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Wham! BAM: Thank you, ma’am!

Wham! BAM: Thank you, ma’am!
Photo by Stefano Giovannini

Pols and Brooklyn’s cultural elite packed Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Duggal Greenhouse for a gala celebrating the three-and-a-half decades of service from outgoing Brooklyn Academy of Music President Karen Brooks Hopkins on April 29.

The festivities included performances by singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, gospel singer Mavis Staples, and a set by disc jockey duo AndrewAndrew.

Hopkins has been at the Fort Greene arts institute since 1979, when she joined as a development officer. She took the reins along with Executive Producer Joseph Melillo in 1999, and oversaw the academy as it became a cultural bedrock in the borough. She is set to be succeeded by Katy Clark, the current head of a Manhattan chamber orchestra, who will take the reins at the end of June.

Reach reporter Noah Hurowitz at nhurowitz@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–4505. Follow him on Twitter @noahhurowitz