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 Notable Occassions
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Performance shot in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall’s Annual Notable Occasion hosted by Nicola Bulgari. |
Nicola Bulgari hosted the Annual Notable Occasion, one of many events specifically created for the Notables, Carnegie Hall’s membership program for music enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s.
The evening began with an exclusive cocktail reception at the Bulgari Store followed by a special Zankel Hall performance. The concert featured opera sensation and coloratura soprano Anna Christy, Broadway star Jason Danieley, and pianist David Loud, as well as members of Ensemble ACJW, the performing ensemble of The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.
The Bernstein-focused program featured the composer’s arrangement of Copland’s El Salon Mexico for two pianos and Bernstein’s Elegy for Mippy II for solo trombone as well as songs and duets drawn from Bernstein’s stage works. The evening concluded with a dinner in Carnegie Hall’s Rohatyn Room.
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Anna Christy and Jason Danieley performing in Zankel Hall |
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Lara Meiland and Claiborne Swanson |
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Guests in attendance included Lara Meiland, Carrie Cloud, Cody Franchetti, Caroline Rocco Dennis, Justin Turkat, Shawn McDonald, Kyle Blackmon, Gigi Sih, Helena Khazanova, Nicola Bulgari, Veronica Bulgari, Illaria Bulgari, Natalia Bulgari, and His Excellency Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta.
The Carnegie Hall Notables is a membership group specifically created for music enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s. The Notables program celebrates music through intimate discussions with musicians, concerts, private performances, and exclusive Notables-only social gatherings. Contributions to the Notables support the vital music education programs of The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, which annually serves over 115,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young music professionals, and adults in the New York City metropolitan area, across the United States, and around the world. For information about joining The Notables please visit www.carnegiehall.org/notables or call 212-903-9734. |
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Naomi Edelson (Benny Goodman's granddaughter) and CJ Evans |
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Brian Gorman, Gregory Dufner, and Will Higdon-Sudow |
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Ashley Passik and Shawn McDonald |
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Veronica Bulgari, Illaria Bulgari, Nicola Bulgari, and Natalia Bulgari |
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| Clockwise from above: Arial shot of Bulgari store; Daniel Arippol, Gigi Sih, Helena Khazanova, and Mary Rocco; Counselor Cecila Piccioni, His Excellency Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, Lila Castellaneta, and Nicola Bulgari. |
The Cinema Society, along with Allure editor-in-chief Linda Wells hosted a screening of “Smart People.”
The film, which received raves for strong, heartfelt and comedic performances by Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page, and Thomas Haden Church, is the darkly comic story of a widowed, acerbic and self-absorbed literature professor who falls for a former student.
Wells and the Cinema Society founder Andrew Saffir joined the film’s stars, along with screenwriter Mark Poirier, director Noam Murro, producer Michael London and Miramax President Daniel Battsek, for the Landmark Sunshine premiere and party which followed at the hip Bowery Hotel. Among the stars and boldfaced ones attending: Jane Fonda, Matthew Broderick, Cynthia Nixon, Griffin Dunne, Donna Karan, Ellen Barkin, Candace Bushnell, Parker Posey, Rachel Dratch, Isla Fisher, Jessica Seinfeld, Eva Amurri, "30 Rock’s" Lonny Ross and Katrina Bowden, Beth Ostrosky, Christopher McDonald, Ben Shenkman, Rocco Dispirito and Tracey Edmonds, Stella Keitel, NY Rangers’ Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan, James Lipton, Milena Govich (“Law and Order,” “K-Ville”), Leigh Lezark (MisShapes), Sante D’Orazio, Amy Sacco, Marci Klein, Marina Rust, Allison Sarofim, Ann Dexter-Jones, Mick Rock, Daniel Benedict, Olivia Palermo, Johannes Huebl, Byrdie Bell, Derek Blasberg, co-stars Camille Mana and Ashton Holmes, and Allure’s Paul Cavaco. |
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Dennis Quaid |
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Jane Fonda and Linda Wells |
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Ashton Holmes |
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Parker Posey |
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Donna Karan, Andrew Saffir, and Sarah Jessica Parker |
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Ellen Page |
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Andrew Saffir and Cynthia Nixon |
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Thomas Haden Church |
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Derek Blasberg and Byrdie Bell |
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Sarah Jessica Parker |
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Jane Fonda |
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Ellen Barkin |
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Rachel Dratch |
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Daniel Battsek, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Quaid, Ellen Page, Ashton Holmes, and Noam Murro |
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Dennis Quaid and Linda Wells |
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Cynthia Nixon |
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Tracey Edmonds and Rocco DiSpirito |
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Matthew Broderick |
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Christopher McDonald |
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Donna Karan |
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Eva Azzuri |
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Allison Sarofim |
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Charles Askegard and Candace Bushnell |
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Beth Ostrosky |
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The Spring Women's Luncheon Benefit and silent auction was held at the Pierre Hotel. Over 300 guests listened to this year's special guest speaker, Ruth Arnoldi Kohn, in conversation with Dr. Marion A. Kaplan, Skirball Professor of Modern Jewish History at New York University.
Ruth Kohn's fascinating story started in 1938, when many nations were unwilling to help the Jews, but the Dominican Republic offered to resettle 100,000 refugees. Sosúa, an abandoned plantation, would become a refuge to hundreds of Jews including members of Ruth's family. Ruth shared her uplifting story of escape from Germany at the age of 14. |
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Vivien Weissman Howard, Kathy Gantz, Luncheon Co-Chairs, featured speaker Ruth Arnoldi Kohn, Professor Marion A. Kaplan (interviewer), Lisa Oshman (Luncheon Co-Chair), Ann Oster and Patti Kenner, Luncheon Chairs and Museum Trustees |
Describing their arrival in Sosúa on December 7, 1941, she said "....it seemed strange, the climate, the language...but the feeling of being saved overwhelmed us." Trustees Patti Kenner and Ann Oster served as luncheon Chairs, the Co-chairs were Kathy Gantz, Vivien Weissman Howard, and Lisa Oshman.
Luncheon attendees viewed a film from the Museum's special exhibition: Sosúa: A Refuge for Jews in the Dominican Republic and received copies of Dr. Kaplan's book Dominican Haven: The Jewish Refugee Settlement in Sosúa, 1940-1945. Among the guests were prominent women representing the Dominican community and organizations in the Washington Heights area. |
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Ruth Arnoldi Kohn, with her sons Daniel, Frank, and David Kohn |
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Museum Trustee Fanya Gottesfeld Heller and David G. Marwell, Museum Director |
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Hon. Robert M. Morgenthau and Marian Klein |
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Museum Trustees Rita Lerner, Patti Kenner, and Ann Oster |
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Patti Kenner, Bel Kaufman, (granddaughter of writer Sholem Alecheim), and Doris Schechter |
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Harriet Tabak and her son Jeffrey E. Tabak, Museum Trustee |
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Stefanie and Elyse Butnick |
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Hon. Robert M. Morgenthau, Museum Chairman, Ann Oster, Trustee and Luncheon Chair, and David G. Marwell, Museum director |
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Celia Kener and her daughter Helen Kener Gray |
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Priscilla Grabino and Ivy Barsky, Deputy Director |
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Dr. Ruth Gruber |
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Ruth Arnoldi Kohn and Professor Marion A. Kaplan |
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Patti Kenner welcomes guests |
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Museum Trustee Rosa Strygler and Marilyn Tabak, wife of Museum Trustee Jeffrey E.Tabak |
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They celebrated the release of Dr. Robert Schwalbe’s first book “Sixty, Sexy and Successful: A Guide For Aging Male Baby Boomers” (Greenwood Press) with friends and family at an intimate invitation-only “Breakfast at ’21’” event one Tuesday morning earlier this month.
Jane Schwalbe, the doctor’s wife of 42 years, welcomed guests to the special, by-invitation-only lecture series at ‘21’ Club, which has featured a diverse group of high-profile presenters including Governor Mario Cuomo, Muriel Siebert, Dr. Henry Kissinger and Geraldo Rivera.
Sharon Bush said to her table of avid listeners that she’d heard rumor from Texas that the Bushes had paid her $10 million to stop her from writing her own book about her life and marriage to Neil, the President’s brother. She laughed, saying she had only received $30K a year for four years, for a total of $120K, after three children and 23 years of marriage.
Dr. Schwalbe added, that former Governor Eliot Spitzer might also have benefited from scheduling an appointment or got a copy before he destroyed his political career and damaged his marriage. Dream on. Attorneys Richard Frome and Salvatore Strazzullo, Fred Klein, Fred and Vicki Modell and 21 Club regulars Andy Blum, Aubrey Reuben and Randall Baker nodded in agreement while feasting on the scrumptious “21” menu of Scrambled Eggs, Crispy Bacon Slices and Fresh Fruit by Chef John Greeley. |
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Dr. Robert Schwalbe |
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Michele Gerber Klein |
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Harriette Rose Katz |
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Kathy Gantz |
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Ruth Kestenbaum, Debbie Born, and Paula Menche |
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Dr. Robert Schwalbe and wife Janie, and R. Couri Hay |
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Elaine Moore, Gail Billig, and Marcelle Agus |
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Angie Eastwick and William DeMeo with Janel Baldow |
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Steve Gross, Stephen Kule, and Martin Goldman |
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Zhenya Kampanets |
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Michael Mione and Kathleen Giordano |
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Justin Estill, Anait Kiladze, and Jeremiah Silva |
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Jon Roy and Susie Hahn |
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At about sunset time in Manhattan on a late Spring night, former New Yorkers Lora and Fred Drasner invited 300 friends to celebrate the publication of Lora’s first book, Sunsets.
The book is a compilation of Lora’s photographs, taken while circling the globe on their yacht during an extended honeymoon (close to three years). The party took place at the prestigious Marlborough Gallery on the East Side.
Fred was well known in New York as the former partner of Mort Zuckerman. He also was a minority owner of the Washington Redskins, and a former collector of 18th century English furniture.
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Lora and Fred Drasner |
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Mort Zuckerman and Fred Drasner |
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Several years ago he sold everything and after he and Lora’s marriage in Venice they boarded his yacht, Andromeda la Dea and sailed to such exotic places as Moorea, Tahiti; Staniel Cay, Bahamas; Society Islands, Bay of Virgins, Marquesas and Nomuka Iki Island, Tonga.
Lora picked up photography as a hobby to capture the trip and ended up with hundreds of photos. She worked with publisher, Courage Books, to pick the best and most unusual sunsets and to pair each one with an inspirational quote. The book was released May 1 and is sold at bookstores around the country and on Amazon.com.
At the event Liz Smith accepted a donation on behalf of Literacy Partners. Guests included Nancy Collins, Somers Farkas, Les Goodstein, Sharon Handler, Andres Carlo, Jacques Nasser, Elizabeth Ling, Dakota Jackson, Mort Zuckerman, Kimberly Oser, Shayne Bernstein, Taylor Custis, Michael Teich, Paul Tumpowski, Paige Peterson. |
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Somers Farkas and Marlborough Gallery's Marcia Levine |
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Sharon Handler and Lora Drasner |
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Carol Bell and Andres Carlo |
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Annalise Ghiz and Francesca Traldi |
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Emila Damjanovic and Pauline Dominh |
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Lora Drasner and Liz Smith |
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Marlborough Gallery's Janis Cecil and Lora Drasner |
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| Photographs by Craig Chesek (Carnegie Hall); ©Patrick McMullan.com. |
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