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NYC Fund Raiser

Posted by on Apr 12, 2008 in Blog | No Comments

One problem with a blog is that the frequency of posting is inversely related to the amount of work we’re doing! Nonetheless, I will do my best to catch us all up on recent events.

The fund raiser event in NYC was just amazing. The space (thank you Professoressa MaestroStein!) was gorgeous and we thoroughly transformed it from an architecture office into a Gala ballroom & art gallery. As pictured during set up above, we had an incredible spread of perfectly delectable Italian treats (thank you Mrs. Venuto!)

We pushed all the desks to the walls and then draped enormous amounts of black fabric (borrowed from Lori “Save the Day” Bellilove, thank you!). Then over the fabric we hung fantastic donated art from fishingline so that it was floating magically. It looked so slick even Ben Venuto wondered how we did it.

The entertainment was exquisite. La Monica was ethereal and transporting, just like always. After bewitching the audience with a few numbers, Feebster spoke about her experiences visiting the monastery in Calvi during the June tour last year. She related a magical moment I remember as well: when she spontaneously sang in the Night Offices and the whole building seemed to come alive.

There was something going on in that moment– some connection amongst the history, the architecture, and years of women’s voices vibrating off those walls. I was transported onto some other spiritual level and before I knew it, I was crying. This room, by the way, is the one that Mystophur and I plan to be married in. (There is magic in this place and we are going to let it out. Let’s get over there and get to work, people!)

Charites was really, really funny and had the clever idea of auctioning off the role of Paris such that an unsuspecting member of the audience (secretly his wife, whose middle name is “Save the Day,” had won the auction), who was then serenaded and fought over by the singers. It was priceless.

SistaBook, in the middle in the above photo, is completing her graduate studies in Baroque gesture, and employed by Charites throughout their performance. It is mesmerizing– the lilting sounds of the women’s voices flowing and then perching on a note, and at that same moment they strike a pose, often linking the three of them. It’s a lovely marriage of acoustics with aesthetics. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she and her ensemble will do at the monastery. Brooke also spoke about her involvement in the project. There’s just nothing like a gorgeous goddess singing like and angel and then speaking like a college professor. Can’t get enough of it. These are the people who will be sitting around the dinner table together. A table full of them. A room full of them. A monastery full of them!

SistaSamVenuto & SistaFlav

SistaSamVenuto, MrsVenuto, & JuliaCesare

Overall, the New York event was inspiring and delightful. The turnout was great and we raised $3200! This effort would not have possible without the hard work of many people, especially Ms JuliaCesare. She kept on this event like seals on carp and it totally paid off. Thank you for your dedication, amica mia. Another hero of this event was MaestroStein. Son of La Professoressa, MaestroStein was instrumental in finding the space, helping to set up, hosting meetings, coordinating, transporting, music directing, and finally, after all that, playing the harpsichord! So grateful to you, sir. Grazie mille. The Venutos also came out en force– BenVenuto forever leading the gang, MrsVenuto with the tasty treats, MrVenuto with the wine & other donations, even SistaSamVenuto with the art collecting. What a famiglia! The artists who donated are kind and generous souls:

Rachel Ostrow,

Mindy Belloff,

Scot J. Wittman,

Jessica Levy
&

Zito.

Zito at work! Portraitizing none other than our very own Sista Flav! And that red one hanging on the wall in the background is a Zito portrait of MamaCesare!One problem with a blog is that the frequency of posting is inversely related to the amount of work we’re doing! Nonetheless, I will do my best to catch us all up on recent events.

The fund raiser event in NYC was just amazing. The space (thank you Professoressa MaestroStein!) was gorgeous and we thoroughly transformed it from an architecture office into a Gala ballroom & art gallery. As pictured during set up above, we had an incredible spread of perfectly delectable Italian treats (thank you Mrs. Venuto!)

We pushed all the desks to the walls and then draped enormous amounts of black fabric (borrowed from Lori “Save the Day” Bellilove, thank you!). Then over the fabric we hung fantastic donated art from fishingline so that it was floating magically. It looked so slick even Ben Venuto wondered how we did it.

The entertainment was exquisite. La Monica was ethereal and transporting, just like always. After bewitching the audience with a few numbers, Feebster spoke about her experiences visiting the monastery in Calvi during the June tour last year. She related a magical moment I remember as well: when she spontaneously sang in the Night Offices and the whole building seemed to come alive.

There was something going on in that moment– some connection amongst the history, the architecture, and years of women’s voices vibrating off those walls. I was transported onto some other spiritual level and before I knew it, I was crying. This room, by the way, is the one that Mystophur and I plan to be married in. (There is magic in this place and we are going to let it out. Let’s get over there and get to work, people!)

Charites was really, really funny and had the clever idea of auctioning off the role of Paris such that an unsuspecting member of the audience (secretly his wife, whose middle name is “Save the Day,” had won the auction), who was then serenaded and fought over by the singers. It was priceless.

SistaBook, in the middle in the above photo, is completing her graduate studies in Baroque gesture, and employed by Charites throughout their performance. It is mesmerizing– the lilting sounds of the women’s voices flowing and then perching on a note, and at that same moment they strike a pose, often linking the three of them. It’s a lovely marriage of acoustics with aesthetics. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she and her ensemble will do at the monastery. Brooke also spoke about her involvement in the project. There’s just nothing like a gorgeous goddess singing like and angel and then speaking like a college professor. Can’t get enough of it. These are the people who will be sitting around the dinner table together. A table full of them. A room full of them. A monastery full of them!

SistaSamVenuto & SistaFlav

SistaSamVenuto, MrsVenuto, & JuliaCesare

Overall, the New York event was inspiring and delightful. The turnout was great and we raised $3200! This effort would not have possible without the hard work of many people, especially Ms JuliaCesare. She kept on this event like seals on carp and it totally paid off. Thank you for your dedication, amica mia. Another hero of this event was MaestroStein. Son of La Professoressa, MaestroStein was instrumental in finding the space, helping to set up, hosting meetings, coordinating, transporting, music directing, and finally, after all that, playing the harpsichord! So grateful to you, sir. Grazie mille. The Venutos also came out en force– BenVenuto forever leading the gang, MrsVenuto with the tasty treats, MrVenuto with the wine & other donations, even SistaSamVenuto with the art collecting. What a famiglia! The artists who donated are kind and generous souls:

Rachel Ostrow,

Mindy Belloff,

Scot J. Wittman,

Jessica Levy
&

Zito.

Zito at work! Portraitizing none other than our very own Sista Flav! And that red one hanging on the wall in the background is a Zito portrait of MamaCesare!

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