On Wednesday, June 10, at 6:00 P.M., the GRAMMY-Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will host its annual Gala at Guastavino’s in New York City. The event promises an evening of cocktails, dinner, and a silent auction, all while honoring Alberto Mihelcic Bazzana and Francesco Clark, who is the founder and CEO of Clark’s Botanicals, both of whom are Global Infrastructure Partners.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1972 by cellist Julian Fifer, emerged from a radical idea of what if an orchestra could thrive without a conductor? The ensemble’s conductor-less model allows musicians to rotate leadership roles, encouraging an environment where every musician can lead.
This model has not only expanded what classical music is but also has inspired a leadership approach in business and music by changing the ways of how classical music can be seen. Orpheus, the acclaimed chamber orchestra based at Carnegie Hall, has been for over five decades, transforming the role of orchestras through its community-focused initiatives, including the newest addition, Orpheus for All, which will offer on opening night, free admission to ensure attendees can experience live classical music.
In addition, the gala’s proceeds will support Orpheus for All in removing barriers to classical music, reinforcing Orpheus’ commitment to democratizing access to the arts. Orpheus Reflections, which brings the healing power of music to individuals with dementia and their caregivers; Access Orpheus, which engages 1,500 New York City public school students annually in the orchestra’s collaborative process; and the Orpheus Leadership Institute, which shares the orchestra’s leadership model with global organizations and businesses.
Additionally, Alberto Mihelcic Bazzana is a Managing Director in Equity Underwriting at Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which is a division of BlackRock, where he leads equity underwriting for infrastructure investments across the Americas and Australia. Before he was at GIP, he had senior roles at MUFG and GE, leading and helping to close more than $5 billion of debt transactions across the power, renewables, and natural resources sectors, and managing over $1 billion in non-U.S. equity investments.
Bazzana has said that music has always been his first love. A former professional cellist, he performed competitively across Europe as a child and continued as a soloist until the age of 18. His journey in finances mirrors the ethos of Orpheus, balancing precision with creativity. At the gala, he will join the orchestra on cello for a special performance, a testament to his lifelong connection to music.
Bazzana’s partner of eight years and parent to their twin children, Francesco Clark, who will be joining him, has a story of resilience and reinvention. After a spinal cord injury at 24, he began co-developing with his late father formulas to help with his compromised skin, which led him to create Clark’s Botanicals, a skincare brand now carried by Saks Fifth Avenue, Bluemercury, Credo, and Goop. Clark’s Botanicals has earned six Allure Best of Beauty Awards and three Women’s Wear Daily distinctions, proving that adversity can fuel innovation.
Clark’s journey includes selling his company to Warburg Pincus, then repurchasing it and returning it to the independent ownership that started the company. Moreover, Clark is a Johns Hopkins Leadership Fellow and board member of the New York Stem Cell Foundation; he is also a National Ambassador for the Christopher Reeve Foundation. Clark has also written a memoir, Walking Papers, and won the Washington Irving Award.
For more information on this event and tickets, visit orpheusnyc.org
Comments are closed.