We are thrilled to announce that Harold Zimmerman, founder and CEO of Votre Vu, is the winner of the Fashion Group International’s prestigious 2011 Rising Star Award in the Category of Beauty/Fragrance Entrepreneur. Other nominees included Christopher Chong of Amouage, Francis Kurkdjian of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and Ellen Sirot of Hand Perfection.

The 14^th Annual Rising Star Awards, which recognize emerging talent in the Fashion and Design related industries, was held on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at Cipriani 42^nd Street in New York City. Bobbi Brown Worldwide president Maureen Case presented Zimmerman with the award, of which he says,

“Winning this award from Fashion Group International is truly an honor; I’m proud to be recognized for what we’ve accomplished so far at Votre Vu. However, my plea would be for everyone to stay tuned to the Votre Vu channel because baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Founded in 2007, Votre Vu is a luxury skin care company offering the finest French-made, natural products. Vu’s premium formulas—created by a French, family-owned laboratory that boasts more than 80 years of research and development expertise—are botanically based with the best, freshest, and most potent ingredients used in skin care.

Votre Vu products are available at www.votrevu.com

Great Music, Fun Time

I was still cold from the weather outside when I meet Rachael to get our press tickets. When we walk into the hall I notice a great energy and vibe from the audience. It was a high level of music From the opening of Gloria (U.S. Premiere) by CHARLOTTE DAW PAULSEN, Mezzo-soprano to my favorites Stabat Mater with BELINDA SYKES,’ Ethnic’ Vocals and Mey CHARLOTTE DAW PAULSEN. The ending Paradisi Gloria was great!

To say that the surroundings match the music for dramatic impact is quite the understatement: if what’s going on inside the Carnegie Hall is a little overwhelming, it seems that the massive choir may actually outnumber the audience. The subtext couldn’t scream any louder than the music: DCINY’s artistic director and principal conductor, Jonathan Griffith mastered the art of a conducting a large group with great skill and the highest order of talent.

It was a great professional performance by the Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) group. I encourage our audience to run to their next concert. Here is there link http://www.dciny.org/2011-season/

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) put together some of the best musical talent around today! Take a look at the talent from last night’s concert:

Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor

Karl Jenkins: Stabat Mater and Gloria (US Premiere)

Karl Jenkins, Composer-in-Residence

Belinda Sykes, ‘Ethnic’ Vocals and Mey

Charlotte Daw Paulsen, Mezzo-soprano

- James Andrew Style Music TV

Ensemble bios

B. Perrot

Kings Chorale (Canada)

Kings Chorale is a non-auditioned choir founded in 1982 by its current director. The group performs a wide variety of music from the classical repertoire through the popular realm and in several languages. The choir is made up of people from all walks of life and all ages drawn from communities throughout the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, Canada. The only prerequisite for membership in the group is the enjoyment of singing.

Graduating from Westminster Choir College in 1975, Bill Perrot been active in the Nova Scotia Choral Federation and the Association of Canadian Choral Communities. Bill is the founding conductor of Kings Chorale and Artistic Director of Nova Voce, Nova Scotia’s premier men’s choir. He has conducted the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir, Acadia University Chorus, Acadia Vocal Ensemble. and has prepared choirs for performances by Symphony Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. In May of 2008, Bill was given the Alumni Merit Award from Westminster Choir College for his work with choirs, particularly youth choirs, in Nova Scotia.

T. Howard

Kirk Choir of Pasadena Presbyterian Church (CA)

The music ministry at Pasadena Presbyterian Church includes eight choirs and ensembles covering three language groups and involving well over 100 musicians from kindergarten on up. Founded in 1940 by celebrated choral conductor Howard Swan, the Kirk Choir serves as the church’s principal choir during Sunday morning English-language worship services. Its diverse repertoire embraces the breadth of traditional choral music, music written in our time, and music from other cultures. The choir is seen weekly on the church’s cable television broadcast and is featured at several concerts each season as part of the church’s “Friends of Music” concert series.

Timothy Howard is Director of Music and Organist at Pasadena Presbyterian Church where, among his other duties, he directs the church’s Kirk Choir. In addition, he is Lecturer in Music at California State University, Northridge and head of the school’s organ program. A graduate, with honors, from the University of Southern California with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree, Dr. Howard also holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and Biola University. His organ scores to accompany the silent films “Nosferatu,” “From the Manger to the Cross,” and “The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ” are widely available.

R. McCartney

Methodist College Chapel Choir (Ireland)

The Chapel Choir concentrates mainly on liturgical music and has established a strong reputation through frequent radio and television broadcasts. In recent years the choir has sung in various Cathedrals in Ireland and England. In the summer of 2008 the choir returned to Westminster Abbey for its ninth residence in recent years.

In 2004 the Chapel Choir became Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of the Year and UTV Grammar School Choir of the Year. The choir regularly produces choral and organ scholars for Cambridge Colleges and two recent past members are recent organ scholars in Emmanuel College Cambridge, Corpus Christi College Cambridge and Christchurch College Oxford.

Before coming to Methodist College Ruth McCartney, director, was Head of Music at Markethill High School from 1988-1994. She is best known for her work with the Choirs in Methody. Ruth has both sung in and conducted many choirs over the years. In the early nineties she was one of two sopranos in the six part choral group Kaleidoscope who broadcast regularly on television and radio. She was a music critic for the Irish News and is an examiner and moderator with CCEA. In the 2003 New Year’s honours list she was awarded an MBE for her services to education. She was also awarded an honorary ABRSM from the Royal School of Church Music in 2005.

J. Anderson

Ottawa University Concert Choir (KS)

Concert Choir, founded in 1938, is Ottawa University’s premiere choral ensemble. Its membership is determined by audition and is open to all students. Concert Choir’s history of excellence in choral music calls upon its singers to maintain high levels of individual musicianship and ensemble skills as they perform music spanning the history of all choral traditions. Concert Choir is the major choral ensemble called upon to sing for official University events and to appear on behalf of the University beyond the campus. It performs frequently in area churches, in on-campus concerts, and tours annually during the spring semester, both nationally and internationally.

Jeff Anderson, Visiting Professor of Music at Ottawa University, directs Concert Choir and Jazz Singers. He holds degrees from Southwestern College (BME), The Wichita State University (MME), and The University of Missouri-Kansas City (DMA) where he studied choral conducting under Eph Ely. Prior to his appointment at Ottawa University, Dr. Anderson’s professional experience included teaching high school choral music and directing church music. His choirs have performed at state, regional, and national conventions of The National Association of Music Education and American Choral Directors Association. He is active as a festival conductor, adjudicator, and consultant in choral music education.

F. Woolston

Sine Nomine Singers (NC)

The Sine Nomine Singers is a chamber choir of professional and professional caliber amateurs founded by Music Director Finley Woolston in 1998. The choir performs in Eastern North Carolina in support of numerous charitable and public events. Membership is by invitation only and varies depending on performance requirements. The ensemble has appeared on behalf of The American Cancer Society, Foundation for Hospice, and Musicians for Missions relief for Haiti. They were also recently invited to New York City to perform for ceremonies honoring a disabled U.S. Marine wounded in Iraq.

Finley Woolston devotes himself to music after a career in the Marine Corps and Navy. He was a student of Brock McHelheren of the Crane School of Music and a cum laude vocal performance major at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He sings with and was a past Music Director of Schola Cantorum, the choir of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. He is Music Director of the Crystal Coast Choral Society and has prepared members of that community chorus to perform major choral works in Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. He is the founder and director of the Sine Nomine Singers, a chamber choir of professional and amateur singers.

F. DeMiero

Sno-King Community Chorale (WA)

The 117-voice Sno-King Community Chorale calls Edmonds, Washington home. Conducted by Frank DeMiero, the Chorale has been delighting audiences since 2001. The Chorale’s guiding credo is to “sing with a smile on your face and love in your heart”. Each concert is unique and reflects the groups’ success in performing challenging and diverse choral literature; sharing the stage with a variety of instrumentalists; and featuring music from classical to jazz to Broadway. The Sno-King Community Chorale is made up of community members who desire to experience the joy of singing as members of a choral team.

Frank DeMiero’s career started with playing accordion. Thank God it blossomed from there! Frank earned a BA in Education from Eastern Washington University and a Masters in Conducting from Central Washington University. The Frank DeMiero Jazz Camp has served over 6000 students during its 25 years. Frank’s choral groups have received consistent international acclaim. Recognized internationally for his innovations in all areas of music education, Frank is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician and motivational speaker. He currently conducts the Seattle Jazz Singers and the Sno-King Community Chorale. Frank is co-founder of Sound Music Publications.

R. Bouwer

University of Johannesburg Choir (South Africa)

The UJ Choir was formed in 2005. Although the choir consists of mostly African singers, the aim is to excel in both Western and African Music.

In 2006 they won a Gold Award at the 16^th International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music and a special jury prize for Multicultural Achievement. In 2007 they performed The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace by Karl Jenkins in the Johannesburg City Hall and Jenkins conducting.

The UJ Choir won the category for Traditional Music at two international choir competitions in 2008 and was the only South African choir to perform at the 8^th World Choral Symposium in Denmark.

Renette Bouwer, director, graduated with a B.Mus. degree, specialising in Composition (organ and piano as major instruments), from the University of Pretoria in 1980. She received her B.Mus. (Hons.) degree from UNISA in 1990 and her M.Mus. degree in Conducting through the University of Stellenbosch in 2009.

She currently works with voices from different cultural backgrounds, proving flexibility of the voice and adaptability of young singers to different styles of music.

Apart from her involvement with choirs, she has performed as soprano soloist in numerous oratoria in South Africa as well as in Europe. She has released more than 11 CDs with choirs, ensembles and as soloist.

J. Chapin

West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South Concert Choir (NJ)

Concert Choir is an auditioned group of 102 singers in grades 10-12. Concert Choir rehearses and performs challenging repertoire from many genres. The Concert Choir performs extensively throughout the state of New Jersey and abroad and has won numerous awards and superior ratings in nationally adjudicated festivals. Carnegie Hall in New York City, Patriots Theater in Trenton, and The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia are just a few venues where the choir has performed. Last year the choir performed Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, NJ under the direction of Dr. Allen Crowell from the University of Georgia.

Janice Chapin has been Director of Choirs at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South for the past nine years. Her duties include Directing the Concert Choir, Women’s Choir and Chorale, which all meet daily. In addition, she directs two auditioned a-cappella choirs and is Vocal Director for the school’s spring musical. Previously, Mrs. Chapin taught middle school in Princeton, NJ, where she led her choirs to first place finishes and superior ratings in national festivals as well as tours of the United States and Canada. Janice shares the music ministry with her husband Paul at the First Baptist Church in Bordentown, New Jersey where she acts as Assistant Choir Director.

Emerging Voices of 2011: Seven Groups to Watch

Groups to be Celebrated at Eighth Annual Friends of the Arts Party

at Christie’s, January 24, 2011

NEW YORK – December 27, 2010 – The Alliance for the Arts today announced its list of Emerging Voices of 2011: Seven Groups to Watch. Theses New York City nonprofit cultural organizations are innovative in the services they offer and extend their recognized expertise to audiences that are often not engaged in the arts. The Alliance will showcase and celebrate these groups at its Eighth Annual Friends of the Arts Party on January 24.

The Alliance believes that each of these seven organizations—whether by the audiences they serve, the content they create, the talent they foster, or the new perspectives they provide— offers a unique value that invigorates New York’s cultural scene with new energy and direction. In five years or less, they have established themselves as important members of the arts community with lasting abilities to continue and build upon their work.

Bushwick Starr
The Bushwick Starr is a performance venue and presenting organization dedicated to bringing art and artists to the Bushwick community. The group offers a professional and supportive space for artists to develop and present new theater, dance and music, fostering an open social environment in which artists and audiences interact.

Citywide Youth Opera

Citywide Youth Opera provides young singers in-depth musical, dramatic and interpretive training, culminating in a public performance of operatic works by the great composers from the Baroque through contemporary periods. The program is open to students ages 14 to 21. 

Dances For A Variable Population

Dance artist Naomi Goldberg Haas choreographs dynamic concert dances with diverse communities and age groups.  Her performing group, Dances for a Variable Population, aims to erase the border between dancer and non-dancer, returning dance to its initial wellspring: joy.

Talea Ensemble
Talea Ensemble advances contemporary music by bringing it to venues in New York and abroad while also introducing works from overseas to New York audiences. 

Theatre Askew

Since 2004, Theatre Askew's productions have redefined LGBT theater by using queerness as a metaphor for all who stand on the margins of American society.

Tong Xiao Ling Chinese Opera Ensemble

Established in 2005, this company performs classic Beijing Opera works with a full orchestra and costuming for local communities, schools and colleges throughout the metropolitan area. Director Tong Xiao Ling's family has been performing Chinese Opera for four generations. The company seeks to train new artists in this form.  

UnionDocs

Based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, UnionDocs presents a broad range of innovative and thought-provoking non-fiction projects to the general public, while also cultivating specialized opportunities for learning, critical discourse, and creative collaboration for emerging media-makers, theorists and curators.

Additional information on these and over 900 other groups is available on NYC-ARTS.org, NYCkidsARTS.org and the NYC ARTS iPhone App.

The Friends of the Arts Party will be held at Christie’s on Monday, January 24, 2011, 6:30 pm. The evening includes cocktails, music and a private viewing of Christie's Winter Sale of Old Masters & 19th Century Paintings, Drawings and Watercolors. Tickets may be purchased by visiting AllianceforArts.org or by calling (212) 947-6340.

Sponsors include Christie’s, NYCharities.org and Steven Amedee Gallery & Fine Custom Framing. The celebration is being produced with significant help from a host committee of creative services professionals, artists and arts supporters: Arkadia & Co (Tika Buchanan, Alberta Jarane and Hans Neubert), Damion Boyer, Nancy Elder, Michael Franco, Adji Gadson, Brian Jacobson, Branko Jovanovic, Fizza Khan, Eric Krevat, Abby Lee, Carolina Real, Janine Richardson, Bradley Silver, Something Digital (Greg Steinberg), Robert Strand and Tia Walker.

Christie’s is located at 20 Rockefeller Plaza on 49th Street between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of

the Americas.

About the Alliance for the Arts

The Alliance for the Arts’ mission is advocacy for the arts in New York through research and audience development.  For more information on the Alliance’s work, go to www.AllianceforArts.org.

The GREENE SPACE at WNYC & WQXR Announces

A Call For Performers For Season Two of

BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS

TALENT QUEST 2011

City’s Best Emerging Talent To Compete for a Grand Prize of

A Featured Concert in The Greene Space and

An Opening Act Performance at City Parks Foundation’s Summer Stage

Emceed by WQXR’s Terrance McKnight

(New York, NY) – Last year, 45 musical acts from across New York City went head-to-head in the BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS.

The Greene Space, WNYC and WQXR’s innovative multiplatform downtown studio and performance space, along with partner City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage, is once again searching for Gotham’s finest emerging artists to enter for a shot at the Grand Prize: a featured concert in The Greene Space and an opening act gig at SummerStage 2011. 

“Last year’s entries reflected the high caliber of untapped talent in every corner of New York City,” said Terrance McKnight, the award-winning host on Classical 105.9 WQXR and Battle of the Boroughs emcee. “The artistry spanned not only across geography, but musical genres as well. For Season Two we’re looking to once again explore the huge reservoir of diverse undiscovered artists in this city.”

GOT TALENT? The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR is looking for the best up-and-coming performers in New York City to take part in Season Two of Battle of the Boroughs in. Last year, 45 acts from across the five boroughs performed in The Greene Space and were webcast live to the world.

BE HEARD! The Greene Space’s Battle of the Boroughs is open to submissions from bands, ensembles, instrumentalists, vocalists, DJs and spoken word artists. All genres are welcome! A line-up of several acts from each borough will be selected to perform at The Greene Space, culminating in a final round with winners from each borough. The ultimate winner will receive a featured concert in The Greene Space – performing in front of a live studio audience as well as audiences worldwide via a live video webcast – and an opening act slot at a SummerStage concert in 2011!

SIGN UP! You can sign up and submit a sample of the work you would like to perform at: http://www.thegreenespace.org/battle. All entries must be received no later than December 31, 2010 at 11:59pm.

The BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS dates are on the following Friday nights:

February 4: Brooklyn

March 4: Queens

April 1: The Bronx

May 6: Staten Island

June 3: Manhattan

June 17: The Ultimate Battle: Winners from Each Borough Compete for the Grand Prize

Summer 2010: Winner’s featured concert in The Greene Space and opening act at City Park Foundation’s SummerStage concert.

City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We work in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City. For more information about CPF, please visit: http://www.cityparksfoundation.org.

New York Public Radio is New York’s premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC-FM, WNYC-AM, WQXR, and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org and www.thegreenespace.org.  As America’s most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City’s cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. Classical 105.9 WQXR is New York City’s sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city’s rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC produces content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station’s street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

AN INVITATION FROM MARIO BATALI…JOIN NYC’s CULINARY ICONS FOR A PALATE-PLEASING EVENT ATOP THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TO BENEFIT NEW YORKERS IN NEED THIS HOLIDAY SEASON…

New York, NY…October 26, 2010 — You’re Invited — join the Food Bank For New York City, Culinary Council Chair Mario Batali, and other culinary luminaries for an exclusive event — Eat•Celebrate•Support — on December 7th, 6:00 – 9:00pm, atop the Empire State Building (34th Street & Fifth Avenue) Manhattan.  Mingle with Mario, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Colicchio, Ted Allen, Andrew Carmellini, Brad Farmerie and many more of New York City’s most distinguished chefs, restaurateurs and culinary icons while helping fight hunger in New York City! 

Enjoy an evening of holiday-inspired cocktails and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres including presentations from David Burke Townhouse, Locanda Verde, Public & Double Crown, SD26, Riverpark, Morimoto, and others, and help celebrate the kick-off of the Food Bank’s newly formed Culinary Council. Bid for auction prizes including four tickets to the taping of Iron Chef and a private studio tour;  tickets to the Emeril Lagasse Show, restaurant gift certificates galore and more!  Finally, at this once-in-a-lifetime event, you’ll be present as the iconic Empire State Building turns orange, the color of hunger awareness. 

The Culinary Council, Chaired by chef/author Mario Batali, brings together prestigious leaders in the culinary industry to raise funds and awareness for the Food Bank For New York City and its sustained efforts to provide food and services for the 1.5 million New Yorkers who rely on them.   One in Five New York City residents relies on the Food Bank’s programs and services, including one in every five children.

Proceeds from this event, sponsored by Condé Nast Food Group and the Empire State Building, will support the Food Bank’s ongoing efforts to end food poverty in New York City.

Arrive in time for the ‘Orange’ Carpet at 6:00pm. Tickets are limited. Festive attire • $250 per ticket.  To purchase tickets please visit: www.foodbanknyc.org/go/culinary

Food Bank For New York City recognizes 27 years as the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty throughout the five boroughs.  As the city’s hub for integrated food poverty assistance, the Food Bank tackles the hunger issue on three fronts — food distribution, income support and nutrition education — all strategically guided by its research. Through its network of approximately 1,000 community-based member programs citywide, the Food Bank helps provide 400,000 free meals a day for New Yorkers in need. The Food Bank’s hands-on nutrition education program in the public schools reaches thousands of children, teens and adults. Income support services including food stamps, free tax assistance for the working poor and the Earned Income Tax Credit put millions of dollars back in the pockets of low-income New Yorkers, helping them to achieve greater dignity and independence. Learn how you can help at foodbanknyc.org.