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Event Contact:
Patrick Clair
Program Associate, Contemporary Issues and Corporate Affairs
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ORCHESTRA OFFICIALS AND REPORTERS WHO ATTENDED THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC'S HISTORIC CONCERT IN NORTH KOREA TO DISCUSS THEIR EXPERIENCE AT THE KOREA SOCIETY

New York, NY-March 31, 2008-On February 26, the New York Philharmonic performed a concert in Pyongyang, marking the first time a major American cultural event had been staged in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) since the Korean War. In an historic first, the concert was broadcast live by both television and radio in North Korea as well as internationally. Its local and global resonance was unprecedented as these broadcasts reportedly reached an audience of 200 million worldwide.
Philharmonic president and executive director Zarin Mehta, New York Times classical music reporter Daniel J. Wakin and ABC News Foreign News Director Chuck R. Lustig traveled to Pyongyang with the orchestra. On Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30 PM the three will discuss their trip-including how it came about and how it impacted the North Korean audience-during a panel discussion at The Korea Society. The discussion will be moderated by Evans J.R. Revere, president of The Korea Society, who also attended the concert.

About the Speakers

Zarin Mehta is the president and executive director of the New York Philharmonic, where he has continually sought to enrich and broaden the musical experience of Philharmonic audiences both at home and abroad, through innovative programming and outreach initiatives in the U.S. and by fostering frequent major international tours by the orchestra. Prior to his appointment at the Philharmonic in 2000, Mehta served as president and chief executive officer of Chicago's Ravinia Festival.

Daniel J. Wakin is a reporter covering classical music and dance on the Culture Desk of The New York Times. Wakin has also covered religion and general assignment, and has traveled widely for the paper, writing from the Middle East in the run up to the Gulf War, covering the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI and reporting on culture stories in Europe. Before joining the Times, Wakin was a reporter and editor at The Associated Press, based in Johannesburg, Rome and New York.

Chuck R. Lustig has been ABC News' director of Foreign News since 2001. He has worked for ABC News since 1983, holding positions in Washington, DC and Philadelphia. Lustig holds a BA in speech communication and American history from the State University of New York at Oneonta.

Evans J.R. Revere is the president of The Korea Society in New York City. He accepted this position in January 2007 after completing a 35-year career in government service, most of that as a U.S. diplomat and one of the leading Asia experts in the Department of State. During his career, Revere served as principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, chargé d'affaires and deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul (2000-2003) and deputy leader of the U.S. team conducting negotiations with North Korea (1998-2000).
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