Person Place Thing x Viñoly Foundation: Matías Tarnopolsky

Live recording of Person Place Thing with host Randy Cohen, featuring Matías Tarnopolsky, and live music by Duo Kayo.
About this Event

Join us for an evening with Matías Tarnopolsky, the Linda and Mitch Hart President & CEO of the New York Philharmonic and one of the leading cultural executives of his generation. With a career spanning some of the world’s foremost orchestras, performing arts centers, and universities, Tarnopolsky has championed innovative partnerships, expanded audiences, and strengthened the role of cultural institutions as civic anchors. His work has consistently focused on connecting artistic excellence with public life, fostering new collaborations, and bringing music to broader and more diverse communities.

Hosted by Emmy Award–winning writer Randy Cohen, Person Place Thing invites remarkable guests to share stories about one person, one place, and one thing that hold special meaning to them. The evening will also feature live music by Duo Kayo, the chamber music partnership of violist Edwin Kaplan and cellist Titilayo Ayangade. Drawing on more than two decades of combined experience with ensembles including the Tesla Quartet, Palaver Strings, and Thalea String Quartet, the duo is dedicated to expanding the chamber music repertoire through commissions, premieres, and fresh interpretations of classical works. Their adventurous programming and expressive performances invite audiences to experience chamber music in new ways.

Sponsored by the Viñoly Foundation and hosted at Rafael Viñoly Architects’ headquarters in Lower Manhattan, this live conversation promises an evening of thoughtful dialogue, music, and creative insight. Drawing on decades of leadership across the cultural sector, Tarnopolsky offers a deeply personal perspective on music, community, and the enduring power of the arts to inspire connection, imagination, and civic life.

About Matías Tarnopolsky

Matías Tarnopolsky became the Linda and Mitch Hart President & CEO of the New York Philharmonic in January 2025 and will lead the Orchestra alongside Gustavo Dudamel, Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Music & Artistic Director, beginning in September 2026. Driven by a lifelong passion for music and a deep commitment to the arts, Tarnopolsky has championed innovative partnerships and civic engagement, leading to the Philharmonic’s debut at Radio City Music Hall, performances at Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, and its first appearance at the United Palace with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. As President & CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts (2018–24), he partnered with Music & Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to expand multi-genre programming, led the landmark merger of the Kimmel Center and Orchestra, and spearheaded the rededication of Marian Anderson Hall in honor of the legendary contralto and civil rights icon. Previously, as Executive and Artistic Director of Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, he reimagined the relationship between performing arts presentation and learning within a university setting. Tarnopolsky also served as Vice President, Artistic Planning, of the New York Philharmonic (2005–09), following executive roles with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2015, received an honorary doctorate from Manhattan School of Music, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Avery Fisher Artist Program, the Advisory Council of the Tianjin Juilliard School, and the Viñoly Foundation. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in London, Tarnopolsky is a native Spanish speaker.

About Randy Cohen

Randy Cohen’s first professional work was writing humor pieces, essays, and stories for newspapers and magazines (The New Yorker, Harpers, the Atlantic, Young Love Comics). His first television work was writing for "Late Night With David Letterman" for which he won three Emmy awards. His fourth Emmy was for his work on Michael Moore’s "TV Nation." He received a fifth Emmy as a result of a clerical error, and he kept it. For twelve years he wrote "The Ethicist," a weekly column for the New York Times Magazine. He is currently the creator and host of Person Place Thing, a public radio program.

About Duo Kayo

Duo Kayo unites violist Edwin Kaplan and cellist Titilayo Ayangade in a chamber music partnership rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and discovery. Drawing on more than twenty years of combined experience with ensembles including the Tesla Quartet, Palaver Strings and the Thalea String Quartet, the duo is dedicated to expanding the repertoire through commissions, premieres, and fresh interpretations of classical works. They have championed the music of composers including Curtis Stewart, Tanner Porter, Caroline Shaw and Paul Wiancko, and have appeared at numerous festivals and venues throughout the United States. Through adventurous programming and expressive performances, Duo Kayo invites audiences to experience chamber music in new ways.

About the Viñoly Foundation

The Viñoly Foundation champions Rafael Viñoly’s vision of advancing architecture and urban planning for the public realm through education. The Foundation is dedicated to the belief that the spaces people inhabit profoundly shape human experience and development. Through innovative early childhood education programs, it fosters a lifelong appreciation of the built environment in children, nurturing their emotional, cognitive, and creative growth. Drawing from neuroaesthetic principles, the Foundation emphasizes how thoughtfully designed spaces impact well-being, particularly in childhood, and promote a deeper understanding of architecture’s influence on society.