MUSIC BENEFIT’S $200,000 GOES TO AIDS RESEARCH

A weekend benefit concert featuring prominent performers from both classical and pop music has raised more than $200,000 for AIDS research.

The Sunday event, billed as “A Classic Evening for AIDS Research,” drew a capacity audience of 300, paying as much as $2,500 per ticket, to a snug auditorium at New York’s Public Theatre. Beneficiary was the American Foundation for AIDS Research, which has offices in both New York and Los Angeles. Linda Ronstadt sang “Ave Maria,” Marilyn Horne sang “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” Isaac Stern played “Fiddler on the Roof,” Marvin Hamlisch played Chopin and Leonard Bernstein sang from his musical “On the Town.”

“This entire evening arises from the urgency of the deepening AIDS emergency. . . . The great artists appearing tonight agree with me that we are in crisis,” said Bernstein, who personally organized the star-studded event, in a statement released Sunday.

Others who performed were soprano Eileen Farrell, actress Bernadette Peters and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

While there was no direct reference to AIDS, the choices of material, such as Peters’ haunting rendition of “My Buddy,” and a tearful “thank you” to the audience from Bernstein at the conclusion of the 90-minute program contributed to the poignancy. The serious but upbeat mood was reflected in the finale, “Somewhere” from Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”

The money raised will be used to fund three or four research grants, said the group’s founder and board co-chair, Mathilde Krim.