790–1860,” on view at YUAG March 6–July 26, 2015. For updates visit britishart.yale.edu.