Itzhak Perlman and New York Philharmonic to Join Rotary's Effort to End Polio Now

Itzhak Perlman and New York Philharmonic to Join Rotary's Effort to End Polio
Now

Virtuoso Violinist Who Survived Polio As a Child Will Perform in Special
Benefit to Protect the World's Children

NEW YORK, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rotary International is joining
violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman and the world-renowned New York Philharmonic,
led by Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Daniel Boico, to present the Concert
to End Polio, a benefit performance supporting the global effort to eradicate
this disabling childhood disease.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090902/DC69423)

The Concert to End Polio will take place on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at
7:30 p.m. in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New
York City. Program information will be announced at a later date.

Polio eradication resonates strongly with Mr. Perlman, who contracted the
disease at age four and overcame serious physical challenges to become one of
the world's most celebrated musicians. In this historic, one-night-only
performance -- his first with the New York Philharmonic in four years -- Mr.
Perlman will help Rotary in its effort to raise $200 million to match a $355
million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. All of the
resulting $555 million will fund critical eradication activities in developing
countries where polio still threatens children.

"We are honored that an artist of Mr. Perlman's stature and a cultural
institution as revered as the New York Philharmonic are supporting Rotary in
our effort to achieve a polio-free world," says Rotary International President
John Kenny. "Their participation demonstrates the importance of this
unprecedented global health initiative. It will be our lasting gift to the
world's children."

"The fact that polio is still around is ridiculous," says Mr. Perlman, winner
of 15 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. "There is
absolutely no excuse for anyone to get polio. This is an issue that has to be
dealt with immediately."

"We at the New York Philharmonic are proud to join our good friend and
esteemed colleague Itzhak Perlman and Rotary International for this important
cause," says Zarin Mehta, President and Executive Director of the New York
Philharmonic. "We hope that all our efforts will contribute to the worldwide
eradication of this terrible disease."

Concert tickets are $70-$200. A private reception with Mr. Perlman will follow
the concert. A premium concert seat and admission to the reception will be
offered at a package price of $500. All ticket sale proceeds will go toward
Rotary's End Polio Now campaign. Tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org
or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. Tickets may also
be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office or the Alice Tully Hall Box
Office at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Office is open from
10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. On
performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance
time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m.

Rotary International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Global Polio Eradication
Initiative in 1988. Since then, ending polio has been Rotary's top priority,
and tremendous progress has been made. The wild polio virus now remains
endemic in only four countries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Worldwide, the number of polio cases has been slashed by more than 99 percent,
preventing five million cases of childhood paralysis and 250,000 deaths.
However, the final one percent of cases is the most difficult and expensive to
prevent, which is why support for Rotary's End Polio Now campaign is crucial
to the initiative's success.

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in
the United States and one of the oldest in the world. Since its inception, it
has played a leading role in American musical life, championing and
commissioning the music of its time. The Orchestra is also renowned around the
globe, having appeared in 425 cities in 59 countries on five continents. The
Philharmonic's concerts are broadcast nationally on the weekly syndicated
radio program, The New York Philharmonic This Week, streamed on the
Orchestra's website, nyphil.org, and carried on Sirius XM Radio. The
Philharmonic has made nearly 2,000 recordings since 1917 and in 2006 became
the first major American orchestra to offer downloadable concerts, recorded
live and available on iTunes. Alan Gilbert becomes Music Director in September
2009, succeeding Lorin Maazel in a distinguished line of musical giants.
Credit Suisse is the New York Philharmonic's exclusive Global Sponsor.

Rotary is an international humanitarian service organization made up of more
than 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas, with a total
membership of 1.2 million business, professional and community leaders. In
addition to fighting polio, Rotary clubs carry out an array of humanitarian,
educational and cultural exchange projects and activities that address the
underlying causes of conflict, such as poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy,
and lack of clean water.

For more information on the polio eradication effort and how to support it,
visit rotary.org/endpolio

SOURCE Rotary International

Petina Dixon of Rotary International, +1-847-866-3054,
petina.dixon@rotary.org; or Katherine E. Johnson of New York Philharmonic,
+1-212-875-5718; johnsonk@nyphil.org