Heir to Italian Fortune Sponsors Landmark Concert in North Korea
February 22, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Spurred by the belief in the power of music to unite people of different backgrounds, the Japanese-born countess, Lady Yoko Nagae Ceschina, is sponsoring the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance next week in North Korea, reports The Wall Street Journal.
When North Korea extended an invitation to the Philharmonic orchestra last year, Mrs. Ceschina was the first person to offer to provide financial support, according to Zarin Mehta, the Philharmonic’s president.
Mrs. Ceschina, 75, inherited her title and her $190-million fortune from her late husband, Count Renzo Ceschina, and will provide money to house, feed, and move the 280 musicians, staff members, and others, though she declined to disclose the cost.
Although the orchestra has a three-year sponsorship deal with Credit Suisse, which is sponsoring the group’s five-city tour of Asia, which began February 11, the company declined to pay for the trip to North Korea.
Some human-rights advocates say the Philharmonic’s concert will be used as propaganda by the North Korean government, but Mrs. Ceschina said that she was unconcerned about possible political controversy surrounding the event. “I always support them without thinking about political issues,” she said of the orchestra.
