DKMS, one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations dedicated to fighting blood cancer, hosted a star-studded gala on Thursday evening (25 May) at London’s Natural History Museum. The event raised £1.5 million (US$1.85 million) for the DKMS charity*.
All funds raised go to save patients worldwide by recruiting more donors and giving access to treatment and research.
The evening was notable for a performance by Spanish opera singing legend Plácido Domingo, joined on stage by mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan, his son, Plácido Domingo Jr. and Virtuosos finalist Gergely Lukács, accompanied by The London Mozart Players orchestra, conducted by Eugene Kohn.
David Walliams, one of TV’s biggest personalities, opened the evening together with Chairman DKMS Global Katharina Harf. Sotheby’s Chairman, UK & Ireland Lord Harry Dalmeny conducted the auction.
Other attendees included supermodel Naomi Campbell; UK Olympic gold medallist diver Tom Daley; The Power actress Alice Eve; professional basketball player Ovie Soko; SAS Who Dares Win host Jay Morton and Bvgalri Ambassador Gena West; actor Basil Eidenbenz and Princess Lilly zu Sayn Wittgenstein Berleburg.
DKMS has offices in seven countries and has registered over 11 million donors worldwide. As a result, over 100,000 DKMS donors have provided second chances at life to patients in over 60 countries.
Maestro Plácido Domingo, who has also recovered from cancer, has always been in the first line when it came to helping charities of a worthy cause. So when he was asked to perform at the prestigious London gala dinner, he and all his team was happy to accept it.
Virtuosos finalist Gergely Lukács was invited to share the stage with Maestro Domingo and the London Mozart Players, to perform a tuba arrangement of “Vocalise”. Gergely himself is a blood cancer survivor, he was battling with non-hodkin lymphoma when he was 17. Since he healed from the life-threatening disease, he keeps supporting cancer charities with his performance, and even offered the full profit of his solo album to such charity.
