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BILL CUNNINGHAM TO RECEIVE CARNEGIE HALL
MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE
ON MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012 AT THE WALDORF=ASTORIA
Photojournalist to be Recognized for
Outstanding Dedication to Philanthropy
Carnegie Hall today announced that photojournalist
Bill Cunningham will receive the Carnegie Hall Medal of
Excellence at a gala benefit on Monday, April 23, 2012 at
7:00 p.m. at The Waldorf=Astoria. The award recognizes Mr.
Cunningham’s extraordinary devotion to chronicling fashion
for nearly fifty years, as well as his role in inspiring
great philanthropy, recognizing the important place that
arts, culture, and non-profit causes hold in the life of New
York City. Mr. Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of Carnegie Hall’s
Board of Trustees, and Mrs. Joan Weill are proud to serve as
the event’s Honorary Gala Chairs. Annette and Oscar de la
Renta, and Sarah Jessica Parker are Gala Chairs. Mercedes T.
Bass, Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, and 2008 Medal
of Excellence Honoree Terry J. Lundgren and Tina Lundgren
serve as Gala Co-Chairs. World-renowned tenor Vittorio
Grigolo is set to perform as part of this tribute which
supports the music education and community programs of
Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute.
The April 23 gala, to be held at The Waldorf=Astoria, will
include a private cocktail reception in the Rotunda at the
Park Avenue Entrance and dinner in the Empire Ballroom,
followed by a brief program and award ceremony. Carnegie
Hall’s first-ever Junior Committee will host a chic
after-party in The Waldorf=Astoria’s Vanderbilt Ballroom
following the dinner. Lara Meiland-Shaw is a member of this
committee which is currently in formation. Tables seating
ten guests at the Gala Dinner are priced at $50,000,
$25,000, and $15,000. Individual tickets are priced at
$2,500 and $1,500. To reserve gala tables, please call the
Gala Office at 212-903-9679
specialevents@carnegiehall.org .
For more than fifty years, Bill Cunningham has dedicated his
life to chronicling American fashion trends on film, all the
while bringing invaluable exposure to many remarkable
philanthropic organizations and causes. Currently a
photographer for The New York Times, Mr. Cunningham runs two
columns that celebrate the vibrant landscape of New York
City life. Both “Evening Hours” and “On the Street” have
long served as staples in the Fashion & Style sections of
the Times, featuring his images on a weekly basis.
Mr. Cunningham moved
to New York in 1948, initially working in advertising and
soon after designing hats under the name “William J.” He
then was drafted and served a tour in the U.S. Army, after
which he returned to New York and began writing for the
Chicago Tribune. During his years as a writer, he
contributed significantly to fashion journalism, helping to
introduce American audiences to Azzedine Alaïa and Jean-Paul
Gaultier. While working at the Tribune and at Women's Wear
Daily, he began taking photographs of fashion on the streets
of New York. As the result of a chance photograph of Greta
Garbo, he published a group of his impromptu pictures in The
New York Times in December 1978, which soon became a regular
column. Mr. Cunningham continues to photograph people daily
on the streets of Manhattan and at various philanthropic
fundraisers throughout the city. In 2008, he was awarded the
title Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the
French Ministry of Culture.
About Carnegie Hall
Since 1891, New York City's Carnegie Hall has set the
international standard for excellence in performance. Its
walls have echoed with applause for the world's outstanding
classical music artists, as they have for the greatest
popular musicians and many prominent dancers, authors,
social crusaders, and world figures who have appeared on its
stages.
Today, the venue remains a preeminent concert hall and a
vital, active cultural destination for performers and
audiences. Carnegie Hall presents more than 170 performances
by the world's finest artists each season on its three great
stages—the renowned Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage,
intimate Weill Recital Hall, and innovative Zankel Hall—with
offerings ranging from orchestral concerts, chamber music,
and solo recitals to jazz, world, and popular music. In
addition to Carnegie Hall’s presentations, the venue is also
home to over 500 independently produced events each year.
Complementing its performance activities, Carnegie Hall’s
Weill Music Institute creates extensive music education and
community programs that serve more than 300,000 people in
the New York City metropolitan region, across the United
States, and around the world annually, playing a central
role in Carnegie Hall's commitment to making great music
accessible to as many people as possible. For more
information about Carnegie Hall, please visit
www.carnegiehall.org
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