The Sound of Music

The cast of The Sound of Music: Mary Michael Patterson (Liesl von Trapp), Nick Spangler (Rolf Gruber) Rob Fisher, Musical Director and Conductor, Brooke Shields (Elsa Schraeder),Tony Goldwyn (Captain Georg von Trapp), Laura Osnes (Maria Rainer), Patrick Page (Max Detweiler), and Stephanie Blythe (The Mother Abbess)

Carnegie Hall held its gala benefit performance of The Sound of Music on Tuesday, April 24 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. New to the cast were Mary Michael Patterson (Anything Goes) as Liesl von Trapp, Nick Spangler (The Book of Mormon) as Rolf Gruber, Cotter Smith (Next Fall) as Herr Zeller, Drama Desk and Obie Award recipient Reed Birney as Admiral von Schreiber, and Joel Hatch (Billy Elliot) as Franz, The Butler.

In addition, making a special appearance late in Act II were three of the actors who played the von Trapp children in the beloved 1965 movie version of The Sound of Music: Nicholas Hammond (the film's "Friedrich"), Heather Menzies (the film's "Louisa"), and Kym Karath (the film's "Gretl"), joined the previously announced Daniel Truhitte (the film's "Rolf"), who plays Baron Elberfeld. These artists joined the previously announced cast: Laura Osnes (Maria Rainer), Tony Goldwyn (Captain von Trapp), Brooke Shields (Elsa Schraeder), Patrick Page (Max Detweiler), Stephanie Blythe (The Mother Abbess), Joy Hermalyn (Sister Berthe), Linda Mugleston (Sister Margaretta), Faith Sherman (Sister Sophia), and Veanne Cox (Frau Schmidt).

Brooke Shields (Elsa Schraeder) with Wilhelm Klinger, and Michael Gigl

Stephanie Blythe (The Mother Abbess) and Laura Osnes (Maria Rainer)

The roles of the von Trapp children included members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus: Jake Montagnino as Friedrich, Olivia Knutsen as Louisa, Jacob Sutton as Kurt, Grace Luckett as Brigitta, Natalie Hawkins as Marta, and Charlotte Knutsen as Gretl.

The gala benefit provides support for the music education and community programs of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. The evening was sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP with corporate chair Stephen R. Howe, Jr. and co-chaired by Susan and Ed Forst, Nelle Nugent and Jolyon Stern, and Dinny and Lester Morse, Jr. Gala guests enjoyed a festive, pre-concert dinner hosted by honorary chairs, including members of the Rodgers, Hammerstein, Crouse, and von Trapp families, and His Excellency Ernst-Peter Brezovszky, Consul General of the Republic of Austria, at Remi Restaurant.

Laura Osnes (Maria) teaches the Von Trapp children to sing with "Do-Re-Mi."

Patrick Page (Max Detweiler), Tony Goldwyn (Captain Georg von Trapp), and Brooke Shields (Elsa Schraeder) wonder "How Can Love Survive?"

The curtain call for Carnegie Hall's The Sound of Music

Mary Klein and Stephen R. Howe, Jr., Gala Corporate Chair

Veanne Cox (Frau Schmidt, The Housekeeper) and Rob Fisher, Musical Director and Conductor

Musical Director and Conductor Rob Fisher with members of the Mansfield University Concert Choir

Jolyon Stern, Penny Gillinson, Nelle Nugent, and Clive Gillinson

Marina Kellen French and Gala Honorary Chair His Excellencey Ersnt-Peter Brezovszky, Consul General of the Republic of Austria

Gala Co-Chair Edward C. Forst and Carnegie Hall Board Chairman Sanford I. Weill

Co-stars Laura Osnes (Maria Rainer) and Tony Goldwyn (Captain Georg von Trapp)

Patrick Page with co-star Brooke Shields and wife Paige Davis

On Wednesday, April 18, while the literary world was abuzz due to the lack of a Fiction prize being awarded by the uptown Pulitzer Committee, the New England Society in the City of New York (NES) feted the winners of its 2012 New England Society Book Awards at the historic Grolier Club in midtown. The Awards, which honor books of merit that celebrate New England and its culture, are presented annually to the authors of books published in the previous 12 months, in any of three major categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Art & Photography.

The 2012 New England Society Book Award Winners

The winning authors were all in attendance to accept their respective awards in front of a full-capacity audience made up of NES members, guests, and publishing insiders. The 2012 NES Book Award winners are as follows:

Fiction: The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian (Crown)

Historical Nonfiction: Death of an Empire by Robert Booth (Thomas Dunne Books)

Contemporary Nonfiction: Shucked by Erin Byers Murray (St. Martin’s Press)

Art & Photography: Litchfield Style: Classic Country Houses of Connecticut by Annie Kelly, photographed by Tim Street Porter (Rizzoli New York)

NES President Caroline A. Camougis welcomes guests to the luncheon

“For over 100 years, prominent writers such as Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louis Auchincloss, William F. Buckley, Jr., Harrison Salisbury, David McCullough and Dominick Dunne have been honored by NES, and so we were delighted to continue this rich tradition by celebrating the winners for the 2012 New England Society Book Awards,” said NES President Caroline A. Camougis.

Winning author Erin Byers-Murray accepts her award for Shucked in the Contemporary Nonfiction category, with NES President Caroline A. Camougis

Winning author Annie Kelly and photographer Tim-Street Porter accept their award for Litchfield Style, in the Art & Photography category

Winning author Chris Bohjalian signs a copy of his novel The Night Strangers for a luncheon guest

Shucked editor Daniela Rapp and Anna Bulkot

Executive Director Robin Hickey and President Caroline A. Camougis

Shucked author Erin-Byers Murray and Bradlee Hicks

Litchfield Style editor Sandy Gilbert, author Annie Kelly, and Tim Street-Porter

Anne Hall Elser and Arnold Neis

Rosemary Daniels and Elizabeth Apgar

Scott Glascock, Jay Sherwood, and Sam Hill

NES Book Awards Committee Ellen Scordato and Tim Street-Porter

Alan D R Frese and Jane Pflug

Tris Coburn and Death of an Empire author Robert Booth

President Caroline A. Camougis and Annie Kelly

Sam Hill, Gail Gaston, Libby Handros, and Tris Coburn

Jan Whitman Ogden

Jay Sherwood, Gail Gaston, John Kirby, Shucked author Erin Byers-Murray, Sam Hill, and Shucked Editor Daniela Rapp

Lucy Kirk, Jay Sones, Rosemary Daniels, Megan Stanley, Benedict Gedaminski, Anne Hall Elser, and The Night Strangers author Chris Bohjalian

Death of an Empire author Robert Booth

Last Thursday, The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met Family Circle held its annual PJ Party ...

Anjli Bhandari

Denise Saul, Andrew Saul, and Kim Tighe

Julie Macklowe

Libby Karmely and Jacqueline Sackler

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and Jill Swid Rosen

Roberto and Allison Mignone

Pamela Ludwick, Purva Tsai, and Dr. Kathryn Beal

Daniel Loeb, Lisa Eisenpresser, Martha Davis, and Margaret Munzer Loeb

Daniel Loeb

The Weekend before the Oscars (on February 17,18, & 19 2012), Save Venice Inc. hosted La Dolce Vita Weekend in Beverly Hills, a gala weekend of Balls and cultural events in private homes, for the benefit the art and architecture of Venice, Italy.

A Gala Evening at Dawnridge:
The opening Ball transported guests to 1951, post-war Los Angeles: the land of Billy Haines, Elsie de Wolfe, and Vincente Minnelli. Hosted by Hutton and Ruth Wilkinson, Count and Countess of Alastaya, this Ball featured the debut of La Contessa, the Wilkinson's stunning new residence on the legendary Tony Duquette Estate. A 21st century re-interpretation of a Venetian palazzo, the home (recently published in Bazaar, Italian Architectural Digest and Veranda) features extraordinary murals and a collection of decorative arts from the 17th-21st centuries. Guests wore "Dior New-Look" inspired vintage couture and black tie, right out of a Cecil Beaton photograph, while dining and dancing to the strains of “Beyond the Sea” and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” under the supervision of band-leader Johnny Holiday. A dozen singers and dancers serenaded guests in the supper-club atmosphere.

Dawnridge

Dancing at Dawnridge

Dawnridge singers

The dancefloor at Dawnridge

Elizabeth Locke

Johnny Holiday with the ladies

The Fellini Ball:
The following night, studio heads from Warner Bros. Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, NBC Universal, as well as guests who had flown in from around the world, all gathered in the flamingo pink splendor of the Beverly Hills Hotel for The Fellini Ball. This time they all channeled their creativity to evoke the glamour of 1961 — recreating an era when the Kennedys held the White House, Sean Connery battled Dr. No, and Anita Ekberg emerged from the Fontana Di Trevi. Guests sparkled in 1960s-inspired vintage couture (it looked like a few had been successful bidders at the recent Elizabeth Taylor auction at Christies in New York). Gentlemen donned their slimmest, 007 “shaken, not stirred" black tie.

Isis Moussa and Jeffrey Schlesinger

Juan Prieto, Douglas Truesdale, Matthew White, and Michael Carter

Yana Ayrapetyan, Chris Moss, and Michelle Host

70 performers, many volunteering their talent, brought this era to life in a show conceived & directed by Gala Chairman Manfred Flynn Kuhnert and produced by Tara Kuhnert Cote. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy greeted guests before “Austin
Powers” led a parade of “20 Mod Girls” into the ballroom as a 35 piece orchestra played Henry Mancini, and everyone swooned to the strains of "Moon River Cha Cha Cha"! Bond Girls soon appeared, not to mention “Shirley Bassey”, “Johnny Mathis”, “Marilyn Monroe”, “Maria Callas” and even “Elvis Presley.”

Under the musical direction of Tony Galla, these extraordinary singers took us back to the sizzle of the Sunset Strip.

Elvis (George Thomas)

Marilyn Monroe (Jodi Fleisher), Sergio Velotti, Maria Callas (Valentina Fleer), and Benjamin Covey

London Mod Girls

Marilyn Monroe and Pepe Esteve

Ruth Wilkinson, Hutton Wilkinson, and Joy Venturini Bianchi

M. Flynn Kuhnert, Gail Salomon, Peter Iacono, Tara Kuhnert, Arvin Brown, and Austin Powers

M. Flynn Kuhnert, Tara Kuhnert, and Austin Powers

Shirley Bassey (Alexx Daye)

Visits to Art Collections and Private Luncheons:
Guests spent their days touring private homes featuring extraordinary art collections, including that of the legendary Andy Warhol dealer, Irving Blum and his neighbor, the Weisman Collection. These tours were followed by luncheons, including one hosted by gala Co-Chairmen Sally & Michel Perrin.

Chairs: Manfred Flynn Kuhnert & Peter Iacono, Terry & Dennis Stanfill, Hutton & Ruth Wilkinson, Tara Kuhnert Cote. Co-Chairmen: Shane & Louis Fermelia, Sally & Michel Perrin, Carole Black, Jeffrey Schlessinger & Isis Mousa, and Belinda Menendez. Save Venice Chairman Matthew White; the Consul General of Italy, Giuseppe Perrone; Joy Bianchi.

Anne Fitzpatrick Cucchiaro and Stephen Cucchiaro

Cat Jagger Pollon with the Paparazzi

Charles Tolbert and Beatrice Esteve

Charles Tolbert and Carolina Palermo Schulze

Christine and Gabriel Chiu

David Wing and Pamela Babey

Francesca Piper Koss, Elizabeth Locke, and John Staelin

Gail Salomon, Peter Iacono, Tara Kuhnert, and Austin Powers

Hutton Wilkinson, Sally and Michel Perrin, and Carolina Palermo Schulze

Hutton Wilkinson, Tara Kuhnert, Ruth Wilkinson, and M. Flynn Kuhnert

Kim and John Wise

Valentina Fleer as Maria Callas

Liz Makrauer and Matthew White

M. Flynn Kuhnert

Mara Robinson

Melissa Wilmoth, Juan Prieto, Ruth Wilkinson, and Toni Brent

Niki McElroy, Jelena Kikic, Tiffany Carter, and Nicole Ouellette

Peter Iacono, Sally Perrin, Hutton Wilkinson, Valentina Fleer, and Benjamin Covey

Sally Perrin

Shane and Louis Fermelia

Tara Kuhnert with the Paparazzi

Terry Stanfill and Hutton Wilkinson

Terry Stanfill and M. Flynn Kuhnert

Early last month, the Young New Yorkers for the Fight Against Parkinson’s committee and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) hosted its fifth annual Celebrate Spring event at LAVO located at 39 East 58th Street in New York City. Over 350 supporters of Young New Yorkers and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation attended which raised $100,000. Proceeds from the evening will benefit PDF’s Côté Clinical Genetics Initiative, which supports research to identify and understand the role of genetic markers in Parkinson’s disease.

G. Pennington Egbert III, Gregory and Barbara Romero, Jonathan E. Romero, Jr., Georgina B. Schaeffer, Missy Egbert Sheehan and William B. Sheehan were the Co-Chairs.

Celebrate Spring was first conceived five years ago by G. Pennington Egbert III, his sister Missy Egbert Sheehan and their close friend Georgina B. Schaeffer. The three, whose fathers both lived with Parkinson’s disease, joined together to create the Young New Yorkers for the Fight Against Parkinson’s committee, a group of nearly 100 New Yorkers dedicated to advancing a cure for Parkinson’s. Each year the committee hosts Celebrate Spring, which has raised $400,000 since its inception.

Robin A. Elliott, Missy Egbert Sheehan, Georgina Schaeffer, and G. Pennington Egbert III

The event began at 8 PM with cocktails and dancing with music provided by DJ Brenda Black.

The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation supports research and ideas that will improve the lives and futures of people touched by Parkinson’s. Created by William Black, the founder of Chock full o’Nuts, a successful New York coffee and restaurant business, PDF was the first national not-for-profit organization to focus on Parkinson’s disease. Since its founding in 1957, PDF has invested $90 million in the research of leading scientists around the world and has committed an additional $37 million to support education and advocacy programs.