9.24.07: Parties, openings, luncheons, and galas galore

Parties, openings, luncheons, and galas galore

At Geoffrey Bradfield's "30th year in America" celebration.

Geoffrey Bradfield, the international interior designer, held a celebration marking his "30th year in America." The fete brought out a huge crowd of Bradfield well-wishers who were served by men dressed as Native Americans in full dress.

Clockwise from left: Native American-dressed security at the door; Celso Gonzalez Falla; Eric Javits and Monique van Vooren.

Geoffrey Bradfield and Charles Allem

Tiffany Dubin, Geoffrey Bradfield, and Debbie Bancroft

Katharine Otto Bernstein and Nathan Bernstein

Jude Shearin, Kim Vockel, and friend

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Barbara Regna and friend surrounded

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Patricia Burnham and Roy Kean

R. Couri Hay and Elise Lelon

Kristina and Arthur Ward

Gillian Fuller and Marjorie Reed Gordon

Sharon Sondes and Geoffrey Thomas

Robert and Tamara

Susan Shin and Bebe Neuwirth

Martina Basabe and friend

Geoffrey poses with guests

Renee and Richard Steinberg

Emilio Jimenez and Ingrid with Geoffrey Bradfield

Phil McCarthy, Jim Brodsky, and Fabian Basabe

Judy Price and Roric Tobin

Natalie Pray and Fred Adler

Ara Hovnanian, Ilona Kogan, and Rachel Hovnanian

Scott Moses, Jeff Harner, and Keith Turnipseed

Dr. Howard Bellin, Patricia Burnham, and Jonathan Farkas

Anait Bian and Montgomery Frazier with Maiwenn and Stephen R. Jaussrianeau

Geoffrey Bradfield and Baroness von Langendorff

Monique van Vooren

Amy Fine Collins and Ann Rapp

Wendy Carduner and Geoffrey Bradfield

Margo Langenberg and Natalie Pray

Last Tuesday night, New York City Opera opened its Fall Season with the New York Premiere of Margaret Garner, an exciting new opera with music by Grammy® award winning composer Richard Danielpour and libretto by Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. Tazewell Thompson directed this all-new production of what is hailed as “a great new American opera.”

This powerful work tells the true – and remarkably neglected – story of Margaret Garner, an enslaved woman who escaped with her family in January 1856. Faced with capture by federal marshals, 22-year-old Margaret resolved to kill her children to prevent their return to slavery and succeeded in killing her two-and-a-half year old daughter, Mary. The tumultuous trial that followed gripped the nation and threw into high relief the moral question: was Margaret Garner a person or was she property? These questions are explored through the unique combination of Ms. Morrison’s poetic libretto and Mr. Danielpour’s bracing musical score.

This special evening began with dinner on the Grand Promenade of the New York State Theater with Toni Morrison and Richard Danielpour, other members of the creative team, as well as luminaries from the contemporary opera world and African American community. Following the performance there was a champagne toast with the cast and creative team.

All proceeds from the Opening Night support City Opera’s mission to produce innovative productions of new and classic work, reach a wide audience with affordable ticket prices, and bring music into the lives of thousands of students each year through its acclaimed education programs in the New York City public schools.

Deborah Roberts, Toni Morrison, and Al Roker

Pamela Thomas-Graham, Susan Baker, and Lawrence Otis-Graham

Jane Gullong and Tracie Luck

Al Roker, Deborah Roberts, Pamela Thomas-Graham, and Lawrence Otis-Graham

Chris Madden and Toni Morrison with Earl and Barbara Graves

Brent Sikkema and Kara Walker

Dennis and Camille LaBarre, and Susan Baker

Mark and Lorry Newhouse

LaChanze and Al Roker

Tamara Tunie and Donna Walker-Kuhne

Tazewell Thompson, Toni Morrison, Richard Danielpour, Billye Williams, and Hank Aaron

Amy Fine-Collins

Taran Lee Swan

Mrs. Aaron, Hank Aaron, Richard Danielpour, Tazewell Thompson, and Mrs. Danielpour

George Manahan and Tracie Luck

Mary and Howard Kelberg with Michael Lynch

The New York Philharmonic launched its 166th season with their Opening Night Gala and concert last Tuesday night at Avery Fisher Hall (63rd Street and Columbus Avenue.)

Special guest Yo-Yo Ma performed Dvorak’s Carnival Overture cello concerto, symphony no.7. with the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of Music Director Lorin Maazel.

Mr. and Mrs. Efrim G. Greenberg were this year’s event Gala Chairmen. Co-chairmen included Mr. J. Christopher Flowers and Dr. Mary H. White; Mr. and Mrs. Gerald L. Hassell; Mr. and Mrs. Karlheinz Muhr; and global sponsor Credit Suisse.

Adora Ofodile

Anna Nikolayevsky Benton

Barbara and Donald Tober

Brooke and Peter Duchin

Among the guests: Mr. and Mrs. Yo-Yo Ma, Mr. and Mrs. Lorin Maazel, Mr. and Mrs. Paul B. Guenther, Mr. and Mrs. Zarin Mehta, Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel Ax, Mrs. Shirley S. Bacot, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Bartner, Mr. and Mrs. Sid R. Bass, The Honorable Donald Blinken and Mrs. Blinken, Dr. and Mrs. Clemens Börsig, Mr. Greg Case, Countess Yoko Nagae Ceschina, Mr. Michael Cherkasky, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen S. Crawford, Mr. and Mrs. Toos N. Daruvala, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Duchin, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Durst, Mr. Peter Enns, Ms. Katherine G. Farley, Mr. J. Christopher Flowers and Dr. Mary H. White, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy M. George, Mr. and Mrs. Alan Gerry, Mr. Peter B. Goodrich, Mr. and Mrs. Evan G. Greenberg, Mr. Alan I. Greene, Ms. Sung E. Han-Andersen and Mr. G. Chris Andersen, Mr. and Mrs. Gurnee F. Hart, Mr. and Mrs. Gerald L. Hassell, Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. Hekemian, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert E. Kaplan, Mr. Jeffrey B. Kindler and Ms. Sharon Sullivan, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kissinger, Mr. and Mrs. A. Eugene Kohn, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Kovner, Mr. and Mrs. Henry R. Kravis, Mr. H. Frederick Krimendahl, II and Ms. Emila A. Saint-Amand, Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. LeFrak, Mr. Kenneth Lipper, Mr. and Mrs. Klaus Peter Löbbe, Mr. and Mrs. Alan S. MacDonald, Mr. Michael MacElhiney, Mr. and Mrs. William J. McDonough, Mr. and Mrs. Karlheinz Muhr, The Honorable Frank N. Newman and Mrs. Newman, Mr. and Mrs. Charles F .Niemeth, Mr. Donald A. Pels and Ms. Wendy Keys, Mr. and Mrs. Itzhak Perlman, Mr. and Mrs. Charles I. Petschek, Mr. and Mrs. Joel I. Picket, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Renyi, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Rosen, Dr. and Mrs. Leon Root, Mr. and Mrs. Larry A. Silverstein, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald J. Ulrich, Mr. Antonio Ursano, Mr. and Mrs. Stanford S. Warshawsky, Mr. and Mrs. Masamoto Yashiro, Mr. and Mrs. Yasunori Yokote.

Carmen and Zarin Mehta

Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic

Daisy and Paul Soros

Christina and Alan MacDonald

Diane and Paul Guenther

Donna and Benjamin Rosen

Elizabeth Ballard

Gerald and Agnes Hassell

Karen and Richard LeFrak

Vera and Ambassador Donald Blinken

Rosalind Glaser

Hilary Geary and Wilbur Ross

Gillian and Sylvester Miniter

Paula and Leon Root

Sascha Greenberg, J. Christopher Flowers, and Evan G. Greenberg

Karen LeFrak, Gillian Miniter, and Vera Blinken

Guy Robinson and Elizabeth Stribling

Emily Ma, Yo-Yo Ma, and Jill Hornor

Paul Callelo

Patricia Cisneros

Sung Han-Andersen

Jamee and Peter Gregory

Nancy and Henry Kissinger

Post-concert Gala dinner

Cosby and Timothy George

Last Thursday night, Akris, the boutique at 835 Madison (and 69th Street), hosted a kick-off cocktail party for the Whitney Museum of Art’s 2007 Gala and Studio Party “Shades of Gray” honoring Chuck Close.

Among the crowd: Lisa Anastos, CeCe Barfield, Justin Bond, Leonard Lauder, Meredith Melling Burke, Dalia Oberlander, Delia Brown, Melva Bucksbaum, Chuck Close, Tim Hailand, Jim Hodges, Liz Hopfan, Kipton Cronkite, Martin Dawson, Amy Phelan, Nina Runsdorf, Adam Weinberg, Lisa Dennison, Lydia Fenet, Tom Florio, Glenn Fuhrman, Melissa Gellman, Marc and Andrea Glimcher, Amanda Hearst, and Michael Ovitz.

Shauna Brook, Nazy Nazhand, and Gina Rogak

Jessica Nagel and Nick Steele

Kirsten Steglich, Patrick McGregor, and Lisa Anastos

Abigail Golden and Martin Dawson

Lottie Oakley, Meredith Melling Burke, and Emilie Rubinfeld

Karin Luter and John Bossard

Melva Bucksbaum, Leonard Lauder, Chuck Close, and Amy Phelan

Tom Florio, Caroline Brown, Leonard Lauder, Lottie Oakley, and Adam Weinberg

Lisa Anastos and Dalia Oberlander

Lisa Dennison and Amy Phelan

Lydia Fenet and Emilie Rubinfeld

Delia Brown and Raymond Learsy

Lottie Oakley and Tom Florio

Liz Hopfan, Scott Gregorchuk, and Chris Cohen

Michael Ovitz, Melva Bucksbaum, and Chuck Close

Melissa Gellman and Marc Karimzadeh

Liz Swig, Lisa Dennison, and Nina Rumsdorf

Nancy Seltzer and Michele Gerber Klein

Stavros Merjos, Amanda Steck, Jennifer Beerman, and John Phelan

Christina Odelfelt, Jennifer Beerman, Michael Beerman, and Susan Harriot

Alexandra Lebenthal and Maria Bartiromo hosted a luncheon for designer Kim HIcks at Lever House last Monday. The lunch was to introduce Kim and her designs.

Attending were: Alexis Clarke, Amanda Gordon, Lydia Fenet, Rachel Hovnanian Cynthia Lufkin, Michelle Smith, Lisa Belzberg, Judy Byrd Blaylock, Diana Taylor Blythe Masters, Liz Peek, Gilian Miniter Elyse Newhouse, Sabina Schlumberger, Susan Kryzciewicz. The only one who couldn’t make it (and most would agree for a pretty good reason) was co-hostess Bartiromo who had to go to Washington to interview Alan Greenspan.