Friends of IHES Gala
Jazz and Physics
The Rainbow Room
Rockefeller Center, NYC
Thursday November 2, 2023 @ 6PM
Although physics and music might at times be seen as distant endeavors, there is more that connects them than meets the eye. The 2023 Friends of IHES Gala keynote speaker, Stephon Alexander, a theoretical physicist and a musician, has found his own personal life path by blending together his love for jazz and his research as a physicist.
A professional tenor saxophonist, not only will Stephon deliver the keynote speech of the evening, he will also coordinate the musical performance, partnering with top-level jazz musicians, including widely acclaimed drummer Will Calhoun.
Guest speaker: Stephon Alexander
Honorary guest performers: Will Calhoun, Santi Debriano, and Hector Martignon
Master of ceremonies: Marcus G. Miller
Auctioneer: Lydia Fenet
Under the high patronage of:
Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France to the United States
Jérémie Robert, Consul general of France in New York
Friends of IHES
For more than 20 years, Friends of IHES has been a bridge between IHES and its community in the United States.
Friends of IHES, Inc. is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization created in 1999. Its primary goals are to increase the visibility of IHES in the United States, coordinate the network of current and former American visiting researchers to the Institute, and raise funds for IHES. Since its foundation, the Institute has nurtured very close connections to the US and about a quarter of visitors come from there, every year.
Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques (IHES)
Founded in 1958, the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques (IHES) is a private, nonprofit advanced research institute in mathematics, theoretical physics and all related sciences. IHES is a community whose heart is in Bures‑sur‑Yvette, a small town outside of Paris, France, but whose reach and influence span the globe. Some of the most creative minds of the twentieth and twenty‑first centuries have called IHES their intellectual home – including nine laureates of the Fields Medal, three of whom are currently at the Institute. IHES is also a founding member of Université Paris-Saclay, ranked #1 university worldwide in mathematics and #1 in Europe in physics according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Our key values
Independence and Freedom of Research
Permanent and Visiting Professors are completely free of teaching duties and administrative responsibilities or concerns.
Courage and Risk Taking
IHES stands out with its bold recruitment policy: not content with attracting those with established scientific reputations, the Institute bets on young talents.
Intellectual Curiosity and Ambition
IHES provides the supportive environment needed for fundamental science at the highest level, which relies on long-term research work.
Collaboration and Emulation
The intellectual life of the Institute is constantly stimulated and invigorated by scientists from all over the world.
9 Fields medalists & 3 Abel Prize laureates
Your impact
Your sponsorship will contribute to the Institute’s mission of advancing fundamental research. It will directly support the scientific activity of IHES, financing researchers from around the globe, and more particularly from the US ‑ where our largest population of visiting professors reside.
