Wahlberg, Wintour, Matt and Kim, Lasry, Pruzan: Scene
The members of the indie pop band Matt and Kim haven’t seen much of the countries they’ve toured in.
“We experience backstage rooms,” Matt Johnson said.
“They’re basically all the same,” Kim Schifino said.
The pair were at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations last night for a reception hosted by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Among the attendees gathered under a Sol LeWitt ceiling drawing: Marc Lasry, founder and managing partner of Avenue Capital Group (who said he’s heading to Russia for the first time next week), and photographer and filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (who said he has no plans to travel this summer).
The Fulbright program, created in 1946 and sponsored by the State Department, has sent 100,000 U.S. students abroad and brought 200,000 foreign students to the U.S., said Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN.
Johnson and Schifino, who will be performing at the Catalpa NYC Music Festival on Randall’s Island in July, are on a selection committee for the MTVu Fulbright Scholars. These students focus on music during their travels and share their stories on MTVu’s website and cable channel for college students.
The network, owned by Viacom Inc. (VIAB), does not provide funding for the scholarships.
“We got involved to create content about social change,” said Stephen Friedman, MTV’s president.
In Malawi
In a video -- played from a projector propped up with a copy of the book “Afghanistan and Pakistan: Conflict, Extremism, and Resistance to Modernity” -- MTVu Fulbright alumnus Andrew Magill described his project in Malawi recording an album about families affected by AIDS.
“Music is truly the closest thing we have to an international language,” said Tom Healy, the chairman of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
The only thing missing at the Fulbright reception was a live band. Other events filled the gap.
At the Historic House Trust of New York City benefit last night Stephen Doyle and his daughter Maud, an editor at Departures magazine, took a spin on the dance floor at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York’s mayor, to music by the Bruce Saunders Orchestra.
Hawke, Wintour
The New York City Housing Authority jazz band played on the roof of 200 Fifth Avenue on June 11 at a benefit for New York City public programs organized by the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, hosted the event. Guests included Ethan Hawke, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Hollywood force and art collector Michael Ovitz, who helped raise $900,000.
The housing authority supports a choir, an orchestra and a youth basketball tournament through a combination of public and private funds. Encye, a hip-hop clothing label, donated custom- made basketball uniforms, a contribution valued at $260,000.
At a benefit for ArtsConnection also on June 11, the featured act was a steel-pan drum band composed of public-school students.
In the audience: Robert Pruzan, co-founder and partner at Centerview Partners LLC, entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman, Allison Williams, a star of the HBO series “Girls,” and Mark Wahlberg, the actor and producer and one of the event’s honorees (a “get” arranged by ArtsConnection board chairwoman Lisa Plepler, wife of HBO co-president Richard Plepler.)
“They were amazing,” Wahlberg said after posing for photos with the musicians. “It’s so inspiring to see kids gravitate to the arts,” the native of Dorchester, Massachusetts, added. “Most kids in my hood were getting into a lot of trouble.”
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Wahlberg said he has never played the steel-pan drum.
“I play the guitar a little here and there. I was in a few bands, always on vocals,” he said, vaguely harkening back to his rapper days as Marky Mark and with New Kids on the Block.
Literary agent Luke Janklow said playing in a professional rock ‘n’ roll band for more than 10 years “was crucial to my learning how to master something and work hard with others to achieve something special. I reference the work ethic it demanded and demands in all aspects of my life.”
He added: “Most of all, it is pure joy.”
(Amanda Gordon is a writer and photographer for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Any opinions expressed are her own.)
To contact the writer on this story: Amanda Gordon at agordon01@bloomberg.net or on Twitter @amandagordon.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
Fulbright Scholarship Board
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Marc Lasry, managing partner and founder, Avenue Capital Group, said he is headed to Russia for the first time next week, where he plans to visit the Hermitage. The hedge fund manager, a fundraiser for President Obama's re-election campaign, came to the U.S. from Morocco when he was 7. "I was not a Fulbright, or a Rhodes scholar," Lasry said.
Marc Lasry, managing partner and founder, Avenue Capital Group, said he is headed to Russia for the first time next week, where he plans to visit the Hermitage. The hedge fund manager, a fundraiser for President Obama's re-election campaign, came to the U.S. from Morocco when he was 7. "I was not a Fulbright, or a Rhodes scholar," Lasry said. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Fulbright Scholarship Board
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Kim Schifino and Matt Johnson, members of the indie pop band Matt and Kim.
Kim Schifino and Matt Johnson, members of the indie pop band Matt and Kim. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Fulbright Scholarship Board
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Stephen Friedman, president of MTV Networks, and Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Stephen Friedman, president of MTV Networks, and Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
The New York City Housing Authority Jazz Band helmed by Jack Jeffers on trumbone, with Warren Smith on drums, Bryce Sebastian on bass and Sonelius Smith on keyboards.
The New York City Housing Authority Jazz Band helmed by Jack Jeffers on trumbone, with Warren Smith on drums, Bryce Sebastian on bass and Sonelius Smith on keyboards. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue.
Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Tamara Mellon, a co-founder of Jimmy Choo, and Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency.
Tamara Mellon, a co-founder of Jimmy Choo, and Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Ethan Hawke and his wife, Ryan Hawke. "The only band I've ever been in is in the movies," the actor said, citing his character Troy in "Reality Bites," who played in the band "Hey, That's My Bike."
Ethan Hawke and his wife, Ryan Hawke. "The only band I've ever been in is in the movies," the actor said, citing his character Troy in "Reality Bites," who played in the band "Hey, That's My Bike." Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
ArtsConnection
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
The ArtsConnection-funded steel pan drum band.
The ArtsConnection-funded steel pan drum band. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
ArtsConnection
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Mark Wahlberg and Rabbi Ari Shapiro, who does Jewish outreach in Los Angeles.
Mark Wahlberg and Rabbi Ari Shapiro, who does Jewish outreach in Los Angeles. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
ArtsConnection
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Allison Williams, a star of the HBO series "Girls," Brian Williams, NBC anchor and Jane Williams, a host of the radio show "Bloomberg EDU." As for music, Allison Williams recorded a mashup of the "Mad Men" theme available on YouTube.
Allison Williams, a star of the HBO series "Girls," Brian Williams, NBC anchor and Jane Williams, a host of the radio show "Bloomberg EDU." As for music, Allison Williams recorded a mashup of the "Mad Men" theme available on YouTube. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
ArtsConnection
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Robert Pruzan, partner and co-founder, Centerview Partners, and vice chairman of ArtsConnection, with his wife, Tracey Pruzan, an interior designer.
Robert Pruzan, partner and co-founder, Centerview Partners, and vice chairman of ArtsConnection, with his wife, Tracey Pruzan, an interior designer. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
ArtsConnection
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Andrea Glimcher, of Pace Gallery, and Lisa Plepler, chairwoman of ArtsConnection. "Our goal is not to create artists but to make sure kids develop an appreciation for the arts, and an understanding of what it means to develop an interest and passion."
Andrea Glimcher, of Pace Gallery, and Lisa Plepler, chairwoman of ArtsConnection. "Our goal is not to create artists but to make sure kids develop an appreciation for the arts, and an understanding of what it means to develop an interest and passion." Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Historic House Trust
Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
Maud Doyle, an editor at Departures, and Stephen Doyle, a designer, take a spin assisted by the Bruce Saunders Orchestra.
Maud Doyle, an editor at Departures, and Stephen Doyle, a designer, take a spin assisted by the Bruce Saunders Orchestra. Photographer: Amanda Gordon/Bloomberg
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