2026 Tisch Gala Performers & Creative Team

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PERFORMERS

C-Live Band of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music

"Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime the musical

Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Arhens, Book by Terrence McNally

"There's Enough Going On"

"Gus Smacker" by Westside Gunn "Basement" by Jerskin Fendrix
Music digitally edited by Baye & Asa

Performed by Second Avenue Dance Company

Mash-Up: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson/"Groove is in the Heart" by Lady Miss Kier, DJ Dmitry, Towa Tei, Q-Tip & Herbie Hancock

Arrangement by Jeff Peretz and Noor Hila

Performed by the N'Harmonics

After Party

CREATIVE TEAM

SAM SCALAMONI, DIRECTOR

Sam Scalamoni is thrilled to return to this wonderful event and continue his collaboration with both the amazing Tisch team and some of his favorite designers!

Sam is the director of the critically acclaimed national tours of Elf the Musical which has had 15 companies that toured the US since 2012, playing The Theatre at Madison Square Garden and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He directed the world premiere of the award winning musical, A Thousand Faces at the Encore Musical Theatre, based on the life of film legend Lon Chaney and the world premiere of Southern Harmony-A Murder Ballad at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre.  Sam developed and directed the world premier US national tour of the new musical, Noel, with book by best-selling author of the Artemis Fowl book series, Eoin Colfer. Sam is currently developing a new musical, Unbelievable, about American baseball legend Jackie Mitchell and a miniseries based on the same story titled JACKIE, baseballs forgotten legend. Sam directed and collaborated with Alan Menken on two workshops of the Broadway musical, Leap of Faith, he co-created and directed the developmental workshop of Mulan Jr. for Disney Theatrical Group and Music Theater International, and directed a workshop presentation of Sense and Sensibility at Playwrights Horizons. Sam has a long relationship with the classic musical Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, having served as Associate Director for Disney Theatrical Group since 2001. He has supervised the show on Broadway and mounted multiple companies globally. Sam is also a founding member and serves as Artistic Director of Skyline Theatre Company in New Jersey. 

ANDY YANNI '08, SCENIC & DECOR DESIGNER

Andy Yanni is a designer and maker, and an alumnus of NYU Tisch School of the Arts (B.F.A., Theatre/Scenic Design, 2008). He is co-owner and principal designer of CityFolk, a NYC and Hudson Valley-based design studio he leads alongside partners Meghan Gaber and Katie Rosenblatt. His work spans residential, commercial, and hospitality interior and architectural design, furniture design, and immersive experiences, backed by a hands-on background in residential and theatrical construction and project management. Andy has spent over two decades designing and building scenery for Off-OffBroadway and Off-Broadway productions across NYC, and has worked as a stagehand on several Broadway productions. He is a two-time New York Innovative Theatre Awards nominee for Set Design (2012, 2013). Much love to his wife and partner in all things, Meghan, and their wonderful son, Felix. 

BRIAN NASON '86, LIGHTING DESIGNER

Broadway: The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Chita Rivera); Thurgood (Laurence Fishburne); On Golden Pond (James Earl Jones); Fortunes Fool (Alan Bates, Frank Langella); Arthur Millerʼs Broken Glass (World Premiere); 1776 Dir. Scott Ellis; Helen Mirren’s A Month in the Country (OCCNom.); Taller Than a Dwarf (Matthew Broderick); Threepenny Opera (Sting); Metamorphosis with Mikhail Baryshnikov (Tony Nom.). Special Events: 11 DVD’s and 7 National Tours for Tyler Perry’s Madea; Great Performances “Spirituals” Live From Carnegie Hall (PBS); American Playhouse Presents “O Pioneers” (PBS). Film: Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls (TPS); Sing Produced by Neil Meron/Craig Zadan (Tri- Star). Tours: Noel The Musical; The Big Apple Circus; West Side Story; The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber; M. Butterfly. Off Broadway: More than 80 productions, 29 at Irish Repertory Theater, including the critically acclaimed The Emperor Jones. Opera: Dead Man Walking (Teatro Real, Madrid, NYCO); Jake Heggie’s It’s A Wonderful Life (San Francisco Opera, HGO); Cruzar La Cara de la Luna (Teatro Sucre, Ecuador); West Side Story (Teatro La Scala, Milan). Nominations: Tony Award, 2 OCC’s, 3 Audelco’s, Barrymore (won), Opera OnLine (won). Education: M.F.A. at NYU Tisch School of the Arts; Lighting Design Assistant to Lighting Designer Tharon Musser; Broadway.

JEFFREY M. MARKOWITZ, PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Jeffrey M. Markowitz is pleased to have contributed to more than a decade of Tisch Galas and has led projects such as Tribeca Festival, Radio City Christmas, Clinton Global Initiative, Stars on Ice, Phish  New Years' Eve Shows, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; he has also served as producer or general manager for Cirque Eloize: Rain, Lord of the Rings in Concert, Lang Lang –The Disney Book, Monet’s Immersive Garden for CAMI, currently supervising upcoming off-Broadway play Scarlett Dreams; as show caller for the Pan American Games in Rio 2007 and Toronto 2015, Rio 2016 and Istanbul 2020 Olympic bids, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and as stage manager on Broadway/Tour including Urban Cowboy, A Class Act, Annie, Blood Brothers, Annie 2, and Harrigan & Hart; on television Annie Live, Sound of Music Live, and The Wiz Live for NBC, the Tony Awards, Grammy Awards, VMA’s, Kennedy Center Honors, America’s Got Talent, 12-12-12 Concert, Fashion Rocks, NHL Stadium Series, 9/11 Memorial Service, and Live from Lincoln Center. Other credits include 50 operas and countless industrial shows, as well as his proudest credit as father to Kyla, and doggy Dad to Beto.

DAVID MOROCHO, CONTENT/VIDEO DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

As Creative Director of DTDG Creative, David is a communications and event marketing specialist who for the better part of 25 years, has been producing and driving creative content direction for small to large events.

He has partnered with many clients to create visually compelling solutions that support and enhance their mission and brands worldwide. His video, print, and graphic design work have been featured at events spanning many industries and regions ranging from tech conferences in Bangalore, Brazil, and Istanbul, to intimate luxury brand launches and reveals at the Louvre in Paris, to yearly financial shareholder events at the Metropolitan Opera, and Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC.

David received his creative training at Yale School of Fine Arts where he earned a B.A. in Fine Arts and Architecture. Before engaging his creative skills in the business of events, David also trained at the NY Film Academy and even explored acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. When not busy cooking up creative for a conference, David likes to enjoy long walks in New York City, reading a good book, traveling to new exotic destinations, and spending a fun evening dancing salsa with his wife.

PAUL BEVAN, SOUND DESIGNER/ENGINEER

Emmy-winning engineer, Paul Bevan, is one of New York’s most in-demand sound designers and engineers, working on a wide variety of major special event, corporate, orchestral, and music projects. Born in the UK, Paul was the House Sound Engineer at the legendary Marquee Club in London, before moving to the USA. He has mixed Prince, Ray Charles, Fleetwood Mac, Ed Sheeran, Yo Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, the Boston Pops and countless others, and is especially known for his work in the tasteful amplification of orchestras.