Better Together: Photographing the 80th UN General Assembly Celebration
Most of my concert photography happens at a single venue. Show up, shoot the performance, pack up, go home. This one was different. Over two days, I followed the Teachers College Choir from the United Nations headquarters to Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium, covering events that celebrated the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
The first evening took place at UN headquarters on December 3rd as part of a cultural diplomacy forum. Smaller room, no stage, performers surrounded by the audience. The Teachers College Choir, directed by Jeanne Goffi-Fynn, performed a set that ranged from Passacaglia to Bernstein to "Make Our Garden Grow" from Candide. They closed with "A Sky Full of Stars," accompanied by Mark Oleszko on piano, Philipe Lemm on drums, and Thomas Readett on cello.
The UN program also featured solo instrumentalists. Kelly Ruofeng Zhang played Liszt's Liebestraume Nocturne No. 1 and Flight of the Bumblebee. Alicia Rando Ibáñez performed Sarasate's Jota Aragonesa on violin. The variety made for a good mix of close-up portraits and wider ensemble shots.
Two days later, the same choir stood on the risers at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium for the annual "Better Together" concert. I photographed both the rehearsal and the performance. Rehearsals give me more freedom to move around, and the singers are often more relaxed. You get candid moments that disappear once the concert starts and everyone locks in. The program included several works, but I was there to cover the Teachers College Choir's portion: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Different scale, different energy, different challenges.
The contrast between the two venues is something I don't often get to capture. At the UN, the backdrop was modern, with green patterned walls and an intimate atmosphere. At Carnegie Hall, it was the ornate cream and gold of Stern Auditorium, with a full orchestra spread across the stage. Same choir, same week, completely different visual storytelling opportunities.
Jorge Soto conducted the Carnegie Hall performance. From my position, I focused on the Teachers College Choir, capturing the expressions and gestures that emerge when singers are deep into music they know well.
The event was presented by sponsoring UN member states including El Salvador, Singapore, Monaco, Oman, Paraguay, and Portugal, along with UNITAR and The International Academy for Arts and Cultural Studies.
For choirs and ensembles performing across multiple venues, having documentation from both events tells a more complete story than a single concert can. If you're planning a similar run of performances, I'd be glad to talk through how to approach the coverage. You can reach me through danwrightphotography.com.
