The grand opening celebration of The Desmond Tutu Center in New York City will be held on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 and promises to be an unforgettable evening. The event will include an international couture and luxury fashion show, live performances and a fabulous reception.
Serving as a prelude to the exclusive Couture Fashion Week New York event in February 2008, the evening's fashion show will presenting stunning collections by designers Romanitza from Romania, Tatyana Parfionova from Russia, Henrieta Duffner from Germany and designer-producer Andres Aquino showing his “Nocturne” designs accessorized with exquisite diamond jewelry by Susan Winston. Hair styling will be done by acclaimed stylist Federico Calce and his artistic team.
Invited guests, including members of the financial, advertising, event planning, travel and fashion industries, VIPs, celebrities and press, will be treated to delectable drinks from participating sponsors Sparklettini by Verdi, Louis Roger Cognacs Straight, Molinari Sambuca, Cyr Vodka and Wines of Argentina. Other sponsors are Manhattan Motor Cars (dealers of Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and other fine automobiles), EYES C Art, and NYC and Company among others.
The grand opening festivities will also feature a variety of live entertainment including members of the New Tang Dynasty Television Lion Group dance company, a Congolese dance troupe led by Prisca Ouya, and award-winning cellist Gjilberta Gelaj, a member of the New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra and a frequent performer at Carnegie Hall, who will be accompanied by pianist Gulnara Mirzakhodjayeva. DJ Chris Santos will be spinning during the cocktail hour, and the Shayna Steele Jazz Quartet will delight the audience during the reception following the fashion show.
"It's going to be to be an amazing night of fashion, glamour and entertainment,” according to producer Andres Aquino.
Located on Tenth Avenue, between 20th and 21st Streets, The Desmond Tutu Center is a beautifully restored complex in the Chelsea area of New York City offering upscale yet affordable hotel accommodations as well as venues for a range of activities including conventions, product launches, fashion shows, weddings, business seminars and conferences and more. Part of the prestigious and world-renowned General Theological Seminary which encompasses an entire city block of historic buildings with a serene and open interior space of lawns and towering trees, the Desmond Tutu Center is named for the highly respected and erudite Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Construction began on the $27 million Center in 2005. It repurposes three of the Seminary's historic 19th century buildings to create the modern facility with the most up-to-date amenities. In September 2007, Bishop Tutu presided at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Center, along with actor Sam Waterston, who served as capital campaign chairman. Perhaps the most stunning feature of the renovation is the Center's historic refectory or dining hall with its resplendent 40-foot ceiling newly restored. The transformation of disparate spaces into beautifully appointed rooms while preserving the building's historic charm was accomplished by project architect Yetsuh Frank of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners. The installation of the two elevators brings full accessibility to the building for the first time in its history. Equally forward-looking, the facility's heating and cooling is part of the Seminary's new campus-wide geothermal system, which in its first 10 years of operation, will reduce the Seminary's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 14,000 tons. The need for roof-level cooling towers and window air conditioners will be permanently eliminated, helping to preserve the architectural integrity of the campus.
For additional information about The Desmond Tutu Center, contact sales@tutucenter.org
For additional information on Couture Fashion Week, visit www.CoutureFashionWeek.com
