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A
couple of weeks ago, Publicolor held another one of their Paint Parties and raised $50,000 for their cause, which
is multi-faceted
and multi-tasking. If you don’t already know, Publicolor is
a not-for-profit organization that uses the Power of Color and Collaboration
to engage students (especially at-risk students) in their educational
process by empowering them to create lasting change in themselves.
A tall and imaginative order in this day and age, but they pull it
off.
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Ruth
Lande Shuman
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What Publicolor
does specifically is to form after-school programs in nine large
inner-city schools each year to teach students a marketable
skill – which in this case is commercial painting – along
with good habits/good work habits that enhance their experiences
and engages their futures.
They start right in the schools where they paint the rooms in colors
of their choices. So far they’ve transformed more than 68 New
York City public schools and more than 79 community sites, including
police precincts. These projects, which are industrious and a lot
of fun for all the participants (including the adult volunteers),
have a big impact on the daily lives of thousands students as well
as mobilizing 3000 volunteers every year.
It’s a brilliant idea that not only works but is restorative
spiritually as well as decoratively. The results of this program
are astonishing – 100% of Publicolors students participate
in community service, learn strong work habits that are transferable
to school work and the workplace, while also learning a marketable
skill that can help in breaking the cycle of poverty that afflicts
so many young people in the community.
This year’s Top Coat Paint Party took place at PS 34. Guests
wore Tyvek jumpsuits and painted along with the Publicolor students
and MTV’s TRL host Damien Fahey. There were generous event
sponsors participating included Bridger Capital, The Tuck Foundation,
Gerson Lehrman, Heller Ehrman; Absolut Vodka, Barefoot Wine, Izze
Beverage Company, Vosges Chocolates, WIRED Magazine, and The Container
Store. The reception included a silent auction with items donated
by: New York Film Academy; Me & Ro Jewelry; Michael Kors; Lisa
Kornman Designs; Richard Gluckman; Steven Scaroff; Jean Mahie; Bluni
Rea Salon; and The Container Store. |
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Whitney
Miller, Robert Douglas, and Alexandra Goelet
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Damien
Fahey
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Danielle
Strle and Hasan Dixon
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Samantha
Schmidt, Mark Mitchell, Linda Siegel, and Becca Mitchell
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Adam
Braun, Dana Bishop-Root, and Dustin Piper
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Wendy
McSwain
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L.
to r.: Hasan
Dixon, Lysa Lodge, and Diana Baillon; Casey Benjamin and
Dana Bishop-Root.
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The
first annual Opera News Awards were held at the
Pierre on November 20 with Sam Waterston and Isabel
Bayrakdarian co-hosting. They celebrated
the achievements of five remarkable artists: James Conlon,
Regine Crespin, Placido Domingo, Susan Graham and Dolora Zajick. Presenters
included
Patti LuPone, Terrence McNally, Martina Arroyo and Renata Scott, Nathan
Gunn, and Marcello Giodani.
Leaders of New York’s artistic, civic and business communities,
including those who purchased tickets from the Metropolitan Opera Guild
were in attendance. The awards themselves were sculptures made by Tiffany & Company.
There were feature presentations interspersed with special spoken,
sung and filmed tributes to the honorees, all of whom were present. |
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F.
Paul Driscoll, Susan
Braddock, Sam Waterston, Renata
Scotto, Susan
Graham, Plácido Domingo, Dolora
Zajick, Régine Crespin, and James Conlon
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year is the 70th anniversary of the Opera News which was first
published in 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild. The magazine
is a three time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor award for excellence
in music journalism. |
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Isabel Bayrakdarian
and Plácido Domingo
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Susan
Braddock
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Régine
Crespin and Martina Arroyo
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The
Pierre Ballroom
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Beth
Clayton, Patricia Racette, Ramón Vargas, Susan Graham,
and Plácido Domingo
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Plácido
Domingo, Susan Braddock, and F. Paul Driscoll
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Régine Crespin,
F. Paul Driscoll, Patricia Racette
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Serouj Kradjian
and Isabel Bayrakdarian
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Dolora
Zajick and Nathan Gunn
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James Conlon
and Patti LuPone
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Susan
Graham and Terrence McNally
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Denyce
Graves and friend
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Tobias Picker
and Susan Graham
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Renata
Scotto and Gregory Downer
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William
and Ann Harrison
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Last
week the Central Park Conservancy celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Tavern
on the Green by paying
tribute to partners, leaders and benefactors. Mayor Bloomberg, long
a personally generous supporter of the Conservancy was there, along
with Adrian Benepe, Parks Commissioner; Douglas
Blonsky, president
of the CPC and 20/20’s John Stossel.
The Central Park Conservancy is a private not-for-profit organization
that manages the park under a contract with the New York City Department
of Parks and Recreation. Through the support of many generous and
community-minded individuals, corporations, foundations and volunteers,
the Conservancy has raised the astounding sum of nearly $325 million
in the past two decades and transformed Central Park into a model
for urban parks all over the world. |
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Howard
Clark, Jr. and Elizabeth Varet
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Donna
Schwartz and Richard Gilder
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Daniel
and Nancy Paduano
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Betsy
Messerschmidtt and Gail Hilson
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Eleanora
Kennedy, Patty and Ken Olshan, and Michael Kennedy
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Ian
and Margaret Smith
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The
New York City Opera staged a performance of Rachel
Portman’s The Little Prince for the benefit of the company’s Opera Education Programs which
serve 9000 New York City public school students every year.
Chairs of the
benefit were Princess Alexandra of Greece,
Susan Baker, Caroline Cronson, Mary Sharp Cronson, Olivia Flatto,
Sandy Katzman,
Karen Kennedy MD, Valerie Mogul, Kara Unterberg, and Ashley
von Perfall. Among the guests attending were Paula Zahn, Paul
Kellogg, the Artistic Director of the company, Pierre
Dulaine, Jane Gullong, Debra Roberts,
and Dr. Susan Krysiewicz.
Following the matinee performance, guests were invited to lunch on
the Grand Promenade of the New York State Theater where they were
able to meet the cast, be photographed in the cockpit of the Pilot’s
airplane, have their faces painted and make their own ice cream sundae.
We’re talking about the younger guests mainly.
The Little Prince has been a longtime favorite of families all over
the world. Rachel Portman reinvented the classic tale of a young
space traveler into a magical new opera that captures the wonder
and simple beauty of the original book. Water comes alive, foxes
speak, and roses unlock endless secrets in a stunning production
that is as bright and colorful as a pop-up book. |
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Aubrienne
Krysiewicz, Julia Flatto, and Helen Matsumoto
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Leila
Roker, Debra Roberts, and Nicholas Roker
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L.
to r.: Tigran Mirzayantz, HRH Princess Alexandra
of Greece, and Darius Mirzayantz; Paul Kellogg, Stephanie
Styles, Graham Phillips, and Keith Phares.
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Austin
Cohen and Paula Zahn
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Susan
Baker, Pierre Dulaine, and Jane Gullong
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| Photographs
by Dario Acosta (Opera News); Clint Spaulding/PMc (NYC Opera). |
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