Michele Oka Doner Hosts event for The Knights

Michele Oka Doner and her husband Fred opened their stunning SoHo loft for an evening of music featuring artist William Kentridge and The Knights, the brilliant New York based orchestral collective who provided live music for his production of The Head & the Load at The Park Avenue Armory. While champagne flowed, surrounded by the remarkable artwork, Kentridge and Knights artistic director Colin Jacobson explained their collaboration.

More than 100 music lovers attended included Teri Agins and Paul Hands, Corice Arman, Stacey Bronfman, Halim Bulos, Sharon Bush, Joan Hardy Clark, Mélite de Foucaud, Joanna and Brian Fisher, Joan Hardy Clark, Sylvia Hemingway, Cheri Kaufman and Bill Sclight, Elbrun and Peter Kimmelman, Michèle Gerber Klein, Thessaly LaForce, James Marcus, Christopher Mason, Toni Ross, Cole Rumbough, Sana Sabbagh, Fred and Robin Seegal, Alex and Michael Shuman, Adrienne and Gianluigi Vittadini, as well as Knight’s executive director Shruti Adhar.

South African born artist William Kentridge is a draftsman, performer, and filmmaker. The focus of Kentridge’s oeuvre has been an examination of the years before and after apartheid. Many New Yorkers will remember his dazzling visuals for The Met Opera’s production of Shostakovich’s The Nose. The Head & The Load commissioned by the Park Avenue Armory may be his most ambitious production to date.

The Knights are a collective of adventurous musicians, dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. Driven by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and exploration, they inspire listeners with vibrant programs that encompass their roots in the classical tradition and passion for artistic discovery. They provided live music not only for The Park Avenue Armory production of The Head and The Load but also for the performances in London at the Tate Modern. Upcoming Knights performances include a European tour, Family Shows at BRIC in Brooklyn, Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, and April 3 at Carnegie Hall. For more information see: http://www.theknightsnyc.com

Image (c) is John Sanderson/AnnieWatt.com