UPPER WEST SIDE — World Trade Center survivors, recovery workers and victims' family members will get first dibs on the free tickets to the New York Philharmonic's commemorative concert Sept. 10.
The Philharmonic is setting up a special e-mail address so those most affected by 9/11 can request a pair of tickets starting next week, the Philharmonic said in an e-mail to survivors of the attack earlier this week.
For members of the World Trade Center Survivors' Network, who are excluded from the city's official commemoration ceremony on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the special invitation from the New York Philharmonic was a welcome acknowledgment.
"The NY Philharmonic recognized what we are going through, particularly this time of year, and chose to give us special consideration at their concert on September 10," Brendan Chellis, 45, a member of the WTC Survivors' Network, said in an e-mail.
"I’m sure many WTC survivors, along with the family members and rescue workers, will be honored to attend this event."
It is not clear how many tickets are available or what would be done in case demand exceeded supply.
Chellis said the exclusion from the city's 9/11 commemoration was "painful" for many of the survivors he knows.
A Roosevelt Island resident, Chellis worked in One World Trade Center and fled the burning towers with thousands of others on 9/11. His cousin Chris Lunder, who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, did not make it out in time.
The Sept. 10 New York Philharmonic performance, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, will feature Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, the "Resurrection," and will be projected live on an outdoor screen at Lincoln Center and broadcast live on the radio. It will also be telecast on PBS the following evening.
Alan Gilbert, the Philharmonic's music director, said in a press release last month that the symphony "powerfully and profoundly explores the range of emotions provoked by the memories of 9/11."
The general public will not be able to reserve tickets until the day of the concert, the Philharmonic said in the e-mail to 9/11 survivors this week.
"It is particularly important to us that survivors, families of victims and first responders are honored on this occasion, and we have made arrangements for this community to have priority access to the free tickets,” said Philharmonic spokesman Eric Latzky.
“While there are of course a finite number of seats in the hall, we hope to be able to be as inclusive as possible of this community."
