Music to our ears

Joshua Bell and Jessie Montgomery with Third Street students, friends, and supporters.

Third Street Music School Settlement, the nation’s oldest community music school, hosted its 113th Anniversary Luncheon in the Grand Ballroom of The Pierre Hotel. The annual fund-raising event serves as the occasion for Third Street to honor extraordinary artists and supporters of the arts.

Joshua Bell, the internationally-acclaimed violinist, received the Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts; Paul Kellogg, who retired in June as General and Artistic Director of the New York City Opera, received the Award for Distinguished Leadership in the Arts; and UBS, a leading international corporate supporter of the arts, received the Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts.

Third Street students.

Third Street violin alumna Jessie Montgomery of the Providence String Quartet and Community MusicWorks received the School’s inaugural Rising Star Award. The Master of Ceremonies was news anchor Jim Watkins.

Brief performances by Third Street music students ages 4 to 17 were and always are a highlight of the event. This year, a select group of string students had the extraordinary experience of playing music with honorees Joshua Bell and Jessie Montgomery.

Bruce Stevens and Steinway & Sons' staff.

Honorary Chairs of the Luncheon were Barbara E. Field, former Executive Director of Third Street, and Anna-Maria Kellen, Chairman Emeritus of Third Street’s Board of Directors. Randi and Fred Filoon and Edmée and Nicholas Firth served as Co-chairs. Mr. Filoon is a Director and Mr. Firth is Vice Chair of Third Street’s Board of Directors.

Proceeds from the Luncheon benefited Third Street’s students in need. Nearly 75 percent of all youth served benefit from need-based financial aid, merit-based scholarships and/or program subsidies.

Nicholas and Edmée Firth with Paul Kellogg

Mimi Leviit (center) and friends

Lee Koonce (Third Street Exec Director) and Anthony McGill

Stella Sichel, Edmée Firth, and Marina Couloucoundis

Joshua Bell, Jessie Montgomery, and Jim Watkins

UBS reps and Frank Minerva with Third Street students

Evelyn Peterson (left)

Jessie Montgomery

Annaliese Soros (right) and friend

Erik Lindauer, David Huggin, Paul Kellogg, and Nicholas Firth

Art collector and philanthropist Violy McCausland-Seve and the Faberge Family — as in decorative jeweled eggs and objets d’art — set the tone for the upcoming Holiday season with an exhibition of the extraordinary jeweled creations of the late Theo Faberge and his daughter Sarah for the St. Petersburg Collection to benefit The Nutrir Foundation.

This was the first major showing of the works of the family since Theo’s passing several months ago.

In the art-filled McCausland-Seve drawing room to celebrate the upcoming exhibition of the extraordinary jeweled creations of the late Theo Faberge and his daughter Sarah for the St. Petersburg Collection to benefit The Nutrir Foundation.

The Celebration Egg.

Mrs. McCausland-Seve opened her triplex apartment overlooking Central Park for a private viewing and sale of the works of the heirs of Peter Carl Faberge jeweler to the Czars.


	In addition to the Fabergé family works of art for sale, a unique cookbook created by Violy’s sister Patricia McCausland, was also offered for purchase with all proceeds going to the foundation.

The sale benefited the Nutrir Foundation which was established in December 2005 and is located in Barranquilla, Colombia.

A percentage of sales will go to the foundation which is committed to improving the well-being and quality of life of Barranquilla’ s less fortunate children by helping the families understand the importance of nutrition, and by providing the children nutritiously balanced meals.

Violy’s brother Roberto McCausland, a world renowned concert pianist played, and was joined by singer Brian Rafferty who performed a number of songs that touched the audience greatly.

But the stars of the evening were the legendary jewel encrusted Eggs, many of them created by Theo Faberge.

Even king of glitz Richie Rich of Heatherette fame was slightly awestruck by the beautiful designs long favored by royalty as the ideal holiday gift.

To help the foundation’s vital work and to view the extraordinary work of the Faberge family, visit www.fabeggs.com [3]

The Cinema Society & Linda Wells hosted a star-studded screening of Margot at the Wedding recently. The film was written and directed by the multi-talented Noah Baumbach (an Oscar nominee for The Squid & The Whale, which he also wrote and directed) and stars his wife Jennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman.

All were on hand for the screening at the Tribeca Grand Hotel and the party that followed at the Soho Grand Hotel.

Nicole Kidman

Noah Baumbach

Amanda Brooks

Cinema Society founder Andrew Saffir and Allure Editor-in-Chief Linda Wells welcomed a noteworthy crowd that included Lauren Bacall, Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky, Helena Christensen, Adrian Grenier, Darren Aronofsky, Stephen Fry, Griffin Dunne, Eva Amurri, Nora Ephron, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Roger Waters, Heather Matarazzo, Janine Turner, Michael McKean, Daphne Zuniga, Zuleikha Robinson (HBO’s “Rome”, “The Namesake”, “New Amsterdam”), Noah Bean (“Damages”), Katie Lee Joel, Jane Buffett, Ingrid Sischy and Sandra Brant, Padma Lakshmi, Frederique Van Der Wal, Amy Sacco, Elettra Wiedemann, Rachel Roy, Plum Sykes, Amanda Brooks, Alex Lundqvist, Daniel Benedict, Ghislaine Maxwell, Princess Alexandra of Greece, Olivia Palermo, and Paramount Vantage President John Lesher.