Manhattan School of Music spotlights mentorship at 2026 gala

Manhattan School of Music celebrated its 2026 gala at the Rainbow Room in New York City, honoring Board Chair Lorraine Gallard and showcasing faculty, students and alumni across opera, Broadway, jazz and classical music. Hosted by Bebe Neuwirth, the event highlighted MSM’s mentoring model and its role in training artists for major stages.

Why it matters: - Manhattan School of Music used its annual gala to underline a core part of its identity: faculty mentorship that feeds directly into student careers. - The event also reinforced MSM’s place in New York City’s cultural ecosystem, where alumni and faculty work across Broadway, the Met, jazz and classical music.

What happened: - MSM hosted its 2026 Gala at the Rainbow Room in New York City on June 22, 2026. - The school honored MSM Board Chair Lorraine Gallard and celebrated MSM faculty under the theme “A Tradition of Mentorship.” - Bebe Neuwirth hosted the evening. Neuwirth is an MSM trustee, a member of the Artistic Advisory Council and an honorary Doctor of Musical Arts recipient from MSM.

The details: - Gallard, an MSM Precollege Division alumna, was recognized for 12 years of service as board chair. - Gallard joined MSM’s Board of Trustees in 2009 and became chair in 2014. - MSM said Gallard helped guide the school through a period of growth and distinction. - The program also highlighted faculty work across classical music, jazz, vocal arts and musical theater. - Ethan Mathias, a member of the Precollege Class of 2026, performed “Go the Distance” from Hercules. - Meredith Layne Hungerford, a Bachelor of Music candidate in musical theater, performed “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello, Dolly! with Shane Schag on piano. - President James Gandre delivered remarks before Benjamin R. Sokol, a triple MSM alumnus, performed “La calunnia è un venticello” from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, also accompanied by Schag. - A faculty tribute video, “Celebrating MSM Faculty: A Tradition of Mentorship,” opened the honoree presentation. - David Loud, music director of MSM’s Musical Theatre program and a member of the musical theater faculty, gave opening remarks for the tribute. - Gandre and Noémi K. Neidorff, a Board of Trustees member and double MSM alumna, continued the tribute before Gallard spoke. - J’Nai Bridges, a three-time Grammy Award winner and MSM alumna, performed “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” from Carmen and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Carousel with Schag at the piano. - Attendees included MSM alumni, trustees, faculty, students and supporters, along with figures from the broader arts world such as Ted Chapin, Jane Chu, Donna McKechnie, Jason Moran, Howard Herring, James Roe and Ann Ziff. - MSM says it has more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states. - MSM’s faculty includes musicians from the New York Philharmonic, the Met Orchestra, jazz, Broadway and other leading musical communities. - The school also serves 525 Precollege students ages 8 to 18, about 6,000 New York City schoolchildren through Arts-in-Education and another 2,000 students through its Distance Learning Program. - MSM was founded in 1918 by Janet Daniels Schenck.

Between the lines: - The gala functioned as both a fundraiser and a showcase, using performances to connect donor recognition with the school’s training pipeline. - The lineup of honorees and performers signaled MSM’s effort to link classical, opera and musical theater under one institutional brand. - The emphasis on mentorship suggests MSM is positioning faculty as a central asset, not just a teaching staff.

What's next: - MSM is expected to continue leaning on alumni, trustees and faculty to support its public profile and community engagement. - The school will keep promoting its degree programs, Precollege division and outreach programs as part of its broader mission. - For more information on Manhattan School of Music, its history and curriculum, visit the school’s website.