Friends of Budapest Festival Orchestra Kick-Off Soirée

 

Donald Blinken, Sylvia Hemingway, George Pataki

 The Friends of the Budapest Festival Orchestra held their gala kick-off party with guests of honor Ambassador Donald Blinken and Governor George E. Pataki last week at Sylvia Hemingway's Fifth Avenue residence.  The hostess served Hungarian wine from her DHP Vineyard.  "Egészségedre!" toasted Sylvia (Cheers! in Hungarian).  

 

Kristina Allegra, Reni Rothschild, Stephen Benko

Friends chairman, Stephen Benko, flew in from Budapest for the occasion, announcing in his toast the April 6^th benefit dinner and concert at Carnegie Hall, as well as the plans for a second Vicenza Opera Festival, opening October 20^th, 2019.

Guests included: Kristina Allegra, Steven M.L. Aronson, Ambassador Nancy Brinker, Dr. Karen Burke, Joan Hardy Clark, Aaron Feinstein, John and Carole French, Susan Gutfreund, Cheri Kaufman and Bill Sclight, Michèle Gerber Klein, Aimee and William Maroney, Reni Rothschild, Daisy Soros, Stephanie Stokes, Barbara and Donald Tober, Annette Vass, and Máté Vincze (director of the Hungarian Cultural Center).

  

 Learn more about The Friends of the Budapest Festival Orchestra here

All photos (c) John Sanderson/AnnieWatt.com 

LongHouse Reserve Holds Winter Benefit

 

James S. Snyder, James Carpenter, Toshiko Mori, Paul Goldberger, Matko Tomicic

LongHouse Reserve's Winter Benefit honored architects Toshiko Mori and Jamie Carpenter, atop the Hearst Tower last Thursday night.  The evening began with cocktails in the East Rooms of the 44^thfloor with superb views of the city. Welcoming guests, executive director of LongHouse, Matko Tomicic, joked: "I was thinking about changing the title of the Benefit from winter to spring. I guess winter is over, thank god!"

Longhouse founder, Jack Lenor Larsen, spoke fondly of architect Jamie Carpenter, who designed the Israel Museum: "He was asked to design a real museum, of many buildings, beautifully orchestrated, and interestingly put together. It became a museum that you must visit soon. Jerusalem seems more distant than Europe or Japan. And it's such a handsome city built over thousands of years over the same golden stone... " James Snyder, director emeritus of the Israel Museum, recalled, "We invited Jamie to Jerusalem late in winter," he said. "It happened to be a kind of biblical weather weekend. The sky was intense blue, then there were cumulus clouds, then it snowed, then it rained, then hail. Jamie, whose sensibilities are all about light, got to experience every possible condition."  Jamie Carpenter added, “Glass celebrates nature in many different ways. I'm interested in the characteristics of glass which are a little more abstract and complex than simply transparency. It can communicate information around us."

Dianne Benson, Chairman of the Board, said, "One of the most wonderful aspects of my association with LongHouse and Jack is that I have learned that architecture is not just about a building, or wood, or materials, it's a kind of magic that Jack has introduced us all to." Paul Goldberger joked, "We are celebrating LongHouse in tall house.” He then said, “I have long admired Toshiko Mori's work. Her architecture simultaneously delights with the new, and, yet, at the same time, feels comfortable and almost familiar."  In accepting her award, Toshiko Mori said, “I have known LongHouse for a very long time, since I was a student. Therefore, it is very close to me and it's very interesting.” She also revealed how she had once interviewed  Jamie Carpenter for a job: “As Jamie likes to joke, he didn't get the job but he did get a wife.”

Guests included: Arthur and Diane Abbey, Jacqueline Brody, Richard De Rose, Sherri Donghia, Lee Freund, Sean Kelly, Christopher Latham, Mark and Elizabeth Levine, Eileen O'Kane Kornreich, Sandy and Steve Perlbinder, Lee Skolnick, James Snyder, Michael Steinberg, and Neda Young. 

About LongHouse Reserve 

LongHouse Reserve exemplifies living with art in all forms. Founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, its collections, gardens, sculpture and programs reflect world cultures and inspire a creative life. LongHouse Reserve is a 16 acre reserve and sculpture garden located in East Hampton, NY, featuring pieces from Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono and Willem de Kooning to name a few. For more information, click here

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of (c) John Sanderson/AnnieWatt.com 

UN Women for Peace Association Host Cocktail Reception Ahead of International Women's Day

Michal Grayevsky, Jo Carole Lauder, Ronald S. Lauder, Alice Tisch, Raymond Kelly, Barbara Winston

New York, NY: Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder welcomed over 70 guests to his townhouse Monday night in advance of the UN Women for Peace Association’s upcoming Awards Luncheon on March 1, 2019, to be held at the UN Delegates Dining Room.

During the cocktail reception, Ambassador Lauder, a longtime supporter of UNWFPA, delivered welcoming remarks. UNWFPA President Barbara Winston and Luncheon Co-Chair Raymond Kelly, former NYC Police Commissioner and CEO of the Guardian Group, also spoke.

Ambassador Lauder, who hosted with his wife, Jo Carole Lauder, told the crowd that it was especially meaningful to host the event at his childhood home, which once belonged to his pathbreaking mother, Estee Lauder.  

"My mother spent her life lifting women up and empowering them to achieve gretness.  I know everyeone here shares that mission, and I thank you for all that you do to end violence against women", Ambassador Lauder said. 

UNWFPA President Barbara Winston said: “Technology and humanity have to meet in order to provide the world with the courage and ambition to give each person their inalienable rights.”

“The UNWFPA is a vital organization devoted to raising awareness about the violence and indeed the atrocities perpetrated against women throughout the globe,” said Commissioner Kelly.

In addition to Commissioner Kelly, this year’s UNWFPA Awards Luncheon will be co-chaired by philanthropist Alice Tisch, who stood alongside Commissioner Kelly as he spoke. 

This year's Awards Luncheon will honor actor, writer and activist Ben Stiller, activist Leslee Udwin CEO and founder of Think Equal; fashion designed Naeem Khan; and international philanthropists Albert and Deidre Pujols.  UNWFPA will recognize Changemakers and Educators Mark Bracket Ph. D, founding Director of YALE Center for Emotional Intelligence and Robin Stern Ph. D, Co- Founder & Associate Director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.  Together UNWFPA, Yale and Facebook are bringing awareness to the importance of integrating social and emotional well being into schools, families and communities as a pathway to peace around the world.

  

UN Women for Peace Association was founded in 2008 under the patronage of H.E. Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, the wife of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The organization, which is led by Chair Muna Rihani Al-Nasser and President Barbara Winston, helps to advance the goals of academic and charitable organizations that provide opportunities for women to partake in the global peace-building process through social, cultural, education and women empowerment programs.

Tickets and Tables for the Awards Luncheon on March 1st are available here. 

Photo (c) Amber De Vos for Patrick McMullan

Free Beauty Events January Giveaway

 

FreeBeautyEvents.com is back this month with another amazing giveaway, and time it has a whopping $150 value!  For anyone not familiar with FBE, the site is a great tool for all beauty addicts.  It helps you stay up to date on the latest beauty happenings in your area and serves as an awesome way to snag killer free samples. Each month the site gives away a bundle chalk full of the industry's best must haves.  Let's check them out!  

This month's basket includes industry favorites from Vaseline, Dove, Essie, Carols' Daughter, Ponds, L.A. Girl, Garnier and more!  The contest runs from now through 1/31/19, winners will be chosen on 2/10/19 and notified by 2/15/19.  Entering is simple!  Visit FreeBeautyEvents on Facebook (don't forget to like them!) or enter directly on their website.

Besides the monthly giveaways, the site also offers great beauty advice and product reviews on their blog.  Like any of the products you read about?  Keep your eyes open for your chance to stock up!  Easy as 1-2-3, just enter your zip code into the site's search bar to find out which locations in your area might be handing out samples.  It's a helpful way to keep up to date with the beauty events happening in your town.  

  

Get more FBE info here

Have you attended an event listed on the site? 

China Institute Holds Annual Blue Cloud Gala

John S. Long, Dame Jillian Sackler, and Howard P. Milstein

Last month, the China Institute held their annual Blue Cloud Gala, which honored Liu Dan, John S. Long, Howard P. Milstein, and Dame Jillian Sackler for their contributions to US-China relations. Co-chaired by Yue-Sai Kan and Chien Chung (Didi) Pei, the evening included performances by the U.S. China Music Institute at Bard College Conservatory and ballroom champion dancers Victor Fung and Anastasia Muravyeva. More than 300 guests crowded the Pierre Hotel Grand Ballroom and raised nearly one million dollars.

 

Chien Chung (Didi) Pei

Howard P. Milstein was honored for his generous philanthropy and for founding the Milstein Medical Asian American Partnership Foundation.  Receiving the award, he said, “It’s a privilege to be able to help support the good work of the China Institute, and it is particularly meaningful because I’ve had the opportunity to benefit from many of their scholarly programs.” Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney sent him a special congratulatory video.

John S. Long, founder of the Long Family Foundation, was honored for establishing the University of California Irvine Long Institute, which works to bridge a common understanding between the US and China. “I’m just delighted to be part of this,” said Long.  “We do a lot of work with the second generation of Chinese here and that’s something that we and China Institute have been collaborating on.”

Dame Jillian Sackler, philanthropist and chair of the Foreign Policy Association, was recognized for her achievements in East-West cultural diplomacy, including founding the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University in Beijing.  “I’m very honored to receive the Blue Cloud Award,” said Dame Jillian. “I feel like a pioneer of museums in China because I built the first teaching museum there in 1993.  It was the first modern institution in the country to have state-of-the-art curatorial standards. I feel proud to have begun the realization that museums can contribute to the community.” Dame Jillian wore a gown created by Chinese designer, Guo Pei. The dress’ half-black, half-white pattern with embroidery and ink took more than 560 hours to make and was meant to symbolize a “cultural collision”, as well as Dame Jillian’s talent for bringing people together.

Liu Dan, one of China’s most significant living artists, was also honored.  His award was accepted by Didi Pei. “The construction process is never truly finished because we are always looking to do more, and this is what tonight is really about,” said Pei. “It is an opportunity to highlight all that we have done and set our collective sights on what we will build moving forward.”

The gala also featured a live auction by CK Swett who raised $250,000. 

The China Institute is the oldest bicultural, non-profit organization in the US to focus exclusively on China. At the gala, their president, James Heimowitz, announced new initiatives to come, including launching the US-China Next Generation Philanthropy Initiative, providing opportunities for emerging Chinese and American philanthropists. China Institute will also begin working with Bard College Conservatory to teach traditional Chinese music to New York City communities.

Photo Credit: Gonzalo Marroquin/Patrick McMullan