News
Carnegie Hall, Eleven Years Later
April 13, 2026 · News
Kimball Gallagher’s return to Carnegie Hall brought classical repertoire, new works, and stories from 88 International’s programmes to Zankel Hall.
On April 13, 2026, pianist and 88 International founder Kimball Gallagher returned to Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. The performance came eleven years to the day after the concert that led to the organisation’s founding in 2015.
The programme drew on both his life as a classical pianist and the collaborations developed through his work with young musicians. Alongside established repertoire were new compositions, a work first heard at Myanmar Music Festival, and films introducing people behind 88 International’s programmes.
A programme shaped by encounters
The evening included Debussy’s Estampes, Ravel’s Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn, and Brahms’ Third Piano Sonata. It also featured the world premiere of Hwaen Ch’uqi’s Trois Études Africaines, inspired by musical traditions from North, West, and East Africa, and selected preludes by Gallagher.
Between works, Gallagher spoke about the music and the people and places connected to it. In his account for The Village View, Kaju Roberto described introductions that gave listeners a way into the programme through stories of cultural exchange and personal experience.
From Yangon to New York
One connection to 88 International’s programmes was Simon Fink’s Lugalay, receiving its U.S. premiere. The work had first been performed in 2017 at the National Theatre in Yangon as part of Myanmar Music Festival.
Based on a Burmese poem intended to comfort a child falling asleep, Lugalay brings together Burmese text and its English translation. At Zankel Hall, its performance included vocalist Abigail Fischer and Burmese harp, carrying a collaboration begun in Myanmar into a different concert setting.
The people beyond the stage
Two portrait films by Gabo Arora were shown during the evening: one about Gallagher and another about Fatoumatta, a participant in the Gambia88 programme. They brought individual stories into a concert whose musical collaborations already reflected the organisation’s work across countries.
In his reflection a week later, Gallagher credited the young musicians and communities involved in 88 International with changing his understanding of music. He dedicated the concert to them and thanked the audience for sharing the evening.
Speaking subsequently to Muse by Clios, he described the recital as the moment when “the concert stage and the work in the schools finally became one story rather than two.”
The work between concerts
Across 88 International’s programmes, students lead after-school music clubs, write songs, and organise community events. Leadership and creativity training support that work, while alumni return as mentors and some train to facilitate workshops for younger members.
The Carnegie Hall programme brought parts of that wider work into view through particular compositions, collaborations, and stories. Its connection to the school programmes could be heard in Lugalay and seen in Fatoumatta’s film, alongside the repertoire Gallagher has performed throughout his career.
Read more and stay connected
Read Kimball’s reflection on LinkedIn, his interview with Muse by Clios, and The Village View’s concert coverage.