Youth Orchestra of the Americas Spring Benefit 2013
• April 19, 2013

Youth Orchestra of the Americas held its Spring Benefit on April 5 at the Organization of American States. The dinner program began with a video presentation narrated by YOA artistic advisor Placido Domingo. Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero spoke of “healing the world through music” and enchanted her listeners with a classical improvisation of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” She donated a private recital, with the caution of “Don’t make me wash the Dishes,” which raised an additional $7,000 for YOA’s Global Leaders Program, a tuition-free year-long fellowship program empowering the next generation of social entrepreneurs. [gallery ids="101229,145362,145357,145337,145351,145344" nav="thumbs"]

Women & Wine VIII
• April 10, 2013

On March 11, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center brought several hundred D.C. top business women together for a cancer briefing followed by Women & Wine, a cocktail reception and silent auction at the Four Seasons Hotel. Proceeds will support breast cancer research at Georgetown University Hospital’s Lombardi Cancer Center. Baker Tilly and Brandywine Realty Trust were presenting sponsors with Greta Kreuz of ABC 7 News as honorary chair. Georgetown Lombardi is the only comprehensive cancer center in the D.C. area, designated by the National Cancer Institute. [gallery ids="101218,145061,145050,145056" nav="thumbs"]

Embassy Chef Challenge
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Chef Nathan Bates of the Embassy of New Zealand is the first chef to win in all three categories: Challenge Hungary, a preliminary “Top Chef”-like competition; The Judge’s choice and People’s Choice awards. Bates served his garnished roast lamb cutlet to more than 450 guests, including “Top Chef All-Star” chef Carla Hill at Cultural Tourism’s Fifth Annual Embassy Chef Challenge at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on March 14. The event promotes diplomacy and celebrates arts, culture and heritage by supporting the organization’s free programs and events. Benefit chair Shahin Mafi introduced a video honoring the event’s first gala chair, the late elegant Pat Skantze, and introducing the Pat Skantze Lifetime Achievement Award.
[gallery ids="101219,145093,145088,145081,145073,145106,145067,145111,145116,145059,145121,145100" nav="thumbs"]

Institute for Education INFO Public Policy Roundtable Breakfast with Mayor Gray
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An invitation only guest list previewed Dupont Circle’s newest sports bar, The Gryphon, on Mar. 19. Owners Tony Hudgins, David Karim and Rich Vasey were on-hand to introduce the venue, which boasts the social dining atmosphere of a restaurant, the heart of a pub and the view of a stadium. Executive Chef Joseph Evans served up towering plates of bite-sized menu highlights. The pub-meets-posh venue opens its doors just in time for March Madness 2013. The Gryphon’s fully-integrated media system, including 31 televisions, ensures that college basketball fans catch every air ball and alley-oop. [gallery ids="99233,103692,103689" nav="thumbs"]

Pink Tie Party: It’s All About Cherries
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Cherries were on every menu at the fifth annual Pink Tie Party at the Mayflower Hotel, March 23. As part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the over-the-top tastings and drinks from more than 20 restaurants filled the promenade and ballroom and benefitted the Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. [gallery ids="99632,105189,105196,105193" nav="thumbs"]

Imperial Ottoman Jewelry at the Turkish Embassy Residence
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The embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission welcomed guests to an evening of arts and culture on Apr. 4. Ambassador and Mrs. Tan were in Turkey with Secretary of State Kerry, who he said had decided to make the country “his second home” on diplomatic missions to the Middle East. The fundraising event for Anatolian Artisans, a non-profit organization assisting low-income craftsmen of Turkey, featured historian, architect and author Gül Irepo?lu who discussed her latest book which highlights jewelry as the most sophisticated indication of social history. Following the program, guests enjoyed a buffet dinner and display of jewelry created by select Turkish designers. [gallery ids="101228,145340,145316,145335,145323,145331" nav="thumbs"]

Capella So Luxe It Requires Several DebutsApril 10, 2013
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A few floral ribbon-cuttings later, the Georgetown Capella is settling into its intimate spot on 31st Street, next to the C&O Canal. The 49-room boutique hotel aims for the top, as it touts its service, restaurant, amenities and architecture. It already has made a splash with several invitation-only parties and has been open since March 22.

A March 29 debut brought out Mayor Vincent Gray, other notables and business investors. An April 3 reception also invited the media and neighborhood leaders to see the rooms and sample some bites.

The Capella touts its Grill Room and Rye Bar with chef Jakob Esko. The canal- front patio with tables is a standout. Each guest gets a personal assistant; rooms look like perfectly appointed condos.

Founded by former Ritz Carlton COO Horst Schulze, the company has other Capella properties in Singapore, Dusseldorf, Ixtapa, and Cabo San Lucas. The company plans to open hotels in Sochi, Russia, Riviera Maya, Mexico, and Bangkok.

Gala Guide for Spring 2013
• March 28, 2013

Spring has sprung, although it may not have been clear to those who looked out their windows on Monday morning to see snow topped trees in early blossom. There will be no end of festivities in coming months. The nation’s capital offers treats for all—the Opera Ball, the Washington Ballet’s Hemingway in Paris Ball, Washington Performing Arts Society Annual Gala, Corcoran Ball, National Museum of Women in the Arts Spring Gala and Phillips Collection Annual Gala are high on social lists. Theatergoers have the Helen Hayes Awards, Folger Gala, and Will on the Hall. Foodies can delight in Taste of the Nation, March of Dimes Gourmet Gala, Taste of Georgetown and RAMMY Awards Gala. Dog lovers and treasured pets can strut their stuff at Fashion for Paws and the Bark Ball. Cats tend to shun the social scene.

April 2
Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards
Join Vital Voices to celebrate 12 years of honoring extraordinary women leaders working to strengthen democracy, increase economic opportunity and protect human rights around the world. Kennedy Center. For more information, call (202) 636-8743 or
visit www.vitalvoices.org.

April 6
Washington National Opera’s Annual Opera Ball
This prestigious black-tie celebration begins with intimate, pre-Ball dinners hosted by ambassadors at their elegant residences and embassies. The Ball continues at Villa Firenze under the patronage of the Ambassador of Italy and Mrs. Claudio Bisogniero. Guests will be treated to an evening of dessert, dancing and opera performances. For more information, call (202) 416-8496.
James Renwick Gala

This celebratory night during the Spring Craft Weekend will feature dinner, auctions and the presentation of the One-of-a-Kind Award to Elmerina and Paul Parkman. The Willard Hotel. For more information, call (301) 907-3888 or visit www.jra.org.

April 8
The 29th Helen Hayes Awards
One of the country’s most prestigious cultural honors, the Helen Hayes Awards recognize and celebrate artistic achievement and bring significant local, national and international recognition to the remarkable artistry on Washington area. The Warner Theatre, The J.W. Marriott. For more information, call (202) 337-4572 or visit www.theatrewashington.org.

Taste of the Nation
Top local chefs, restaurants and mixologists come together to raise funds to ensure that no child goes hungry. National Building Museum. For more information, call (202) 675-0377 or visit www.lgwdc.org.

April 10
N Street Village Gala
The award-winning social services agency that provides shelter and support to homeless and low-income women in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area will host its annual gala to honor the clients, volunteers and supporters of the organization. The Ritz-Carlton, West End, Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nstreetvillage.org.

April 11
Sitar Arts Center
“Paint the Town” is the theme of this year’s gala to support high-quality arts education to families lacking these opportunities. Cocktail reception and special musical performance from Origem. Mexican Cultural Institute. Please call (202) 797-2145 or visit www.sitarartscenter.org

Folger Gala
This event pays tribute to the Bard and his timeless plays. The evening includes cocktails, a performance in the Elizabethan Theatre and a seated dinner in the reading rooms. Folger Shakespeare Library. Please call (202) 675-0377 or visit www.folger.edu/

April 12
A Moveable Feast: The Hemingway in Paris Ball
The Washington Ballet’s Gala, a highlight of Washington’s social season, raises funds to support TWB’s community engagement and education activities, such as the DCPS in-school residency DanceDC, and the groundbreaking programs at THEARC in Anacostia. The Library of Congress Jefferson Building. Call (202) 362-3606 or visit www.washingtonballet.org.

April 13
Fashion for Paws
The Fashion for Paws Runway Show features local personalities as the models, many accompanied by fashionably dressed canines, to benefit the Washington Humane Society, the only Congressionally-chartered animal welfare agency in the nation. National Building Museum. For more information, call (202) 723-5730 or visit www.fashionforpaws.org.

Washington Performing Arts Society
Annual Gala & Auction
A highlight of the spring gala season, the WPAS Gala raises funds to support the organization’s main stage and education programs. The evening features an auction, dinner, dancing and a headlining performance. The Ritz-Carlton Washington. For more information, call (202) 533-1891 or visit www.wpas.org.

April 16
“For the Love of Sight” Visionary Awards Dinner
The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sight-saving retinal research, will honor former Ambassador Tom Korologos and former U.S. Secretary of Labor Ann McLaughlin Korologos with its Visionary Award. The Ritz-Carlton, West End, Washington, D.C. For more information, call (240) 423-0643 or visit www.fightblindness.org.

April 17
March of Dimes Gourmet Gala
The Gourmet Gala is a fundraising dinner where Members of Congress and other Washington notables participate in a competitive cook-off to support the March of Dimes. National Building Museum. For more information, call (703) 637-1334 or visit www.marchofdimes.com.

April 19
58th Annual Corcoran Ball
A highlight in Washington’s spring philanthropic calendar, the black-tie benefit features uniquely decorated formal dining rooms within the Corcoran’s historic galleries, among priceless works of art. Club Corcoran is a special late-night option for the junior set. Corcoran Gallery of Art. For more information, call (301) 951-3780 or visit www.corcoran.org/ball.

April 20
Spring Gala at the Strathmore
Michael Feinstein will headline Strathmore’s 2013 Spring Gala. This magical night helps support Strathmore’s education and artistic programming, master classes, Artist in Residence programs, free community events and festivals. Strathmore. For more information, call (301) 581-5135 or visit www.strathmore.org.

April 24
Smithsonian Craft Show Preview Night Benefit
Meet the artists whose skill and passion have created exceptional American works of art and preview the prestigious juried show before it opens to the public. Produced by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, all proceeds support the Smithsonian. National Building Museum. For more information, call (202) 633-5006 or visit www.smithsoniancraftshow.org.

April 26
National Museum of Women in the Arts Spring Gala
The spring gala is the museum’s largest and most important annual fundraising event. Proceeds support the exhibitions and programs that make the National Museum of Women in the Arts the leading museum dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in the visual, performing and literary arts. National Museum of Women in the Arts. For more information, call (202) 266-2815 or visit www.nmwa.org.

Latino Student FundMarch 27, 2013
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Ambassador of Peru and Mrs. Harold Forsyth were Diplomatic Chairs for the Latino Student Fund?s 13th Annual Gala at the Organization of American States on March 13. Design Cuisine?s Peruvian-themed dinner included corvina ceviche and grilled sea bass. Board chair and co-founder Rosalia G-H Miller said hard work and smart work are the ?heart and soul of this organization.? The mission of the LSF is to provide opportunities for a strong academic foundation for pre K-12 students of Hispanic descent to promote higher education and professional leadership.

?Celebration of Hope? GalaMarch 27, 2013
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The sixth Celebration of Hope Gala at the Park Hyatt Washington, D.C., on March 21 honored Nancy and Scott Ogden with the Celebration of Hope Award and the Commercial Restoration Group of Cheverly, Md., with the Partnership Award. Scott chairs and Commercial Restoration Group sponsors the Hope Connections Annual Golf Tournament which has raised more than $300,000. Scott said with conviction, We have the finest cancer support organization anywhere.? Since it opened in Bethesda, Md., in 2007, Hope Connections for Cancer Support has assisted people affected by cancer through support groups, educational workshops, mind/body classes and community programs. The organization has a 19-member working board of directors and a 17-member medical advisory board.