MEET THE
GALA CHAIRS

Howard Frank has served on the board of the New World Symphony since 1996. He served as Chairman of the board from 2002 to 2005. He was also Chairman of NWS’s Brilliance in the Making campaign and, together with Michael Tilson Thomas, provided the leadership in raising $167 million to build the Frank-Gehry designed New World Center and to fund the NWS endowment.  

Professionally, Howard served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Carnival Corporation. He retired from Carnival in 2013 after a 24-year career. Prior to joining Carnival, he was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

Currently, Howard serves on the Board of Directors of the St. Joe Company, a community development company based in Panama City, Florida. He is a special advisor to the CEO of Costa Crociere, a European cruise company and wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. He is the Chairman of the Board of Venezia Investimenti, a company based in Venice, Italy. 

Mary E. Frank is also a longtime supporter of NWS, alongside Howard. She is an art historian with a Ph.D. from Princeton, where she focused on the Venetian Renaissance. She is currently editing a monograph on Paolo Veronese, the 16th-century Venetian painter.   

In addition to writing and lecturing, Mary dedicates her time to a variety of philanthropic pursuits, serving on the board of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and supporting the American Academy in Rome and Save Venice, an organization dedicated to restoring the city’s art and historic landmarks. Closer to home, Mary supports the Lowe Art Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami.  

Howard and Mary share a number of philanthropic pursuits, including the Venice Music Project, which is dedicated to performing historically important Baroque music on period instruments. Their greatest passion for orchestral music is dedicated to the New World Symphony, where they chaired their first gala in 2002. They are honored and delighted to return for this landmark event, celebrating 35 years of MTT’s vision and artistic brilliance.