Washington Life Magazine - September 2008

A CAPITAL RENAISSANCE

ROLAND FLAMINI ON THE CHANGING STATE OF OUR ARTS INSTITUTIONS

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John and Irene Danilovich at home in georgetown jimmy smits says buenas noche de gala!

TOM DASCHLE reaches across the aisle Russ and Norma ramsey on charity & 100 point wine Barbara Harrison on Katie couric

the definitive guide to the 2008–2009 social season

balls & galas The best PARTY LOCATIONS, Tips for event chairs, Gala Must-haves & FALL’S HOTTEST gowns and dresses

EXCLUSIVE

september 2008 • $4.95

Washington Life

PARTIES! PARTIES! PARTIES! Sheila johnson, one of washington’s most generous philanthropists, and nine gala chairs get formal at the st. regis washington Pg.56

c on t e n t s september 2008

INSIDE HOMES

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GEORGETOWN SAFE HAVEN

John and Irene Danilovich made quite a splash on the Washington diplomatic and social scenes. Now they take leave of Joseph Alsop’s wonderfully eclectic, historic and controversial Georgetown house – but not before giving Senior Editor Kevin Chaffee an exclusive peek.

COver feature

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The 2008 Guide to balls & galas

Our annual list of the year’s top philanthropic events will leave you wondering just how you are going to make it to them all.

Plus the WL Balls & Galas Hot List, exciting auction items, and essential party-planning tips.

performing arts

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A Capital RENAISSANCE

Big changes are taking place at the National Symphony Orchestra, Smithsonian Institution, Phillips Collection and other major arts institutions. Roland Flamini reports on who’s up, who’s out, and the likely repercussions.

on the cover: Sheila Johnson, co-chair of the Sibley Hospital Celebration of Hope and Progress Gala, photographed in July 2008 at the St. Regis Washington by Clay Blackmore.

THIS PAGE, LEFT: Abigail Blunt, co-chair of the Multiple Sclerosis Society Ambassadors Ball, photographed in July 2008 at the St. Regis Washington by Clay Blackmore. top right: A bust of George Washington greets visitors at John and Irene Danilovich’s Georgetown home. (Photo by Len DePas) BOTTOM right: Illustration by J.C. Suarès

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©T&CO. 2008

Some Style Is Legendary

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77

86

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EDITOR’S LETTER................................................ 10

LIFE OF THE PARTY

LIFESTYLES

CONTRIBUTORS.................................................. 12

WL sponsored

WL FASHION Fall formal looks for him and her..... 77

CharityWorks 100 Point Wine Dinner........................ 26

Trend Report Back in Black............................ 84

The Washington National Opera Ball . ........................ 32

Dark Knight................................................................. 85

The Best Friends Foundation Gala ........................... 36

Purple Power. ............................................................... 86

Meridian International Center Spring Benefit............... 38

What’s Hot Must-haves for your next gala.......... 47

The Alice Awards honoring Katie Couric...................... 48

The Perfect Suit............................................................ 88

with these splendid events..................................... 21

WL exclusives

fashion event G-Star Raw Opening. ............ 91

pollywood

Julian Epstein’s party for Hill Harper. .......................... 42

Design event Fendi/Habatat Party at the

Bipartisan Policy Center Party...................................... 44

Design Center............................................................... 93

Kicking It! screening at the Newseum........................... 50

DISH Teatro Goldoni’s Enzo Farigone cooks for you..... 94

Atlantic Council Gala ................................................. 54

WASHINGTON SOCIAL Diary

fyidc WHO’S NEXT Up-and-coming authors Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam on the state of the GOP................. 15 The insider’s guide The latest scoop on the

Washington scene.................................................16

social calendar Start the social season right

media spotlight

Sizzling Summer Authors... ......................................... 46

Pop politics

Hill Harper’s book release party.................................... 42

Innocents at Risk Benefit.............................................. 54

Jimmy Smits on Noche de Gala . ................................. 43

Courage Cup Meadow Matches Polo............................ 99

PARTIES! PARTIES! PARTIES! ......................... 10

Tom Daschle on reaching across the aisle ...................... 44

Omar Popal’s Birthday Bash........................................ 100

Around town Social solstice. ........................... 104

Barbara Harrison on Katie Couric’s Alice Award. ......... 48

American School of Ballet dinner at Tobin residence....... 106

Father of the Year Awards.............................................. 105

DIPLOMATIC DANCE

Congressman Donna Edwards honored......................... 108

over the moon Hunt Country angels............ 109

Summer dispatches ....................................................... 52

Y&GL Out and about with the under-40 set. ............. 98

pARTY pLACES Carolyn Peachey shares her favorite places to throw a party . ................................................ 130

home life clockwise from upper left: Redux gown ($3,350); Neiman Marcus, Tysons Galleria, 2255 International Drive, McLean, Va., 703-761-1600. Julie Wolfe rhinestone and sterling silver earrings ($465); Barney’s New York, 660 Madison Ave., New York, NY, 212-826-8900. / Dessert, anyone? Thinking sweet at the Meridian International Center Spring Benefit (Photo by Tony Powell) / CARTIER White gold, amethyst, and diamond ring (price upon request); Cartier Boutique, 5471 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. , 301-645-5858. / Guests hit the dance floor at The Washington National Opera Ball.

Inside Homes The Danilovich’s Safe Haven ...... 113 open house What’s on the market..................... 118 RE NEWS Who moved, who bought and who might be your new neighbor.............................................122

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OSCAR DE LA RENTA

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Editor in Chief

Nancy Reynolds Bagley Executive Editor

Michael M. Clements

senior EDITOR

deputy EDITOR

Kevin Chaffee

Christina Wilkie EDITORial assistant

Kelly Fisher Copy Editor

Claudia Krieger columnists

Janet Donovan, Mary Mewborn,Vicky Moon, Gail Scott, Donna Shor, and Edie VanHorn Contributing Writers & Editors

Tom Daschle, Roland Flamini, Barbara Harrison, Carola Myers, Alison Ogden, Carolyn Peachey, Russ and Norma Ramsey, Allison Signorelli, Chris Silva, and Jimmy Smits creative Director

J.C. Suarès

art director

Bridget Manifold contributing Graphic Designer

Anas Ruhman photo editor

Paul Simkin Contributing Photographers

Joseph Allen, Clay Blackmore, James R. Brantley, Len de Pas, Claire Norman, Anton Papavich,Tony Powell, and Kyle Samperton fashion stylist

Lana Orloff hair and make-up

Carola Myers, Jocelyn Myers, and Kim Steele Advertising Director

Kelly Ginter

Luxury brand manager

Krista Bullion Senior account Executive

Alexandra Misci Account Executive

Anna Croll Bookkeepers

Trina Hodges and Kevin Smoot web technologies development

Ernesto Gluecksmann, Infamia, Inc. interns

Ibrahim Alghaffari, Carrie Brody, Anna Dorn, Giacomo Guerrini, Anfon Ha, Monica Johnson, Phoebe Maddox, Caroline Markoski, Carly McCormick, and Laura-Chase McGehee Founder

Vicki Bagley Chairman, Executive Board

Gerry Byrne

Chief Executive Officer

Soroush Richard Shehabi

Washington Life magazine publishes ten times a year. Issues are distributed in February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November and December and are hand-delivered on a rotating basis to over 150,000 homes throughout D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland. Additional copies are available at various upscale retailers, hotels, select newstands, and Whole Foods stores in the area. For a complete listing, please consult our website at www.washingtonlife.com. You can also subscribe online at www.washingtonlife.com or send a check for $49.99 (one year) to: Washington Life Magazine, 2301 Tracy Place NW, Washington D.C., 20008. BPA audited. Email us at info@washingtonlife.com with press releases, tips, and editorial comments.

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editor’s letter

Let the Social Season Begin!

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s September rolls around, we are still holding on to the last days of summer. It’s always a quick transition from slow weekends at the shore and casual get-togethers with friends to formal attire, jewels, and a calendar rapidly filling with special events that demand our attention and support. Reason enough to once again bring you our 2008 Washington Life Guide to Balls & Galas, the capital’s most comprehensive list of leading social events of the 2008-2009 season. I can’t think of another city that boasts so many personal connections to local philanthropy, a commitment that Washington Life wholeheartedly shares.

Speaking of style, our photographer Clay Blackmore took impressive portraits of some of the most prominent balls and galas chairs.

A special thanks to the newly-renovated St. Regis Hotel for providing the elegant backdrop and to all those who joined us for the shoot: Abigail Blunt, Beth Dozoretz, Samia Farouki, Sheila Johnson, Cathy Jones, Winston Bao Lord, Kristen Olsen, Ashley Taylor, Curtin Winsor, and Jeff Zell. Extra credit goes to all the ladies who turned out in their glamorous designer gowns.

If you need even more inspiration this month, turn to our fashion feature, which focuses on some of the hottest clothing, jewelry and accessories for the fall season. We are thrilled to team up with acclaimed local fashion photographer Anton Papich again, along with our stylist extraordinaire, Lana Orloff. We also bring you the latest looks off the runway in the Trend Report, which proves that black is always classic and purple reigns once more thanks to designers Versace, Gucci, and Ralph Lauren.

The social theme keeps running throughout the issue: if you’re thinking of chairing a major benefit or perhaps even a private party of note,Washington’s undisputed “Queen of Events,” Carolyn Peachey, shares her favorite venues in Great Places to Have a Party; rising star Allison Signorelli provides tips on how to keep gala costs down; and we give you a page of must-haves on the big night.

On the cultural side, veteran scribe Roland Flamini takes a look at recent changes at the helm of major Washington arts institutions in his article “Ciao Leonardo, and Other Culture Stories,” starting with

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the National Symphony Orchestra’s search to find a replacement for maestro Leonard Slatkin.

John and Irene Danilovich made quite a splash on the Washington political and social scene. Now they are taking leave of their eclectic and historic house in Georgetown – but not before giving Senior Editor Kevin Chaffee an exclusive peek.

Back on the social scene, you’ll love the coverage in this issue of WL-sponsored events, including CharityWorks 100 Point Wine Tasting (perhaps the most sought-after ticket of the year), the Meridian House Spring Gala, Hill Harper book signing, Best Friends Foundation Gala, Atlantic Council Awards, and the absolutely drop dead gorgeous Opera Ball. On the Young & The Guest List side, Edie Van Horn is back with the inside scoop, the Courage Cup rode into town, and G-Star Raw opened a hip Dupont store.

Special thanks to Iraklis Karabassis, IK Retail, the team at G-Star Raw and SurReal Vodka for a great opening party.

Looking forward a bit, we are truly excited about the event line-up for September, and you won’t want to miss the following WL-sponsored events: the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts’ Noche de Gala (Sept. 9th), the Washington National Opera’s opening night gala following the premiere of La Traviata (Sept. 13th), the Ambassador’s Ball (Sept. 16th), the Children’s Law Center Gala (Sept.

17th), the Smithsonian’s ¡Con Sabor! Gala (Sept. 18th), the America’s Polo Cup “Taste of Australia” Polo Match (Sept. 20), Starlight MidAtlantic 2nd Annual Wine Dinner (Sept. 26th), the CharityWorks Dream Ball (Sept. 27th), and the first annual Capital for Children’s Casino Night (Sept. 27th).

Nancy R. Bagley Editor in Chief Readers wishing to contact Nancy can email: letters@washingtonlife.com

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WASHINGTON DC The Collection at Chevy Chase 202 333 9010

contributors

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1 Clay Blackmore is an established portrait and wedding photographer whose client list includes Larry King, Forrest Whitaker and Jenna Elfman. Blackmore’s elegant photos fill the pages of the 2008 Guide to Balls and Galas.

2 Tom Daschle teamed with former U.S. Senate colleagues Howard Baker, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to form the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization dedicated to finding common ground on the most pressing public policy challenges of our time. He writes about his involvement with the center and its importance in Pop Politics.

3 Photographer Len DePas captures the beauty of John and Irene Danilovich’s residence in this month’s Inside Homes. He is a food, art and portrait artist based in Washington.

4 Roland Flamini was the Washingtonbased chief international correspondent at United Press International until 2006. He also worked as a foreign correspondent and World section editor of Time magazine. In the feature “Cultural Renaissance,” he examines the recent shift of some key cultural leadership positions in the capital.

5 Barbara Harrison co-anchors NBC4’s News4 Today and News4 Midday and has received several Emmy Awards for her outstanding broadcasts. In Pop Politics she admires and reflects

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on her close friend and fellow broadcaster Katie Couric, who received this year’s Alice Award for her work in furthering women’s rights.

NP Carola Myers is the founder and creative director of Carola Myers Makeup & Hair Artists where she works on film and TV productions, magazines, fashion shoots and live events for high profile Washingtonians and celebrities. She contributed her beauty expertise for our Balls and Galas photo shoot.

6 Lana Orloff heads a style consulting company, “Lana Orloff Style.” An experienced fashion expert and shopper, she offers style and image management, and closet and wardrobe organization among other fashion services.

7 Anton Papich, part of the awardwinning photography duo of Anton+Prehn, has a passion for creating sensuous images that envelop viewers’ senses. The pair’s work has been included in publications like Surface magazine, and they recently completed photographing the “Hippie Chic” fashion catalogue for the Textile Museum’s 2009 retrospective. Papich captures beautiful fall looks in our fashion feature.

8 Carolyn Peachey is president of Campbell, Peachey & Associates, a Washington special events firm. Among the well-known projects the firm has coordinated since its inception are the Kennedy Center Honors Gala, the Alvin Ailey Gala and The Pen Faulkner

Award for Fiction Gala. This month she lets readers in on the best places to have a party.

9 Local philanthropic duo Russ and Norma Ramsey are always looking for more ways to give back to the community. Through the W. Russ and Norma Ramsey Foundation, they help at-risk families, the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Foundation and other organizations. This month, they express their delight with this year’s CharityWorks 100 Point Wine Dinner in Life of the Party.

10 Allison Signorelli is a freelance event planner and fundraiser who has more than ten years of experience planning events across the country. Her current major projects include the Phillips Collection Gala and the Trust for the National Mall Benefit Luncheon.

11 Chris Silva is a freelance writer in the Washington, D.C. area. He has contributed articles to local publications on music, fashion, festivals, food and restaurants. He recounts his experience at the Teatro Goldoni chefs’ table in our Dish Feature.

12 Jimmy Smits, a Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor, is a renowned advocate for aspiring Latinos in the arts. He co-founded the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, whose Noche de Gala benefit takes place this month. Smits writes about the organization and its mission in Pop Politics.

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FYIDC

The Insider’s Guide to Washington | Dishing the Gossip and September’s Social Calendar

Who’s Next Reihan Salam and Ross Douthat

T P H O T O b y j a m e s R . Br a n t l e y

he recent publication of their bestselling book, Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream, proved that these co-authors are two of the brightest young stars in the Republican firmament. Both write at The Atlantic, and Salam appears on MSNBC’s Race for the White House, while Douthat has a widely read blog at Atlantic.com. Expect to see a lot more of these two regardless of the outcome in November.

Why is the republican party estranged from the middle class?

RD: In one sentence: because income tax rates, crime, and welfare aren’t as salient as they once

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were, and the GOP hasn’t figured out what to say about health care costs and wage stagnation.

between work and leisure…

What’s the biggest issue on your mind right now?

RS: Mark Kirk in the 10th district in Illinois.

He’s easily one of the most creative, talented thinkers on the political scene.

RS: I’m interested in the ways in which people are becoming smarter as individuals, but also embedded in wider, more diverse communities, and how that’s going to shape economic life.

What do you do in your spare time?

RD: When I have it, I read novels, root for the Red Sox, and follow the movie business more obsessively than I should.

RS: My goal in life is to obliterate the distinction

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Any races we should watch this fall?

who is the greatest political mind in history? At work today?

RS: In history? I’ll say it’s a tie between Machiavelli and Marx: both pretty odious, both very astute.

RD: And the contemporary political actor with the greatest ability to put Machiavelli’s insights into practice is probably Vladimir Putin – with Ahmed Chalabi not all that far behind.

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FYIDC | THE Insider’s Guide

Swing into September &

IN

OUT

Fish pedicures at Salon Yvonne (www. yvonnesalon.com)

Toes after three months of sand and sandals

Karafe, a game of wine

Scrabble on Facebook

Vintage Vuarnet eyewear

Shady street vendor knock-offs Catch dinner before the game as part of your Lexus Presidential Seats at Nationals Park … home run!

DC Short Film Festival, September 11-18, www. dcshorts.com

Authentic Pernod Absinthe

Clubs like Capital for Children in it for the party and the cause

Short beach shorts

Phony Chilean sea bass

Capital clubs just in it for the party

Quotable “At a dinner party, one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.”

W. Somerset Maugham

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Editor’s Pick PARK it in style The baseball season is in its final innings, so why not enjoy it to its fullest with Lexus Presidential seats? Tickets feature access to the President’s Club pictured above, seats behind home plate, a gourmet buffet, complimentary in-seat food and beverage service (order that hotdog early!), parking in the Nationals Park garage (based upon availability), and access to the PNC Diamond Club and Stars and Stripes Club. Tickets start at $300 per game. Call 202-675-NATS (6287) for more information.

edible book bites WARREN BAKES A BOOK Talk about having a lot in the oven – between filming the second season of Sugar Rush on the Food Network and opening his seventh Cake Love store at National Harbor, local lawyer/baker Warren Brown managed to produce Cakelove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $27.50), a coffee table book sure to make your mouth water on every page. And don’t worry too much about the inevitable effect of all those scrumptuous but high-cal desserts. It’s not so bad, Brown says.

“You can handle the butter but not the trans fats.”What will Brown will cook up next?

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BOTTEGA VENETA MAZZA GALLERIE TYSONS GALLERIA NEIMANMARCUS.COM

FYIDC | THE Insider’s Guide

Richard Avedon’s portrait of Bob Dylan will be shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

On the Radar TO the QUEEN! Vanity Fair correspondent and celeb biographer Sally Bedell Smith’s next subject is Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Scheduled for publication to coincide with Her Majesty’s diamond jubilee in 2012, the book will focus on HM’s “daily routine, turning points, challenges and what’s she’s really like,” Smith says, plus her, “relationships with U.S. presidents and ambassadors.”

HOT TICKET

NEW IN TOWN

Portraits of Power Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power will open at the Corcoran GALLERY OF ART this month, bringing together more than 200 portraits of America’s most powerful men and women throughout the past five decades.

This exhibition – the first to encompass such a broad array of images by the legendary photographer – is being held in conjunction with the election season, and includes many rare and never-before-seen works. WL Tip: Don’t miss the individual portraits of the Chicago Seven, which have never been previously published or exhibited. Corcoran Gallery of Art, September 13, 2008 – January 25, 2009, $14 for adults, $12 for seniors/military and $10 for students. Visit www.corcoran.org for tickets.

Ackerman Legal says “Live as you are” A new law firm is committed to working toward the fair and equal treatment of lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. Says founder Glen H. Ackerman: “The timing for a law firm committed to the movement for social and legal recognition of the rights of the LGBT community is long overdue.” The firm, he adds, “is committed to assuring these rights are no longer withheld from “our” community.” 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW; 202-393-LGBT; www.ackerman-legal.com

by the numbers

105,000

$2,150

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Square feet in the world’s largest ballroom – the Cypress room at the Orlando World Center Marriott

Price tag for one ounce of Clive Christian’s No. 1, the world’s most expensive perfume

The number of times Stuart Weitzman’s $2M “Cinderella Slippers” have been worn (by Allison Krauss in 2004)

Cost per person for an 11-course “Epicurean Masters of the World” dinner in Thailand in 2007

Sources (left to right): Marriott World Center, Forbes, The Life of Luxury, Slashfood.com

FOODIES ONLY we “Adour” the St. Regis Alain Ducasse is the only chef in the world to have operated three Michelin “three-star” restaurants at once, and this month the master makes his District debut. Adour, in the newly renovated St. Regis Hotel, will be Ducasse’s first Washington venture, following on the heels of its sister restaurant in New York. In addition to world class dining, the restaurant features a redesign by architect David Rockwell, whose bold hues of black, silver, brown, cream, and gold pay homage to the hotel’s famously elegant former Library Bar, but bring the space up to date. Reserve a table now at Alain Ducasse’s sure-to-be-impossible-to-get-into Adour. 923 16th and K Streets NW; 202-509-8000

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$30,000

DISHING the GOSSIP • Bo Blair’s new restaurant, Surfside, is the most anticipated addition to the Glover Park dining scene since Ceviche opened in 2007. Surf ’s up dude!

• Arthur Ringel, former Executive Sous Chef at BLT STEAK, has joined the Popal dynasty at Café Bonaparte and Napoleon Bistro “steaking” his claim as Executive Chef at both locations.

• Former HOOK head chef Barton Seaver made waves this Spring by jumping ship to open his own seafood restaurant, TACKLE BOX, practically next store.Talk about shell shock!

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Washington DC store

1666 ConneCtiCut Avenue nW, t +1.202.232.8520 oper Ated by iK Mix inC.

WE INVITE YOU TO AUCTION IN NEW YORK sts in our D o y l e N e w Yo r k ’s s p e c i a l i ailable to v a re a e c i ff O n w o t e rg o Ge o r p u rc h a s e e l a s , l a s i a r p p discuss the a t i re c o l l e c t i o n of a single object or an en ASIAN WORKS OF ART

Auction: Tuesday, September 16

ELRY I M P O R TA N T E S TAT E J E W r 24 Auction: Wednesday, Septembe

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COSTUME JEWELRY L I N And Including T H E B R I G I D B E R TIONS THE ANN GETTY COLLEC Auction: Tuesday, October 7

DOYLE+DESIGN

Auction: Wednesday, October 8

D I M P O R TA N T E N G L I S H A N E C O N T I N E N TA L F U R N I T U R A N D D E C O R AT I O N S Including O L D M A S T E R PA I N T I N G S A N D D R AW I N G S And ECTION THE KEITH IRVINE COLL Auction: Wednesday, October 22

ND BOOKS, AUTOGRAPHS A PHOTOGRAPHS Auction: Monday, November 3

OLD MASTER, MODERN RINTS AND CONTEMPORARY P Auction: Monday, November 3

NKNOTES C O I N S , S TA M P S A N D B A Auction: Monday, November 3

EUROPEAN ART ORARY ART MODERN AND CONTEMP AMERICAN ART 12 Auction: Wednesday, November

N D D E C O R AT I O N S AMERICAN FURNITURE A Auction: Thursday, November 20

ELRY I M P O R TA N T E S TAT E J E W Auction: Tuesday, December 9

or view the catalogue and C ATA L O G U E S 202-342-6100 rk.com wYo eNe leave bids online at Doyl DOYLE NEW YORK CE D C / M I D - AT L A N T I C O F F I NW 3256 PROSPECT STREET 7 0 WA S H I N G T O N , D C 2 0 0 WYORK.COM 202-342-6100 DOYLENE

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Color screenprint, 1967 Estimate: $100,000–150,000 November 3

FYIDC | social calendar Visit Washingtonlife.com’s online calendar for information about local benefits and galas. You can post your event online, where it will be considered for our print edition and annual Balls and Galas Directory.

september National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts’ Noche de Gala

Hispanic entertainment stars help raise funds for scholarships for Latino graduate students entering the entertainment field. Renaissance Mayflower Hotel; 6:30 sponsored p.m.; $1,250 per individual, sponsorships available; black-tie; Contact Jennifer Castillo, 202-2938330, JCastillo@hispanicarts.org

WL

Washington National Opera Season Opening Night Gala

This year, after the season premiere of Verdi’s La Traviata, opera enthusiasts will gather for dining and dancing at the Embassy of Italy with the Italian sponsored Ambassador and Mrs. Castellaneta and gala chair Mae Haney Grennan. The Kennedy Center Opera House and the Embassy of Italy; 7 p.m., performance; 10 p.m., dinner and dancing; starting at $500; black-tie; Contact 202-295-2486, specialevents@dc-opera.org

WL

30th Anniversary Ambassadors Ball

This National Multiple Sclerosis Society event honors the diplomatic corps, Congressional leaders, and a variety of local and national sponsored celebrities. Silent auction, dinner, and dancing. Washington Hilton & Towers; 6:30 p.m.; $500; table levels ranging from $5,000 to $50,000; black-tie; Contact Hilary Dowden, 202-296-5363, AmbassadorsBall@MSandYOU.org

WL

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ACcessory Trunk Show at Wink

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Looking for the perfect fall accessories?

Hit up Georgetown boutique Wink, for their weekend-long trunk show. Wink, 3109 M St. N.W.; September 19-20, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; September 21, noon to 6 p.m.; Contact 202-338-9465 Wolf Trap Ball

Puerto Rico will be honored at this annual event celebrating Latin culture, heritage, and achievement. Kogod Courtyard/Donald W. Reynolds Center for sponsored American Art and Portraiture; 6:30 p.m.; black-tie; $250; contact Noralisa Leo at 202-6331240, leon@si.edu

WL

More than 1,000 guests will enjoy an evening of dining and dancing on the stage of Wolf Trap’s Filene Center while celebrating the history and culture of the “Islands of America.”

Filene Center Stage, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts; 7 p.m.; $450 to $900; black-tie; Contact Melanie McCarty, Melaniem@wolftrap.org

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“Helping Children Soar” celebrates those who work to improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Washington, D.C., area. The Freddie sponsored Mac Foundation and the late Dr. Franklin L. Stroud will be honored. Live jazz,

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

cocktails,Tuscan buffet, and dancing. The Kennedy Center Roof Terrace Restaurant; 6 to 9 p.m.; $125; sponsorships available $500 to $25,000; business/ cocktail attire; Contact Catharine Clarenbach, 202467-4900 x567 Smithsonian Latin Center’s ¡Con Sabor! Gala and Legacy Awards

Eighth Annual Children’s Law Center Gala

WL

Guests danced to the live band at the 2007 CharityWorks Dream Ball. (Photo by Tony Powell)

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T H E RETURN OF A LEGEND Washington DC’s most storied dining room is back.

And better than ever.

October 2008

2100 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20008 • 202-293-2100

FYIDC | social calendar

www.americaspolocup.com for VIP table and ticket information or visit www.dcgirlsintheknow.com for exclusive VIP ticket offers 20th Anniversary PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction Gala Celebration

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Christopher Buckley, Melissa Bank, and other noted writers ponder this year’s theme, “Promises, Promises” benefiting the PEN/ Faulkner Award for Fiction and Writers in Schools program. Folger Shakespeare Library; 6:30 p.m., cocktail reception and theater readings; 8:30 p.m., dinner; $400; patrons $1,000; black-tie; Contact Liz Sizer, Campbell, Peachey & Associates, 202-636-8743, liz@campbellpeachey. com Starlight Mid-Atlantic 2nd Annual Wine Dinner

An exclusive gathering of wine aficionados will feast on a sumptuous menu created especially for the event. Gourmet creations will sponsored be expertly paired with rare and flavorful wines from around the world. Michel Richard Citronelle; 7:30 p.m.; $1,250; cocktail attire; Contact Cara Martin, cara.martin@starlightmidatlantic.org, 202-293-STAR

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2008 Capital Hospice Gala Chair Wendy Adeler with 2007 Noche de Gala Honoree Eva Longoria at Besos.

The National Symphony Orchestra Season Opening Ball

CharityWorks Dream Ball

The evening begins with the first National Symphony Orchestra concert of the season, conducted by Itzhak Perlman and featuring violinist Pinchas Zukerman and rising star cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Dinner and dancing will follow with the usual high-powered roster of guests.

The Kennedy Center; 7 p.m.; $1,000 to $50,000; black-tie; Contact Leslie Miller, 202-416-8102

The National Building Museum will be transformed into a blue and silver star-studded site for CharityWorks patriotically-themed Dream Ball sponsored to benefit Fisher House. National Building Museum; 6 p.m., reception; 8 p.m., dinner and dancing; $650; black-tie; Contact Leah Gansler, leahgansle@aol.com or Miriam Pollin, mpollin@ charityworksdc.org, 703-286-0758

america’s Polo Cup “taste of australia” polo match

Capital for Children Casino Night

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The Historic America’s Polo Cup presents a FALL KICK OFF and the last polo match of the season – including a Special Polo Match sponsored on the National Mall. The National Mall; gates open at 1 p.m., polo ceremonies begin at 2 p.m.; $200 weekend VIP tickets also include reception on September 19 at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City; $50 reserved general admission; visit

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Hob knob with the area’s most influential private equity and venture capital investors in support of Capital for Children, an organization sponsored that helps non-profits serving the underprivileged children in the community.

The event will feature incredible food, drinks, and prizes. The Women’s Club of Chevy Chase; 7:30 p.m.; $100; business casual attire; Contact Dean D’Angelo, capitalforchildren@gmail.com

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October Second Annual St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance

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This year’s event will celebrate “The Best of The Best,” featuring 50 of the world’s greatest examples of rolling sculpture from 1900-1942. All proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels, Md.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $50 standard ticket, $100 VIP ticket; Contact 302-472-6266, www. stmichaelsconcours.com Capital hospice 2008 gala

Capital Hospice will host its annual Passion for Caring Gala, with the theme of “Argentina and its Passions.” Chaired by Wendy Adeler sponsored of Adeler Jewelers, the event will feature cocktails, dinner, dancing, and silent and live auctions. National Building Museum; 6:30 p.m.; $500; sponsorships available; Contact 703-531-6216

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Save the Date upcoming WL-SPONSORED EVENTS October 02: MenzFit 7th Annual Celebration and Auction, “Miami Beach” October 11: Washington Performing Arts Society Fall Gala October 15 & 16: The Re-opsening OF tHE JOCKEY CLUB and tHE Fairfax at EMbassy rOW October 16: Bloomingdales and Washington BALLET’S “Perfect 10” October 17: Meridian Ball October 18: Best Buddies Ball October 18: National Italian American Foundation Gala October 18: Corcoran 1869 society Fall Fete October 23: care for kids holiday shopping card launch October 24: first annual joan hisaoka “make a difference” gala

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Photo by Joel Baldwin for WNO

Stars Come

The

Out in 2008-2009 GIUSEPPE VERDI

La Traviata Sep 13-Oct 5, 2008

Futral, Chacรณn-Cruz, Ataneli, Thompson Conductor Ettinger, Director M. Domingo

GEORGES BIZET

The Pearl Fishers Sep 20-Oct 7, 2008

Amsellem, Castronovo, Scheunemann, Sedov Conductor Grazioli, Director Sinclair

GAETANO DONIZETTI

Lucrezia Borgia* Nov 1-17, 2008

Fleming/Radvanovsky, Raimondi, Grigolo, Aldrich Conductor Domingo, Director Pascoe

GEORGES BIZET

Carmen

Nov 8-19, 2008

Graves/Brioli, Cvilak, Arancam/Jovanovich, Vinogradov/Lagunes Conductor Rudel, Director Gately

Join the cast of La Traviata for the

Season Opening Night Gala Dinner Dance Saturday, September 13

at the Italian Embassy with Honorary Hosts

The Ambassador of Italy and Mrs. Castellaneta and Season Opening Night Gala Chair Mae Grennan Gala Dinner Tickets begin at $500 per person For more information call 202.295.2486 or e-mail specialevents@dc-opera.org

GIOACHINO ROSSINI

Petite Messe Solennelle* SPECIAL CONCERT EVENT

Nov 21 & 22, 2008

Cvilak, Aldrich, Bocelli, Vinogradov Conductor Domingo

All Operas Now On Sale!

Order Today - Tickets Start at $25 202.295.2400 โ ข 800.US.OPERA * Some restrictions www.dc-opera.org may apply.

Wheelchair accessible seating is available in all price categories for all operas. Call 202.295.2400 or e-mail adacoordinator@dc-opera.org.

life OF THE party WL-sponsored, Hosted, and exclusive events | CharityWorks, Opera Ball, Best Friends, Meridian Spring Gala, and Alice Awards

Maria Felice Mekouar, Canul Mekouar, and JoAnn Mason at the Washington Opera Ball held at the residence of the French Ambassador. (Photo by Tony Powell)

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party | charityworks

Michelle Freeman with Raul and Jean-Marie Fernandez

Leah Gansler and Mary Pisarczyk

wl sponsored

CharityWorks 100 Point Vintage Wine Tasting Salamander Farm, Middleburg, Virginia Photos by Tony Powell

William Newman and Sheila Johnson Jonathan Silver and Melissa Moss

Alison and Chris Simmons

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THE EVENT: One of the most sought after tickets of the charity season, this refined yet casual gathering pairs some of the region’s favorite pastimes – charity, fine wine, and gourmet cuisine – with a list of high-net, high-powered participants. The annual CharityWorks fundraiser was hosted by Sheila Johnson and William Newman at their Middleburg oasis, Salamander Farm. The evening, chaired

by Jack Davies, raised over $700,000 to benefit Fisher House, an organziaton providing homes for families while loved ones in the military receive medical care. CharityWorks’ goal for the year is to raise enough money to build a new home on the grounds of the Veteran’s Medical Center in D.C. THE SCENE: Auctioneer Leon Harris had an easy job – simply let the guests enjoy a five-course meal prepared by the region’s top chefs. And the wine? All French, all 100 point-rated

by Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator, and all eloquently explained, course-by-course, by Master of Wine, Jay Youmans and wine critic Ben Giliberti. THE GUESTS: Judy and Walter Havenstein from BAE Systems, the evening’s lead sponsor, Rosemary and Michael Laphen, Lisa Lutz, Amy and Pierre Chao, Ted and Lynn Leonsis, Marge and Philip Odeen, Pam and Richard Hanlon, and Art Marks.

Claire and Albert Dwoskin

Arthur Marks and Nancy Casey

Walter and Judy Havenstein

Lynn and Ted Leonsis

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life

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party | charityworks

Wine Event Gets Better with Age

Frank Raines and Denise Grant

Alana Harrington, Michael Saylor, and Rebecca Canan

By Norma and Russ Ramsey

Marilyn and George Pederson

S

Georgia and George Stamas

Marcy and Neil Cohen

Leon Harris and Jack Davies

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Paula and Bob Hisaoka

Wendy and Mark Stavish with Mary Saily and Burgess Levin

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

ince its inception, the CharityWorks 100 Point Wine Event has been the ticket to have when it comes to Washington philanthropy. The occasion represents an evening of unprecedented fundraising for handpicked causes, in private spectacular settings surrounded by good friends committed to making a difference in our region. Falling in early June, it has become the grand finale of fundraising in Washington before the crowds exit the city. It marks a celebration with great friends, enjoying wonderful spirits and raising the paddle for fantastic recipients just before we part ways for the summer.

We have had the good fortune of attending each event since its establishment five years ago. Each has been a memorable night, in fantastic venues with the best wines in the world paired with food prepared by some of the most renowned chefs of our time.

However, this year’s event was exceptionally important and memorable.

In a time where we are all looking to support our U.S. military and their families, The Fisher House was a particularly timely beneficiary.

Providing a “home away from home” for families of our armed forces receiving medical care at military and veteran medical centers, it was effortless for the attendees to support a cause so significant.The stories were riveting; not a dry eye was in the house as a soldier told his story of what it meant to have his family close by in his time of need. Each and every person left Salamander Farm with a charitable feeling of making a difference and creating a great sense of community. While the spirit around the region’s philanthropy is strong, it is palpable at the CharityWorks event.

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French Treat

celebrity chef dishes and wine pairings from the 100 point wine event along with evaluations from Wine Advocate’s robert parker and Wine Spectator CANAPES

THIRD COURSE

Chef Todd Gray, Equinox Restaurant and Salamander Hospitality; Chef Vaughn Skaggs, Market Salamander

Chef Robert Wiedmaier, Marcels and Brasserie Beck

Foie Gras Truffles with Peanut Butter Crust Crispy Soft Shells with Garden Basil Mayonnaise Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder with Turnip Cream and Pickled Leeks Soft Poached Quail Egg with Loudon County Asparagus

Gateau of Wild Forest Mushrooms, Encrusted in Toasted Pine Nuts with Grilled California Squab in a Thyme, Red Wine Essence

1990 Chateau Montrose Robert Parker: It is a huge, corpulent, awesomelyendowed wine. It thoroughly embarrassed the 1989.

Marinated Wild Rockfish with Candy Cane Beets and Verjus Vinaigrette

2006 Michael Shapps Monticello Viognier 2004 Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Vigne Blanches Maltroye

1990 Chateau Beausejour Daffau-Lagrosse Robert Parker: I believe this wine may, in 15-20 years, be considered to be one of the greatest wines made this century.

FIRST COURSE

FOURTH COURSE

Chefs Jonathan Krinn and Jon Mathieson

Chef RJ Cooper,Vidalia

Marinated day boat fluke osetra caviar and shellfish consommé

Japanese Kuroge Wagyu Tasting; 30-day Corned Brisket with Yellowfin Potato Pave,Vidalia Onion Soubise, King Trumpet Mushrooms & Bordelaise

1999 Brut Champagne Cristal Robert Parker: One of the finest Champagnes I have ever brought to my lips.

1995 Krug Brut Champagne Wine Spectator: Delicate. Intense aromas of ginger, citrus, candied berry and multigrain bread turn to honey, roasted almonds, and graphite on the palate.

1982 Chateau Pichon Longueville Lalande Wine Spectator: A voluptuous red.Very dark ruby-garnet.

Aromas of currant, meat and berries. This has always been a great wine.

SECOND COURSE

FIFTH COURSE

Chef Roberto Donna Galileo and Bebo Trattoria

Pastry Chef Jason Reaves Market Salamander

Duck “Raviolini del Plin” in a Black Truffle Duck Sauce, Grated Pecorino Toscano Cheese

Early Summer Strawberry Salad with Lavender Croutons and Honey Strawberry Gelato

1996 Chateau Lafite Rothschild Robert Parker: Unquestionably this renowned estate’s greatest wine. This massive wine may be the biggest, largest-scaled Lafite I have ever tasted.

2001 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes Wine Spectator:This is absolutely mind-blowing.This is the greatest young Sauternes ever tasted.

1995 Chateau Margaux Wine Spectator: A full-bodied, chewy blockbuster of a wine that is not giving anything at all away.

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1982 Chateau Leoville Las Cases Robert Parker: This dense ruby/purple-colored 1982 still looks and tastes as if it were 5-8 years old.

2001 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes Wine Spectator: Intense aromas of botrytis, spices and blanched almonds follow through to honey, maple syrup, dried apricot and pineapple.

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Toni and John Gore

Marie and Rep. Ed Royce wl sponsored

THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA BALL French Ambassador’s Residence

THE EVENT: Those who said the opera’s 1999 Christian Lacroix-themed ball could never be topped were swallowing their words — along with the vintage Champagne, profiteroles and petits-fours — as they gasped in wonderment at French Ambassador Pierre Vimont’s stately home, transformed for the occasion by French lighting designer Julien Pavillard into a spectacular Louis XVI/Marie Antoinette-era fantasy world. THE SCENE: Multi-colored lights were strung throughout the terraces, topiaries and trellises; even more floated in the pool or cascaded from trees as troubadours and chanteuses strolled the grounds singing arias in electrified 18th-century garb. Guests danced beneath crystal chandeliers in the enormous marquee while admiring over-the-top floral masterpieces that emitted pungent aromas into the sultry night air. “Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, your house looks like Versailles just before the Revolution,” one guest remarked to the genial host. “Yes, about two days before,” he replied with a laugh. THE GUESTS: VIPs braving the sweltering heat included Justice Stephen Breyer, Sens. Jim Webb and Patrick Leahy, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff and the 22 ambassadors who hosted pre-ball dinners in their residences. Susan and Samuel Lehrman and Michael and Linda Sonnenreich were hailed for taking the major benefactor reins after eight-time ball chairwoman Betty Scripps pulled out less than two months before the event.

Sam Lehrman, Shane Doty, and Susan Lehrman*

French Ambassador Pierre Vimont and Roxanne Roberts G u stavo Ga r ga l lo, R e f l ect i o n s P h oto g r a p h y

Elizabeth and Rep. Dennis Kucinich

Photos by Tony Powell

Liechtenstein Amb. Claudia Fritsche and Michael Sonnenreich

Jacqueline Badger Mars and Anne Cleland

Desserts in the gazebo

Susan and Michael Pillsbury WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Mark Ginsburg and Ina Ginsburg

life

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party | washington national opera ball The exterior of the French Ambassadorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence

Matt Hastings and Lucky Roosevelt

Mark Weinstein with Nina and Philip Pillsbury

Roland Celette with Justice Stephen Breyer

Leah Picar and David Mercer

Performersdancing

Inside the spectacular marquee

Anabel Mariaca in Armani and Yolanda Santos in Badgely Mischka

Dr. Marian Chiaesa in Vera Wang and Cheryl Mills in Dior

Annie Totah in Valentino and Susan Mars

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WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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ANN HAND

The Palisades 202.333.2979

www.annhand.com

Georgetown 202.333.1529

life

of the

party Liz Dougherty, Jamie Dorros and Amy Bischoff

Katie Berky and Adrienne Schweer

Jeff Zell wl sponsored

Meridian Spring Garden Benefit Meridian House

Cleo Gewirz, Ambler and Meredith Cisick, and Leigh Hay

Photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: The 2nd annual Spring Garden Benefit at Meridian House was nearly rained out, but the sun appeared just in time for more than 300 guests to take advantage of the historic propertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s linden grove, which was decorated with more than 20 Japanese paper lanterns in homage to the theme of the event, An Evening in Kyoto. Hanayo Kato, wife of Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato, served as patroness of the evening, which included an exhibition of the work of worldrenowned sustainable architecture expert Shigeru Ban. THE GUESTS: Benefit chairwoman Judy Bishop, Nels and Kristen Olsen, Dorothy and Carl Colby, Liz and Paul Dougherty, Meridian International President Stuart Holliday, and Joan Keston and Hugh Grindstaff.

Shamim and Said Jawad

Peter and Brady Arundel with Courtney and Chris Burnham

Judy Bishop and Hanayo Kato Britlan and Fred Malek

Catherine Jones and Alexandra de Borchgrave

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Katja Lonnes

Gwen Holliday and Loran Aiken

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

In the linden grove

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22 West -The Residences Eastbanc Inc., thE dEvElopEr of 3303 WatEr strEEt, oncE agaIn has raIsEd thE bar for dEsIgn & ElEgancE WIth thE complEtIon of 22 WEst-thE rEsIdEncEs. thIs 92 unIt mastErpIEcE Is locatEd In WashIngton, dc’s ExclusIvE WEst End, thE prEmIEr locatIon for dIscErnIng clIEnts sEEkIng ElEgancE

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1177 22nd Street NW • Washington, DC 20037 • 202.333.3313 • www.22west-dc.com photos © maxWEll mackEnZIE 2008

life

of the

party George and Rima Bitar

Jack and Joanne Kemp

Tad and Beth Jones with Elayne Bennett

Alma Powell

wl sponsored

Best Friends Foundation Gala Marriott Wardman Park Photos by kyle samperton

Rynthia Rost

John McLaughlin

THE EVENT: The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50s were in full swing at the 20th annual Best Friends Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual benefit in support of middle and high school students striving to make the right choices.

THE SCENE: Guests donned poodle skirts, lettermen jackets and Grease-inspired garb to twist the night away to the sounds of Chuck Brown and The Drifters. D. C. Councilmember Jack Evans and Michelle Seiver led a line dance worthy of Sandy and Danny, and not even the pouring rain could stop the fun.

THE GUESTS: Best Friends founder Elayne Bennett and Bill Bennett, Sen. Mel Martinez, Sandy and Bill Bennett, Mike Skehan and Andrea Rohan and Marcia Carlucci.

Michelle Seiver and Jack Evans Rhana Walker, Jim Kimsey, and Sen. Mel and Kitty Martinez

John Marriott, Pauline Hamlett, and Angie Marriott

Paige Speyer

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WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| SEPTEMBER

2008

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W H E R E P E N N S Y LVA N I A AV E N U E M E E T S T H E CH A M PS ELY SÉES.

D.C.’s place to meet for authentic French Bistro cuisine, wine, coffee and conversation is Café du Parc, on Pennsylvania Avenue adjacent to the Willard InterContinental Hotel®. With exquisite French pastries, fresh brioche and in between meal “petits plats,” Café du Parc serves breakfast through dinner on two levels with Parisian-style outdoor dining, in warm weather months. Bon appétit!

Do you live an InterContinental life?

Call 202.942.7000 or visit www.cafeduparc.com ©2007 InterContinental Hotels Group. All rights reserved. Most hotels are independently owned and/or operated.

pollywood The Nexus of Politics, Hollywood, Media, and Diplomacy | Media Spotlight with Janet Donovan, Kicking it! and Ambassadorial movements

Actor and author Hill Harper with Julian Epstein at Harper’s book signing for “Letters to a Young Sister” the follow up to his break out book “Letters to a Young Brother. Epstein hosted the event on the rooftop of his multi-leveled Adams Morgan loft. (Photo by Tony Powell)

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pollywood | pop politics

Oh, What a Noche!

Actor Jimmy Smits spearheads efforts to support Latinos in the entertainment industry BY jimmy smits

I

t was nearly 12 years ago that the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) held its first annual Noche de Gala fundraising dinner at the Mayflower Hotel. That event celebrated the enthusiastic response to the new foundation’s mission to create education and career opportunities for young Latino talent in the entertainment, media and telecommunications industries.

Our featured speaker was thenFirst Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who told the assembled government officials and entertainment industry luminaries, “America will never realize its full promise until all Americans are given the opportunity to shape and share their talents.”

When NHFA fr iends and supporters gather at the Mayflower on September 9th for the 2008 Noche de Gala, now a much-anticipated Washington event, it will be with a sense of pride that, despite remaining barriers, we have come a long way toward fulfilling that promise. In 1997, when fellow actors Esai Morales, Sonia Braga and I cofounded NHFA along with Merel Julia and Washington attorney Felix Sanchez, the number of Latino actors working in the industry had only increased from 3 to 4 percent in the previous five years, according to the Screen Actors Guild.

NHFA’s ongoing challenge has been to make sure the Hispanic community, which makes up 13.5 percent of the U.S. population and whose consumer and political power is growing rapidly, is presented in an accurate

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and feature films, writing for network and cable television, performing in film and on stage, and working as screenwriters, playwrights, film editors and artistic directors of repertory theater and dance companies.

The gala is an opportunity to celebrate past milestones, build support and momentum for future projects and, through the NHFA Awards, honor those whose work personifies our goals.

The Raul Julia Award is presented each year to a person or organization that perpetuates the risk-taking spirit of this late, great actor. The 2008 recipient will be Mexican film director Patricia Riggen for her work on the film La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon), a touching story about how the love between a mother and child can thrive and endure despite physical separation.

The Horizon Award, which goes to a rising star who shatters the status quo, will be presented to actor, composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda, recently honored with a Tony Award The author with National Hispanic Foundation for the Broadway hit In the Heights. for the Arts co-founder Sonia Braga at the 2007 Noche de Gala. (Photos by Tony Powell) A new Entertainer of the Year Award will be given to Mario Lopez for his and contemporary manner. Until that happens, phenomenal versatility as a television an entire community will continue to be and film actor, Broadway headliner, reality deprived of a source of cultural pride and television host and best-selling author. the country at large of a true picture of the American mosaic.

SAVE THE DATE Over the years, NHFA has developed alliances september 9th and programs scholarships, internships and Noche de Gala sponsored workshops that have launched the careers of a For more information about the Gala, whole new generation of Hispanic talent. NHFA visit www.hispanicarts.com alumni are producing and directing documentaries

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pollywood | pop politics

Daschle Reaches Across the Aisle The former Senate Majority Leader on the need for bipartisan cooperation

by Tom Daschle

A

All too often Washington is divided along partisan lines. But there was a time when comity between the two parties was the norm and not the exception.

During President Ronald Regan’s tenure in office, he was often at odds with Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill. At the end of the day, however, they put aside their differences and developed a close friendship.

While I, too, witnessed examples of intense partisanship, I had similar experiences with

my colleagues across the aisle. We would travel overseas together, often times learning as much about each other as we did about the countries we visited. By the time I left office, I counted some Republican members as my closest friends in the Senate.

Unfortunately, the current partisan environment has made it more difficult to foster the kind of cross-party alliances that are necessary to address our country’s problems in a meaningful way. That is why

I joined Senators Howard Baker, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to found the Bipartisan Policy Center.

If we want to successfully address issues like health care reform, climate change energy, and national security, members of both parties have to seek common ground. That is the goal of the BPC – creating an environment where Democrats and Republicans can come together and tackle the public policy challenges facing our nation.

wl exclusive

Bipartisan Policy Center Reception Home of Conrad and Ludmilla Cafritz Photos by Kyle Samperton

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Charles and Anne Wiebe

Bill and Nancy Senich

George Grayson and Eileen McMenamin

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Conrad Cafritz, Tom Daschle, and Jason Grumet

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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pollywood | media spotlight

Breaking Barriers

Katie Couric’s Sewell-Belmont House award in honor of early suffrage advocate Alice Paul BY barbara harrison

A

fter the death of her beloved husband, I watched my friend Katie Couric take on the mantle of single-mom, wage a worldwide war on colon cancer, and bravely face down an entrenched male-only tradition by becoming the first single female anchor of a network news broadcast. She is a stalwart soldier when it comes to fighting for what she believes in, and her shoes, as tiny as they are, are hard to fill.

Turning the clock back to nearly a hundred years ago, it’s easy to imagine Katie fighting for women’s rights among suffragists like Alice Paul. Six years before women were granted the right to vote, Paul called Washington’s attention to the disenfranchisement of women in this country. Along with others, she succeeded in

stealing attention from newly elected President Woodrow Wilson’s arrival in Washington.

Crowds instead lined Pennsylvania Avenue for the Woman Suffrage Parade, a moment considered a turning point for women’s rights.

Much of this history can be found at the Sewall-Belmont House in Washington, just a stone’s throw from the U.S. Capitol. In 1929 it was sold to the National Women’s Party and has served as its headquarters and museum to this day. The prestigious award, chosen by the staff, is given to a distinguished woman who has made outstanding contributions in breaking barriers and setting new precedents for women, as did Alice Paul and the women with whom she fought for women’s rights.

Katie Couric’s daring to eschew the “status quo” makes her a pioneer of the 21st century.

Her positive impact on the lives of others across the country is why she was chosen for this year’s Alice Award.

As is tradition, the ceremony was held in the garden of the Sewall Belmont House.

With the award, Katie has now joined a prestigious group of former honorees, among them Evelyn Lauder, Billie Jean King, Tipper Gore, Cokie Roberts, Susan Stamberg, Nina Totenberg, Linda Wertheimer, and Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Mary Landrieu. All continue to serve as champions for women.

Katie is a fighter. Who knows what battles she’ll take on next?

wl sponsored

alice Award honoring Katie Couric Sewall-Belmont House Photos by Kyle Samperton

Barbara Harrison and Debbie Dingell

Esther Coopersmith and Janet Howard

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Katie Couric hugs Margaret Suzor

Steve and Blair Raber

Ann Stock and Debby McGinn

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Dianne Sappenfield and Debbie Schiff

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Join us at the First Annual

Benefiting

Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts

Friday, October 24, 2008 The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC 6:00 pm Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction 7:30 pm Dinner, Live Auction, and Dancing Black Tie Event Chair: Mr. Robert G. Hisaoka

Four course menu and wine pairings inspired by Chef Todd and Ellen Gray of Equinox Restaurant

Dancing to the sounds of Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals Live and Silent Auctions featuring Culinary packages with Renowned DC Chefs, including: Jeff Buben, Vidalia Roberto Donna, Bebo Trattoria Todd Gray, Equinox Kaz Okochi, KAZ Sushi Bistro Michel Richard, Citronelle Robert Wiedmaier, Marcel’s Eric Ziebold, CityZen Portrait by Peter Max

Joan Hisaoka, founder and president of Hisaoka Public

Relations, was 48 when she lost her battle with cancer on May 14, 2008. Joan was a hard working and dedicated leader who brought kinetic energy and bright imagination to her work. The Gala will honor Joan’s life, her spirit of compassion, and her unwavering commitment towards bettering the lives of others.

For more information about the First Annual Joan Hisaoka “Make a Difference” Gala Benefiting Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, sponsorship details, or to purchase tickets, please contact Jacquelyne Willis at 202-741-1288 or jwillis@websterconsulting.com.

Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts is a Washington, DC based non-profit 501(c)(3) health, education and creative arts organization that serves individuals living with cancer and other serious illnesses.

POLLYWOOD DC United’s Rob Cann and Clyde Simms

Dana Mozie, Dr. Saralynn Mark, Craig Holley, Tim Rockwood

George Vassilliou, Abla Khoursheel, Nahid Handal and Aseel Albanna Karen Finney, Darren Thomas and Mary Streett wl hosted

KICKING IT SCREENING Landmark E Street Cinema and ESPN Zone Photos by Tony Powell

Raul and Jean-Marie Fernandez

THE EVENT: The Washington premiere of Kicking It, a documentary film chronicling the lives of six soccer players as they prepare for the Homeless World Cup in Capetown, South Africa. THE SCENE: The film’s executive producers, including Ted Leonsis, Jack Davies, Raul Fernandez and Soroush Shehabi, welcomed sports, media and business players to the two sold-out screenings. The lively Q&A sessions and after-party included an opportunity to meet some of the homeless world cup players as well as DC United stars. THE GUESTS: Kandy Stroud, Juleanna Glover, and Wyatt and Tandy Dickerson.

Natja Rosner, Lawrence Cann, Charlie Bartlett and Julia Cohen

Kay Kendall, Caroline Boutte and Connie Carter

Jack Davies

Ashley Reiser, Catriona Walsh and Hillary Stewart Mario Rocha and Diana Rivas

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Amy Holmes

Beth Mendelson and Susan Koch

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

Ruth Krumbhaar, Kate Damon and Russell Long

| SEPTEMBER

2008

| washingtonlife.com

MARY DAY, FOUNDER SEPTIME WEBRE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

thewashingtonballet

SUBSCRIBE NOW TO OUR THRILLING 08.09 SEASON! AND MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR TWB’S ROCKETMAN GALA ON MAY 12, CELEBRATING SEPTIME WEBRE’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR!

GENIUS2

Including works by Morris, Wheeldon and Tharp Kennedy Center October 22-26

A magical classic set in DC Warner Theatre December 11-28

HIGHLAND FLING

Featuring La Sylphide and Celts Kennedy Center February 11-15

PETER PAN

A swashbuckling blockbuster Kennedy Center April 1-5

ROCKETMAN

A world-premiere by Septime Webre!

Harman Center for the Arts May 13-17

WHO CARES?

Fun for the whole family TWB’s England Studio Theater April 30-May 3

WASHINGTONBALLET.ORG 202.362.3606 X605 Jonathan Jordan by Steve Vaccariello

pollywood | diplomatic dance

Summer Dispatches Very special national days, diplomatic moves and a summer barbecue By gail scott

Oval Office Access Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco, the former foreign minister of her country and the daughter of a former Colombian president, enjoys extremely good access at the highest levels of the Bush Administration. It seems that her father, Virgilio Barco, and the President’s father, President George H.W. Bush, held their nation’s presidency simultaneously and enjoyed each other’s company. So, each summer when Colombia’s July 22 national day rolls around, President George W. Bush has hosted a celebration in the White House for Colombia.

The first year, 1996, it was Foreign Minister Barco who was there with then-Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno. This year, Mrs. Barco returned to the Oval Office the very next day as well, with Colombia’s much-in-the-news defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, who came specifically to thank the U.S. for its assistance in helping with the July 27 release of four political hostages — which included Ingrid Betancourt, the celebrated French-born woman who was running for Colombia’s presidency when she was captured.

“None of this would have been possible without the kind of training we received from the United States and ‘Plan Colombia.’ It absolutely made the difference and our defense minister

Do You Know

embassy row?

• Which ambassador has an original Andy Warhol hanging over his living room fireplace?

• Which Embassy has the smallest but most stunning powder room?

• Which Embassy has a new showcase kitchen with appliances and utensils from that country?

Answers in the October Diplomatic issue of Washington Life.

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handsome couple kept running into other envoys who rolled down their windows to offer them rides. “Oh, we’d much rather walk,” the Prince replied. “This is all new to us.”

President Bush and Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco in the Oval Office

wanted to thank America and the Congress on behalf of all Colombians,” Mrs. Barco explained, noting that she also hopes to soon achieve freedom for several hundred remaining hostages.

“Colombia is very, very lucky,” says this seasoned envoy, who is working against a recalcitrant Congress to win a Free Trade Agreement for her country. “His father and my father were presidents at the same time, so when this President Bush sees me, he always says,‘Hola, Amiga!’This president is a very warm man with such marvelous energy.”

Welcome to Kalorama Jordan’s Prince Zeid Al-Hussein and his family have moved into Kalorama from McLean where Jordan’s former suburban cul-de-sac residence had gone through endless rehab. “We love it here,” the polished diplomat said of posh Kalorama, “Everything is so close.” Strolling along one night with his wife, Princess Sarah, to attend farewell parties for Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy and his wife Nermin on Sheridan Circle and Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Zbogar and his wife, Maja, over on California Street, the

C’est la vie!

To celebrate Bastille Day on July 14th, huge gold stars hung from La Maison Française’s high ceilings to celebrate the EU Presidency rotating to France. French Ambassador Pierre Vimont invited his close friend, Parisian banker Collette Cove, to join him in the receiving line where they personally shook hands with each of the 2,400 guests. MadameVimont was nowhere in sight.The still-married Vimonts have not been together for over two decades. C’est la vie en France!

High-Ranking Neighbors Newly-arrived Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and his wife Yoriko (who went to kindergarten here) feel at home already with their black lab, Skipper. All three greeted guests at Japan’s Annual Summer Barbecue in July, where luncheon guests included Congressional staffers, members of the press, and next-door neighbor Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström, who arrived bearing a bouquet. Sitting down to enjoy sushi, baby lamb chops and watermelon, the handsome, trim blond Swede was bombarded by other neighbors vying to be his tennis partner on his deliciously discreet backyard court.

Undiplomatic in Any Language Diplomacy isn’t always so diplomatic.

One popular European ambassador recently discovered he was being replaced by reading about it in his hometown newspaper while he was accompanying President Bush on a visit to his homeland. Bad form!

Readers wishing to get in touch with Gail Scott can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Csaba L. Magassy, MD, FACS and Shahram Salemy, MD, Board Certified Plastic Surgeons

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“The Art of Cosmetic Surgery” Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 7:00 pm

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pollywood | Diplomatic Dance Amb. Carolina Barco with Carlos and Edi Gutierrez

Miss D.C. Kate Grinold

Suellen Estrin, Pat Skantze, and Mel Estrin

Stephen Graydon and Carol Rhodes

wl exclusive

INNOCENTS AT RISK Colombian Ambassador’s Residence Photos by tony powell

THE EVENT: Cocktails and dinner in support of Innocents at Risk’s efforts to stop sex trafficking of children throughout the world. THE GUESTS: Co-

Anne Boyd and Anna Utley

chairwomen Deborah Sigmund and Isabelle Ernst, Deborah Dingell, Keith Lippert, Lolo Sarnoff, and Esther Coopersmith.

Renee Huffman and Angel Saltos

Atlantic Council Awards The Ritz-Carlton Photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: The Atlantic Council of the United States honored Adm. Michael

May Yang and Iraq Amb. Samir Shakir Sumaida’ie

Mullen, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Russian piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin at its annual awards dinner, after which Kissin gave a performance. THE GUESTS: Colin Powell, Brent Scowcroft, Henry A. Kissinger, Brig. Gen. Jim Jones, former Polish President Aleksander Krasniewski, Russell and Aileen Train, Donatella Flick, Lloyd Hand, Dan and Rhoda Glickman, Arnaud and Alexandra de Borchgrave, Bob Barnett and Rita Braver.

Donatella Flick Brent Scowcroft and Walter Isaacson

Jan and Elizabeth Lodal with Kirsten Lodal and Jeff Himmelman

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Lucky Roosevelt, Shayne Doty, Sir Nigel Sheinwald and Colin Powell

Tony Blair

W A S H IN G TON LI F E

| S EPTEM B E R

2008

| washingtonlife.com

This is your city.

How will you power it?

How do we meet growing global demand? What new kinds of fuels and power sources should we develop? And how do we safeguard the environment at the same time?

These are the questions facing us all. And together, we can find the answers.

To help encourage greater understanding and discussion toward solutions, Chevron brings you Energyville, an online, interactive game that puts you in charge of meeting the energy demands of your city. It’s a chance to put your theories into practice. Choose from a portfolio of energy sources to power your city today, and through 2030. Every decision you make will affect the environment, the economy, and your city’s security.

After you play, share your results and challenge others.

Because only when we come to understand and discuss the energy problems our planet faces, can we find the inspiration and know-how needed to solve them together.

Play it. Power it. Discuss it. willyoujoinus.com

CHEVRON is a registered trademark of Chevron Corporation.

The CHEVRON HALLMARK is a trademark of Chevron Corporation. © 2007 Chevron Corporation. All rights reserved.

special feature | Balls and Galas

The 2008 Washington Life Guide to

BALLS and GALAS W

ashington is a city of splendid generosity, and our 2008 Guide to Balls and Galas is brimming with all the people, parties, and important details youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need to make the most of the social season.

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Photographs by Clay Blackmore Makeup by Carola Myers • Hair styling by Franko and Mara Fontanez for Carola Myers Makeup & Hair Artists Photographed at the St. Regis Hotel Pictured, from left: Cathy Jones (Choral Art Society Holiday Gala), Jeffrey Zell (Starlight Taste of the Stars), Kristen Olson (The Meridian Ball), Shelia Johnson (Sibley Hospital Celebration of Hope & Progress Gala), Beth Dozoretz (Harman Center for the Arts Gala), Winston Bao Lord (Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society), Samia Farouki (Harman Center for the Arts Gala), Abigail Blunt (Multiple Sclerosis Society Ambassadors Ball), Curtin Winsor (Starlight Taste of the Stars), and Ashley Taylor (Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society)

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special feature | Balls and Galas

September National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts’ Noche de Gala What to Expect: In 1997, actors Jimmy Smits, Esai sponsored Morales, and Sonia Braga, along with Washington attorney Felix Sanchez, created the NHFA to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications, and entertainment industries. This high-profile gala raises money to fund scholarships for Latino graduate students.

Date: Tuesday, September 9; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Mayflower Hotel Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, Sonia Braga, Merel Julia, and Felix Sanchez Price: $1,250; sponsorship opportunities are available Contact: Jennifer Castillo, 202-2938330, JCastillo@hispanicarts.org

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Washington National Opera Opening Night Gala What to Expect: This year, after the season premiere sponsored of Verdi’s La Traviata, opera enthusiasts will gather for dining and dancing at the Embassy of Italy.

The Italian Ambassador and Mrs. Castellaneta serve as honorary patrons.

Date: Saturday, September 13; 7 p.m., performance; 10 p.m., dinner and dancing Location: The Kennedy Center Opera House and the Embassy of Italy Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Mae Haney Grennan Price: Starting at $500 Contact: 202-295-2486, specialevents@ dc-opera.org

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30th Anniversary Ambassadors Ball What to Expect: Traditionally one of the first and most sponsored international events on Washington’s fall social calendar, the ball hosts the diplomatic corps, Congressional leaders, and other VIPs while raising vital funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Guests enjoy a silent auction, dinner, and dancing to a full orchestra.

Date: Tuesday, September 16; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Washington Hilton & Towers Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Lucy Calautti and Abigail Blunt

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Price: $500; tables $5,000 to $50,000 Contact: Hilary Dowden, 202-296-5363, ambassadorsball@MSandYOU.org

Angels in Adoption™ Gala What to Expect: Members of Congress honor an individual who has enriched the life of a foster child or orphan.

These “Angels” are invited to attend an awards ceremony and gala given in their honor by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

Date: Tuesday, September 16; 6 p.m.

Location: Ronald Reagan Building Attire: Business professional Event Chairmen: Senators Norm Coleman and Mary Landrieu, and Representatives Ginny Brown-Waite and James Oberstar Price: $750 Contact: Chelsea Buffington, 202-5448500, chelsea@ccainstitute.org

Foundation for the National Archives Annual Gala What to Expect: Dinner and awards ceremony to honor the 2008 Records of Achievement winner, James McPherson, a well-known historian who won the Pulitzer prize in 1989 for his book, Battle Cry of Freedom:The Civil War Era. Date: Tuesday, September 16; 6:30 p.m.

Location: National Archives Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Jim Albaugh and Patrick and Donna Butler Price: Invitation only Contact: Caneil McDonald, 202-3577361, caneil.mcdonald@nara.gov

The Children’s Law Center Gala What to Expect: This annual event benefiting children sponsored at risk in the Washington area will include a presentation of the 2008 Distinguished Child Advocate Award to the late Dr. Franklin L. Stroud and the Freddie Mac Foundation. Guests will enjoy Potomac views, a Tuscan buffet, cocktails, and dancing to live ’20s and ’30 jazz.

Date: Wednesday, September 17; 6 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Roof Terrace Restaurant Attire: Business/cocktail Event Chairman: Bob Peck Price: $125; sponsorships available Contact: Catharine Clarenbach, 202-467-4900, ext. 567

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Smithsonian Latin0 Center’s ¡Con Sabor!

Gala and Legacy Awards

Chabraja, and Adrienne Arsht Price: $1,000 to $50,000 Contact: Leslie Miller, 202-416-8102

What to Expect: Celebrate Latino culture, heritage, and sponsored achievement at this year’s event honoring Puerto Rico. Although still considered a “new event” – it’s been around for three years – ¡Con Sabor! has quickly established itself as a lively affair that draws an influential crowd of Latin ambassadors, politicians, and artists. ¡Muy caliente!

Date: Thursday, September 18; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Kogod Courtyard/Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture Attire: Black-tie Price: $250 Contact: Noralisa Leo, 202-633-1240, leon@si.edu

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2008 Wolf Trap Ball What to Expect: An opportunity to enjoy one of the most unique performing arts venues in the nation.

Guests will gather onstage for this year’s event, “Islands of America,” which honors the history and culture of Hawaii, and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa.

Prepare to hula. Proceeds benefit Wolf Trap’s education programs.

Date: Saturday, September 20; 7 p.m.

Location: Filene Center Stage, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts,Vienna,Va. Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Jim and Karen Cleveland, and Alfred and Peggy Mockett Price: $400 to $900; table sponsorships $5,500 to $25,000 Contact: Melanie McCarty, 703-2554030, melaniem@wolftrap.org

National Symphony Orchestra SeasonOpening Ball

What to Expect: One of the capital’s top literary gatherings, featuring cocktails, dinner, and readings by noted authors.This year’s theme, “Promises, Promises,” will be expounded upon by authors Melissa Bank, Richard Bausch, Christopher Buckley, Anthony Grooms, Francisco Goldman, and Patricia Volk, among others.

Date: Monday, September 22; 6:30 p.m., cocktails; 7:30 p.m., theater readings; 8:30 p.m., dinner Location: Folger Shakespeare Library Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Senators Thad Cochran and Patrick Leahy, Mary Haft, and Susan Richards Shreve Price: $400; $1,000, patrons Contact: Liz Sizer, Campbell, Peachey & Associates, 202-636-8743, liz@ campbellpeachey.com

Last Kiss of Summer V What to Expect: Hold on to that last bit of summer and enjoy a night of dining, dancing, and live and silent auctions.

Acclaimed actor Victor Rivers serves as keynote speaker and all proceeds benefit Second Chance Employment Services.

Date: Tuesday, September 23; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Four Seasons, Georgetown Attire: Black-tie optional Event Chairman: David Blanken Price: $400; sponsorships $1,500 to $25,000 Contact: Nancy Mraz, 703-356-3099

Starlight Mid-Atlantic Wine Dinner What to Expect: Guests will feast on a sumptuous menu sponsored created especially for this gathering of wine aficionados. Michel Richard’s gourmet creations will be paired with rare wines from around the world with proceeds benefiting Starlight Mid-Atlantic, which brings joy to seriously ill children and their families in the region.

Date: Friday, September 26; 7 p.m.

Location: Michel Richard Citronelle Attire: Cocktail Event CHAIRMEN: Jeffrey Zell, Rick Genderson, and Curtin Winsor Price: $1, 250 Contact: Cara Martin, 202-293-STAR, cara.martin@starlight-midatlantic.org

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What to Expect: With the maestro’s baton now passed from Leonard Slatkin, Itzhak Perlman will conduct the symphony’s much-anticipated season opening performance, featuring violinist Pinchas Zukerman and rising star cellist Alisa Weilerstein. Dinner and dancing under the stars follow with the usual high-powered roster of senators, Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members, and ambassadors.

Date: Saturday, September 20; 7 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Eleanor and Nicholas

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Gala

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Ashley Taylor

Winston Bao Lord

cO-cHAIR OF THE washington ballet’s jETé sOCIETY dANCE pARTY

cO-cHAIR OF THE washington ballet’s jETé sOCIETY dANCE pARTY

What is the most enjoyable part of planning a gala?

Focusing on creative details that make the party stand out

What do you consider to be your greatest gala success to date?

Last year’s Jeté Society. We sold out over 800 tickets in three days.

Do you have a favorite hair and/or makeup artist for formal occasions?

Ismail Tekin and Carl Ray at the Four Seasons What do you think is the best dish to serve at a gala?

Chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

Something simple and universally liked.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about chairing a fundraiser?

Have great music and keep the talking heads to a minimum. Bring attention to your cause in unique ways.

What do you do the day after the gala is over?

Sleep in and drink lots of water

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special feature | Balls and Galas CharityWorks Dream Ball

Arts for the Aging Gala

What to Expect: Always a visual stunner, the ball sponsored will be decorated with blue and silver stars for a patrioticthemed evening.The gala’s 1,000 guests will celebrate Fisher House, an organization that provides temporary homes for military families needing a place to stay while their loved ones receive medical treatment.

Date: Saturday, September 27; 6 p.m.

Location: National Building Museum Event Chairmen: Satsuko Young and Jennie Pedersen Warren Price: $650 Contact: 703-286-0758

What to Expect: AFTA celebrates its first two decades with cocktails, dinner, and the presentation of the first Lolo Sarnoff Award to legendary pianist Irving Fields for outstanding vision and creativity. Proceeds benefit AFTA’s mission to provide arts outreach workshops for those with age-related impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Date: Saturday, October 4; 7:30 p.m.

Location: Organization of American States Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Giorgio and Anna Maria Via and Steven and Julie Hopping Price: $250, AFTA members; $300, non-members; $500 and $750, VIP Contact: Janine Tursini, 301-7184990, info@aftaarts.org

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Capital for Children Casino Night What to Expect: Hob knob with some of the area’s sponsored most influential private equity and venture capital investors in support of Capital for Children – an organization that helps non-profits serving underprivileged children in our community. This inaugural event will feature incredible food, drinks, and prizes.

Date: Saturday, September 27; 7:30 p.m.

Attire: Business casual Location: The Women’s Club of Chevy Chase Price: $100-$150 Contact: capitalforchildren@gmail.com

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Abigail Blunt co-Chair of the Multiple sclerosis society Ambassadors Ball What is the best advice you’ve ever received about chairing a fundraiser?

Think about the recipients of the funds raised, and you won’t be afraid to ask for money.

What do you do the day after the gala?

Call and thank those who made it happen: the donors, staff, and volunteers.

What causes you the most stress when chairing a large party?

Weather and empty seats

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Capital hospice 2008 gala

October

What to Expect: Capital Hospice will host its annual sponsored Passion for Caring Gala, with the theme of “Argentina and its Passions.” Under the patronage of the Ambassador of Argentina Jose Octavio Bordon, the evening will feature cocktails, dinner, dancing, and silent and live auctions.

Date: Saturday, October 4 6:30 p.m.

Location: National Building Museum Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Wendy Adeler-Hall Price: $500, sponsorships and young donors rates available Contact: 703-531-6216

USO World Gala

2008 dare to dream gala

What to Expect: The USO has been known for years by the celebrities it gets to volunteer their services for our men and women in uniform.

This year, Carmen Electra, Eric Mabius, and David Feherity will entertain at the annual gala, which will recognize honorees from each branch of the armed forces for their extraordinary heroism.

Date: Wednesday, October 1; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Marriott Wardman Park Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Jan Smith Donaldson, Lea Ann Edwards, Diana Enzi, and Deborah Mullen Price: $1,000 Contact: Stacey Hacker, 703908-6453, shacker@uso.org or Antonia Blackwood, 703-288-8685, ablackwood@hayespr.com

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What to Expect: Leaders from politics, business, and sponsored the art, along with national supporters of dyslexia education gather for this inaugural fundraising event to recognize dyslexic visionaries of today and give hope to young people learning to live with the condition. Benefiting the Merritt Dyslexia Education Center – home of both The Friendship School and The Margaret Byrd Rawson Institute. Cocktail and silent auction followed by a seated dinner.

Date: Monday October 6; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C. Attire: Black-tie Price: $350 Contact: Trina Minor, 410-552-6880, tminor@friendshipschool.org

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Washington Performing Arts Society Season Opening Celebration What to Expect: Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter sponsored performs with the Camerata Salzberg in an all-Baroque program as the WPAS kicks off its season.

Date: Saturday, October 11; 5:30 p.m., cocktails and dinner; 8 p.m., performance Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Rachel Tinsley Pearson and Kevin Fitzgerald Price: $500; tables start at $5,000 Contact: 202-293-9325, www.wpas.org

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The Helen Hayes Awards Benefit Auction What to Expect: All the world’s a stage, and these thespians know how to party on it – for a good cause, of course. The artsy crowd bids on exotic trips, highend jewelry, and other deluxe items.

Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club and programs fostering theater in inner-city schools.

Date: Friday, October 17; 7:30 p.m.

Location: The Four Seasons Hotel Attire: Black-tie Price: $250; sponsorships available Contact: Celeste Gilbert, 202-337-4572

National Alliance on Mental Illness Gala

The National Italian American Foundation’s (NIAF) Gala

What to Expect: This cocktail reception and dinner will honor a scientist whose efforts have resulted in ground breaking mental health research. Special guests will include Pro Football Hall-offamer Terry Bradshaw and guitarist/ songwriter Joyce Cooling.

Date: Wednesday, October 15; 7:30 p.m.

Location: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Attire: Business/cocktail Event Chairmen: Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Pete Stark, Kay Redfield Jamison, and Ann Pincus Price: $300, individual; patron levels to $50,000 Contact: Liz Sizer, Campbell, Peachey & Associates, 202-636-8745, liz@ campbellpeachey.com

What to Expect: Lots of recognizable names and sponsored Italian flair in celebration of NAIF’s 33 years of service. This year, the gala may feature both presidential candidates as special guests – there are million of Italian-American voters.

Honorees will include renowned Italian-American CEOs and movie stars. And of course, you’ll see Cafe Milano’s Frano Nuschese!

Date: Saturday, October 18; 6 p.m.

Location: Washington Hilton & Towers Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Jerry Colangelo Price: $400; $600, preferred; $1,000, premier; $2,500, front row Contact: Carolyn Laurenzano, Carolyn@niaf.org

The Meridian Ball

The Best Buddies Ball

What to Expect: It’s the big “Four ‘O’” this year, sponsored so prepare for something even more sophisticated than what guests have come to expect over the years. The night kicks off with preball dinners at various diplomatic residences and continues at the Meridian House for desserts, drinks, and dancing. Proceeds benefit Meridian International Center, a non-profit organization to international exchange and understanding.

Date: Friday, October 17; 6 p.m.

Location: diplomatic residences and Meridian House Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Nels and Kristen Olson, Marcelle Leahy, and Patricia McKeon Price: $600 for diplomatic dinner and ball; $350 for White-Meyer dinner and ball Contact: Leonor Chiarella, 202-9395574, lchiarel@meridian.org

What to Expect: Longtime supporters won’t want to miss sponsored the final extravaganza at the Potomac estate of Sargent and Eunice Shriver, where Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned of Qatar will receive the organization’s Spirit of Leadership Award.The event, celebrating its 20th year, is one of the most inspirational and uplifting nights of the fall social season, and the guest list is a potent list of business, diplomatic, and political personalities.

Date: Saturday, October 18; 6:30 p.m, Location: 9109 Harrison Dr., Potomac, Md. Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Monika and Sima Birach, May Liang and Jim Lintott, Lynn and Ted Leonsis, Diane and Dan Nelson, and Alina and Anthony Shriver Price: No individual tickets; tables of 10 available for $10,000 Contact: Hilary Stephens, 202-8240349, HilaryStephens@bestbuddies.org

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Kristen Olson Co-Chair of the Meridian Ball What is the BEST part of planning a gala?

Meeting new people, experiencing new things and feelings of accomplishment.

What causes you the most stress when chairing a large party?

If you try to please everyone, it creates stress.

Do you prefer French service or plated courses?

Plated courses for large events as it speeds up the process for dinner; French service for manageable numbers.

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special feature | Balls and Galas

Sheila Johnson Chair of the sibley hospital celebration of Hope & Progress Gala Who would be your dream guest?

Barack and Michelle Obama What do you consider to be your greatest gala success to date?

The CharityWorks 100 Point Wine Dinner What is the best benefit event you’ve attended as a guest?

The Annual Americans for the Arts Gala What is your favorite venue in Washington?

The Washington Mystics Basketball Games at the Verizon Center What’s the best gift bag item you’ve ever received?

The entire gift bag from the 2007 Parsons The New School for Design Fashion Show and Benefit

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Joan Hisaoka “Make a Difference” Gala

What to Expect: This firsttime event honors the life of sponsored the late public relations executive Joan Hisaoka, her spirit of compassion, and her unwavering commitment toward bettering the lives of others. This year’s proceeds benefit Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts, a non-profit organization that supports those living with cancer.

Guests will enjoy live music performed

by Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals.

Date: Friday, October 24; 6 p.m.

Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Robert G. Hisaoka Price: $500 Contact: Jacquelyne Willis, 202-7411288, jwillis@websterconsulting.com

on the BLOCK

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Corcoran 1869 Society Fall Fete What to Expect: The 1869 Society invites you to “Party sponsored with the Power Players” at their annual fall gathering, featuring decadent desserts, open bar, and cocktail buffet. Guests will also get a chance to check out the Corcoran’s latest exhibit, “Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power.”

Date: Saturday, October 25; 7:30 p.m.

Location: Corcoran Gallery of Art Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Erin Barnes and Corrie Gilchrist Price: $80 to $200 Contact: 202-639-1753, 1869society@corcoran.org

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Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Harman Center for the Arts Gala What to Expect: Guests who didn’t attend the inaugural Harman Center for the Arts gala last year won’t want to make the same mistake twice. This year’s theme, “A Night in Verona,” should be just as theatrical – it’s inspired

by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and will feature star turns by noted actors, dancers, and musicians. “Oh, tuxedo and matching cuff links, where for art thou?”

Date: Monday, October 27; 6 p.m., reception; 7 p.m., performance; 9 p.m., dinner and dancing Location: Sidney Harman Hall and the National Building Museum Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Beth Dozoretz and Samia Farouki

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Charity: National Italian American Foundation Gala, Saturday, October 18 Item: Mario Andretti Fantasy “Ride & Drive” package WIN IT Because: It’s the chance of a lifetime, to drive a Formula 1 race car on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Grand Prix legend Mario Andretti, plus photos, autographs, and all the trimmings.

Opening bid: $5,000 Donors: Mario Andretti Racing School & Mario Andretti Price: $1,000 and $1,500; tables $15,000 to $50,000 Contact: Joanne Coutts, 202-547-3230, ext. 2330; jcoutts@shakespearetheatre.org

November Sibley Hospital celebration of Hope and Progress Gala What to Expect: Chief of Protocol Nancy Goodman sponsored Brinker hosts this year’s event, and Sheila Johnson co-chairs. One of the premier medical fundraising events of the Washington season, the evening includes a cocktail reception, seated dinner, and silent auction.

Date: Saturday, November 1; 6 p.m.

Location: Four Seasons Hotel Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Sheila C. Johnson Price: $400 Contact: Anita R. Brown, 202-3647696, abrown@sibley.org

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WNO’s Lucrezia Borgia Opening Night Gala Dinner What to Expect: “Did someone say over-thesponsored top and undeniable high society revelry?” This gala dinner with the cast of Lucrezia Borgia follows the opening night performance, and promises to be just that. See you in the box seats, darling!

Date: Saturday, November 1; 7 p.m., performance; 10 p.m., dinner Location: The Kennedy Center and the Organization of American States Attire: Black-tie Price: $500 Contact: 202-295-2449

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Fight for Children’s Fight Night What to Expect: The ultimate guys night out. Black ties, cigars sponsored you can still smoke indoors, Redskins cheerleaders, and pricey ring-side views of live boxing. Add in testosteronefueled public bidding wars for golfing man-cations, sports tickets, and tricked out Harley Davidsons and you’ve reach Y chromosome nirvana. Aside from its unabashedly male-focus we love this night for the tons of money it raises for Fight for Children’s efforts to help D.C. kids.

Date: Thursday, November 6; 6:30 p.m., cocktails and dinner; 9:30 p.m., professional boxing Location: Washington Hilton & Towers Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Fred Schaufeld and Joseph E. Robert Price: $1,000 Contact: Liz Warnecki, 202-772-0416, liz.warnecki@fightforchildren.org

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Knock Out Abuse Against Women Benefit What to Expect: While the men puff away and watch boxing, the women congregate where the real knock outs are. Over the past 15 years, the organization has raised more than $4 million to aid women and children affected by abuse, poverty, and homelessness.This women-only evening includes silent and live auctions and entertainment for over 800 women.The real fun starts when the men show up for the after-party!

Date: Thursday, November 6 Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Attire: Cocktail Price: $500 Contact: 202-725-5604

Mark Twain Prize for American Humor What to Expect: The late, great George Carlin and his list of words you can’t say on television will be celebrated with a star-studded tribute when he is posthumously presented with the coveted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The program will air on PBS stations nationwide this fall and should include a number of noted comedic personalities in a bitter sweet evening.

Date: Monday, November 10; 8 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Price: $50-$120 Contact: 202-416-8333, marktwainprize@kennedy-center.org

The Lab School of Washington Awards What to Expect: Former award recipient Henry Winkler will emcee this annual event attended by over 1,300 prominent guests from the political, business, and education fields. The dinner dance honors outstanding learning-disabled achievers, and helps support the K12 co-educational day school for students with learning disabilities.

Date: Tuesday, November 11; 6 p.m.

Location: Washington Hilton & Towers Attire: Cocktail Event Chairmen: Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn, and Neil and Trish Cullen Price: $200; $1,000,VIP ticket; tables range from $6,000 to $25,000 Contact: Marty Cathcart, 202-4542259, martycathcart@labschool.org

Alzheimer’s Association Washington Monuments Luncheon What to Expect: A nice change of pace from fall’s full menu of evening charitable events, this luncheon honors individuals who have significantly contributed to the cultural, civic, and community life of Washington. Proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Area Chapter.

Date: Wednesday, November 12; 10:30 a.m.

Location: Omni Shoreham Hotel Attire: Business Event Chairman: Ellie Shorb Price: $125, $250, $500; sponsorships available from $1,800 to $10,000 Contact: 703-359-4440, monuments@alz.org

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special feature | Balls and Galas The Friends of St. Jude Blues Ball What to Expect: Grab your harmonica and download sponsored some Lightnin’ Hopkins tunes to get ready to enjoy this annual blues festival with the young and lively professionals of Friends of St. Jude D.C. This social night is all about raising money for a great cause while rocking to live music, silent auctions, hors d’oeuvres, and beverages.

Date: Saturday, November 15; 8 p.m.

Location: City Tavern Club Attire: Creative cocktail; no jeans Event Chairman: Joy Dzurovcik Price: $85, members; $95, nonmembers; $100,VIP members; $110, VIP non-members Contact: Joy Dzurovcik, 703-351-5171, joy.dzurovcik@stjude.org

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Starlight mid-atlantic Taste of the Stars Gala What to Expect: Live and silent auctions, gourmet sponsored dinner, wines from around the world, dancing, and a cigar bar. Funds raised will allow Starlight Mid-Atlantic to assist local families dealing with the severe impact of a child’s illness.

Date: Saturday, November 22; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Four Seasons Hotel Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Jeffrey Zell and Curtin Winsor Price: $650 Contact: Cara Martin, 202-293-STAR, cara.martin@starlight-midatlantic.org,

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Children’s National Medical Center Festival of Heroes What to Expect: No superpowers or fancy sponsored costumes are needed to be considered a hero of the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Children’s National Medical Center.

Cocktails, dinner, and dancing will fill the evening, which honors everyday community heroes that change the lives of children on a daily basis.

Date: Saturday, November 22; 6:30 p.m.

Location: North Bethesda Marriott Hotel and Conference Center Attire: Cocktail Event Chairmen: Deidre Adkins and Allison Portnoy Price: TBD Contact: Danielle Beyda, 301-565-8522, dbeyda@cnmc.org

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Seated with the President and First Lady Laura Bush for the last time, this year’s honorees will accept the thanks of their peers and fans after performances and heartfelt tributes.

The performance is immediately followed by dinner and dancing.

Date: Sunday, December 7; 7 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Opera House and Grand Foyer Attire: Black-tie Price: Invitation only Contact: 202-636-8748

on the BLOCK Charity: Sibley Hospital Celebration of Hope and Progress, Saturday, November 1 Item: Oil on canvas of a Parisian streetscape by the renowned African American artist Lois Mailou Jones Win it Because: Mailou Jones’ work is in demand by museums and collectors around the world, and the piece is a significant product of the Harlem Renaissance in Paris.

Opening Bid: Contact Anita R. Brown, 202-364-7696 for pre-sale inquiries

Washington Ballet Nutcracker Tea Party

Donors: Louis Datlow

What to Expect: The Washington Ballet continues sponsored to grow and improve with each year and its annual Nutcracker tea party is a chance for it to show its lighter side. A classic performance of The Nutcracker is followed by a holiday tea party where guests can mingle and snap pictures with the costumed cast.

Date: Sunday, December 14; 1 p.m.

Location: The Warner Theatre and Willard Intercontinental Event Chairman: Kristina Wyatt Contact: Laura DiSerio, 202-362-3606

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WNO’s Petite Messe Solennelle Dinner What to Expect: Opera lovers get to meet, mingle, and sponsored dine with the conductor and soloists from Rossini’s witty 19th century opera, Petite Messe Solennelle immediately following the closing night performance.

Date: Saturday, November 22; 7 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: TBD Price: TBD Contact: Tim Baird, 202-295-2431

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Capital City Ball What to Expect: Take a Vegas-style casino, live entertainment, and a hot 11-piece band, then add an open bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and desserts and you get a fun night for a great cause. The event benefits the Polaris Project, the award-winning group that fights human trafficking and modern day slavery.

Date: Saturday, November 22; 8 p.m.

Location: The Washington Club, Attire: Black-tie Price: $100 before November 1; $120 after November 1 Contact: www.capitalcityball.com

The National Debutante Cotillion What to Expect: Step out at Washington’s oldest social-presentation event, when it celebrates its 59th annual ball with the presentation of debutantes from around the world to Washington society.

Date: Friday, November 28 Location: Washington Hilton & Towers Attire: White-tie Event Chairmen: Mary-Stuart Montague Price, Andrea Price Madera Price: $175 Contact: Elizabeth Stuart, Andi Madera

or Suzanne Tallia, 301-652-1899, studieprice@aol.com (email preferred)

December S.O.M.E. Dinner Gala What to Expect: Washington corporate and political leaders will get the chance to explore the Newseum, then dine and dance to benefit So Others Might Eat – an organization focused on helping the city’s poor and homeless. Now that is SOMEthing worthwhile.

Date: Thursday, December 4; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Newseum Attire: Black-tie Price: $300; patron tables from $5,000 to $25,000 Contact: Susan O’Neill & Associates, 301-229-2046

The BasketBall XIII Gala What to Expect: Top sports, political, and business personalities will enjoy a gala evening with entertainment by The Spinners and the legendary Funk Brothers. Proceeds benefit local children’s charities in the metropolitan area.

Date: Friday, December 5; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Hilton Washington & Towers Attire: Black-tie optional Event Chairmen: Peter B. Teeley and Dan Waetjen Price: $500; table sponsorships $5,000 to $25,000 Contact: Vivian R. Thompson, 410923-0506, vthompson@aol.com

Kennedy Center Honors What to Expect: For many, this is the highlight of the sponsored Washington cultural year – what other non-political event here is broadcast on CBS in primetime?

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The Choral Arts Society Holiday Concert & Gala What to Expect: Nothing brings out the holiday spirit sponsored better than timeless carols.

Under the patronage of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic and Mrs. Kolar, this beloved Washington tradition will deliver classic holiday music followed by a silent auction, dinner, and dancing.

Date: Monday, December 15; 7 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: Catherine C. Jones Price: $600, $750, $1,000, and $2,500; tables range from $6,000 to $15,000 Contact: Emily Riffle, 202-244-3669, ext. 20, eriffle@choralarts.org

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January Children’s National Medical Center Dancing After Dark What to Expect: Young philanthropists enjoy a fun sponsored night out in support of the Children’s National Medical Center.

Sip cocktails at the bar and snack on desserts before hitting the dance floor Date: Saturday, January 10; 9 p.m.

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Samia Farouki co-Chair of the Harman Center for the arts Gala Who would be your dream guest?

Nelson Mandela. I will remember for as long as I live the magic he brought to a dinner I attended in his honor.

Have you had any really embarrassing gala moments?

When I chaired the Aspen Institute’s annual summer dinner, a huge storm forced us to remove the fabulous lanterns from the ceiling of the tent. They were the piece de resistance.

Thankfully everything worked out in the end.

What is the best gala you’ve attended as a guest?

A benefit dinner for Creative Time, which is an organization in New York. My daughter Dana sits on the board and was with her husband, the youngest co-chair. It was so creatively done and very amusing.

What is your favorite venue in Washington?

The National Building Museum, even though it can be very challenging. But when it works it’s amazing!

Which is more important to you, informing the guests or entertaining them?

Keeping them engaged. Whatever it takes!

What’s the best gift bag item you’ve ever received?

The George Jansen letter opener we gave out at the event I chaired for the Folger Library When is the best time of year to hold a gala?

I think events in September are great because everybody is back and ready for the season.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about chairing a fundraiser?

Don’t let it drag!

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special feature | Balls and Galas Location: Posh Restaurant & Supper Club Attire: Cocktail Price: $80 per person; $150 per couple Contact: Grace Easby-Smith, 301-5654950, gesmith@cnmc.org

on the BLOCK Item: A private dinner for 18 hosted by the Ambassador of India and his wife at the Ambassador’s Residence.

What to Expect: This outrageous dance party is sure sponsored to bring out the inner dancer in every guest. The annual fundraising event draws the young supporters of the Washington Ballet where they throw on their dancing shoes for a good cause. date: January 2009 Event Chairmen: TBD

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the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Gala What to Expect: Help celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary with an outstanding performance in the Opera House, followed by dinner and, of course, dancing (this is Alvin Ailey after all!) on the Roof Terrace. Proceeds support Ailey’s D.C. outreach programs and scholarships for students in the local area.

Date: Tuesday, February 3; 7 p.m.

Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Carolyn Brody, Debra Lee, and Bea Welters Price: $350 up to $15,000 for a table Contact: Ariel Metzger, 202-636-8745, ariel@campbellpeachey.com

Wno’s Midwinter Gala What to Expect: Be sure to brush up on your Greek gods sponsored and goddesses before this event. Known for their lavish parties, the Washington National Opera Women’s Committee will focus on Greece this year with dinner and dancing to benefit the opera’s Center for Education and Training.

Date: Saturday, February 7; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Attire: Black-tie or national dress Event Chairmen: Rebecca Miller and Sally Cox Price: $500 Contact: 202-295-2449

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national press foundation dinner What to Expect: One of a group of four events that make up what has been called “prom” season for the media,

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What to Expect: The prestigious Gridiron Club is made up of 65 of the most respected journalists in the country, and their annual white-tie dinner is famous for the musical skits performed by political leaders and the journalists who cover them. Since its inception in 1885, every president except Grover Cleveland has taken part in the event.

Date: Traditionally early March Location: The Renaissance Washington Attire: White-tie Contact: By invitation only

Charity: Multiple Sclerosis Society Ambassador’s Ball, Saturday, September 16

The Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society Dance Party

February

the annual dinner of the gridiron club

Win it Because: The gracious Ambassador and Mrs. Sen represent the most dynamic country in the world and live in a fabulous house.

Opening Bid: $2,000 Donors: Ambassador Ranendra Sen and Mrs. Kalpana Sen

this dinner is best known for is highly respected awards.

Date: April 2 Location: Washington Convention Center Attire: Business Contact: By invitation only

Tracy’s Kids Benefit What to Expect: Guests walk the red carpet, mingle with other movie buffs during the reception, then view one of six films that have been nominated during Hollywood’s award season. The event benefits Tracy’s Kids pediatric art therapy program at Georgetown University Hospital’s Lombardi Cancer Center.

Date: Thursday, February 12; 6 p.m., dinner; 7:30 p.m., screenings Location: Lucky Strike Restaurant, Regal Theatre Gallery Place Price: $250; sponsorships range from $5,000 to $25,000 Contact: Susan O’Neill & Associates, 301-320-0124

S.O.M.E. Jr. Gala What to Expect: One of the best young parties of 2007, this gala always sells out, and gives young professionals a chance to help support SOME’s efforts to help the homeless within the inspiring setting of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Cocktails, desserts, and dancing to live entertainment will have everyone on their feet all night for a great cause.

Date: Friday, February 13; 8 p.m.

Location: Corcoran Gallery of Art Attire: Formal cocktail Event Chairmen: Connie Kemper and Pilar O’Brien Price: $85

National American Ireland Fund Dinner

Contact: Susan O’Neill & Associates, 301-229-1314

St. Jude Gourmet Gala: Mardi Gras for the Kids!

What to Expect: St. Jude Hospital’s annual gala brings sponsored beads and Bourbon Street to D.C. with the help of top chefs from more than 40 of the metropolitan area’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, each of which offers “tastings” of their specialty dishes. Silent and live auctions, and a raffle are also featured at this festive event.

Date: Tuesday, February 24; 5:30 p.m.

Location: National Building Museum Attire: Business Event Chairmen: Allan McArtor, Judy Heisley-Bishop, and Tom Liljenquist Price: $350, individual; $3,500, table Contact: Jeanie Torchio, 703-351-5171, jeanie.torchio@stjude.org

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March Latino Student Fund Gala What to Expect: Why travel all the way to Mexico when the Latino Student Fund will bring it right to your doorstep with a Mexican fiesta and silent auction “market” featuring authentic handicrafts, trips to Mexico, jewelry, and crafts.

Date: Thursday, March 5; 6 p.m.

Location: Organization of American States Event Chairmen: Mexican Ambassador and Mrs. Arturo Sarukhan Attire: Evening Price: $150 to $500 Contact: Maria Fernanda Borja, 202-244-3438

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What to Expect: Leaders from Ireland and the United States will raise a Guinness to the sounds of a renowned Irish band while celebrating recipients of the Distinguished Leadership Award for their advocacy of Ireland on Capitol Hill. Last year, over $700,000 was raised to support the fund’s programs of Peace and Reconciliation.

Date: Spring 2009 Location: National Building Museum Price: $1,000; sponsorships starting at $10,000 Contact: Susan O’Neill & Associates, 301-229-0064

2009 Leukemia Ball What to Expect: One of the area’s largest and most lavish fund-raising events, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual ball assembles area business leaders to raise funds to help cure leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Over $3.3 million was raised at last year’s event, which featured a performance by Jay Leno.

Date: Saturday, March 21; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Washington Convention Center Attire: Black-tie Price: $1,000 Contact: Kelly Kent, 703-960-1100, ext. 225; Kelly.Kent@LLS.org

March of Dimes Gourmet Gala What to Expect: Members of Congress and other sponsored Washington notables participate in a competitive cook-off prior to a seated gourmet dinner to benefit the March of Dimes. Last year, many senators and congressmen and

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Much More for the Money

The tightrope of gala planning is ensuring that guests have a good time while keeping them focused on contributing to a good cause. Here are ten easy ways to create a beautiful, budget-friendly event

By Allison Signorelli

1. Find an alternative venue. Traditional

6. serve creative cocktails. Pass only wine,

hotel sites can be pricey as well as staid.

Find a truly unique location with a lower rental fee.

water, and a specialty drink during cocktails.

Ask the caterer to design the drink just for the event and give it a special name.

2. Save on invitations.

Keep them simple, elegant, and beautiful. Save the real drama for the event’s décor.

7. Have an after-party. Sell a lower priced

3. Do it yourself calligraphy. Buy beautiful

8. Give up the goodie bags. Ask vendors to

dessert-only ticket to young professionals.

Their presence will liven up the affair.

fonts online and create the escort cards and place cards yourself.

donate a portion of their fees instead, and find a tasteful party favor to place on the dinner plate.

4. Be creative with centerpieces. Use fresh 9.

flowers on only half of the tables and candles on the other half.

5. Have the dinner wine donated. Contact

Mixing flowers and candles as centerpieces will help your money go farther. (Photo by Mary Kate McKenna)

local or California wineries and ask them to supply the wine served during dinner.

Recycle. Create signage that can be used year after year, and buy electric tea lights that can be reused at multiple events.

10. Relax! A

welcoming environment starts with the event planning team.

A Celebrated Washingtonian

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eloved Washingtonian Joan Hisaoka, who succumbed to cancer in May of this year, will be remembered for her exemplary professional achievements, enrichment of Washington’s cultural life, and role as a mentor to young people.

Hisaoka founded Hisaoka Public Relations in 1988, a boutique retail, tourism, and hospitality PR firm that went on to receive the prestigious international Silver Anvil Award under her leadership. In addition to her professional career, she was on the board of directors of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and was president of Les Dames

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d’Escoffier, an organization that works to educate, train, and inspire leaders in the hospitality industry.

To honor her memory, her brother, Robert Hisaoka, will chair the first annual Joan Hisaoka “Make a Difference” gala on October 24, a blacktie event that will raise funds for organizations that assist those living with cancer. All proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, an organization which shares Joan’s personal mission of improving the lives of others during challenging times. For more information, please contact Jacquelyne Willis at jwillis@websterconsulting.com.

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special feature | Balls and Galas their wives served hors d’oeuvres made from their own recipes, many of which were regional specialties.

Date: Tuesday, March 24; 7 p.m.

Location: National Building Museum Attire: Black-tie Price: $1,000 Contact: Karoline Hurd, 703-824-0111, ext. 23; khurd@marchofdimes.com

Alzheimer’s association annual Gala What to Expect: Each year, influential and respected political, business, and social leaders help draw attention to the disease while raising funds to support research and treatment.To date the Alzheimer’s Association gala has raised $6 million to help fight the devastating disease.

Date: Wednesday, March 25 Location: National Building Museum Contact: Cindy Schelhorn, 703-3594440, nationalgala@alz.org

Angel of the Arts Gala What to Expect: The Cathedral Choral Society will present the Laura E. Phillips Angel of the Arts award to an individual who exemplifies outstanding commitment to the arts and education.

Date: April 2009 Contact: Margo Young, 202-537-5538

Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards What to Expect: Government, media, and diplomatic leaders sponsored will gather for “Women Changing Our World,” an annual awards program and cocktail reception honoring female leaders from around the world.

Guests will hear moving testimony about the importance of promoting women’s rights while celebrating the triumphs of women worldwide.

Date: April 2009 Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Business Contact: Kalpana Simhan, kalpanasimhan@vitalvoices.org

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Co-Chair of the Harman Center for the Arts Gala What’s the ideal number of people at a dinner table, 6, 8, or 10?

I like putting 10 people at a table for 8. Ethel Kennedy once told me that it is best to seat people shoulder to shoulder for great table conversation.

What causes you the most stress when chairing a large party?

Making sure everyone is seated in a place that makes them feel special and honored.

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Children’s National Medical Center Ball What to Expect: Young, philanthropically-minded sponsored patrons help raise spirits at this black-tie gala that includes dinner, dancing, and live entertainment. Last year, Kool & the Gang and K.C. & the Sunshine Band kept patrons on their feet well past midnight to benefit the center’s Kids Care Fund.

Date: Saturday, April 4 Location: National Building Museum Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: TBD Price: $1,000 Contact: Lisa Cantu, 301-565-4956, lcantu@cnmc.org

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The Helen Hayes Awards

April

Beth Dozoretz

Location: Washington Convention Center Attire: Business Contact: By invitation only

radio and television correspondents awards What to Expect: Similar to the WHCAD and the Gridiron Dinner, this exclusive gathering of news pros has garnered national deadlines for its comedic lineup, which has included numerous presidents and Cabinet members.

Date: April 2

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What to Expect: The region’s biggest cast party! Mingle with the area’s top theater professionals at the 25th anniversary of this high-energy event honoring local theater productions. More than 2,000 actors, directors, producers, and other performing arts personalities celebrate and recognize excellence in Washington’s world-class professional theater.

Date: Monday, April 13; 8 p.m.

Attire: Black-tie Location: Warner Theatre and the JW Marriott Hotel Price: $300 to $500; sponsorships from $7,500 to $25,000 Contact: Celeste Gilbert, 202-337-4572

The Corcoran Ball What to Expect: One of the most eagerly anticipated sponsored events of the Washington social season, the event is organized by the Women’s Committee of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Corcoran College of Art + Design, and features lavish décor, all created in-house with the assistance of master floral designer Jack Lucky. Last year’s event alone raised over $720,000 for the museum.

Date: Friday, April 17; 7 p.m.

Location: Corcoran Gallery of Art Event Chairman: Collette Bruce Price: $600, individual; $50,000, corporate underwriter; $10,000, corporate tables Contact: Janice Marks, jmarks@ corcoran.org

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narsad MISSION POSSIBLE Gala

on the BLOCK

What to Expect: Big bands, silent auctions of museumsponsored quality artwork, raffles prizes from Adeler Jewelers, dinner, and a reception fill this festive evening to benefit scientific research into mental health topics.

Date: April 2009 Attire: Business/cocktail Event Chairmen: Wendy Adeler-Hall and Sheila Rabaut Contact: Trish Veatch, 703-535-1577, tveatch@NARSAD.org

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Charity: Starlight Starbright Taste of the Stars Gala on Saturday, November 22 Item: Six bottles of French Bordeaux ‘First Growth’ wines, including three perfect 100point wines Win it Because: The only thing better than sharing a 100 point Bordeaux with good friends is sharing your good fortune with seriously ill children.

Opening Bid: TBD

white house correspondents association dinner

Donors: Jeffery and Carol Willis

What to Expect: If you’re lucky enough to get a ticket, this celebrity-studded dinner and its exclusive after-party are one of the highlights of the social year, capping off a whirlwind weekend of parties and photo ops.

Date: April 18 Location: The Washington Hilton Attire: Black-tie Contact: By invitation only

Folger Shakespeare Library Gala What to Expect: Cocktails in the Great Hall are followed by a short performance in the Elizabethan Theatre and dinner in the Folger’s splendid Reading Rooms with leaders of the social, business, government, and diplomatic communities. Last’s year’s magic-themed event helped support the Folger’s educational and cultural programming for the community.

Date: Wednesday, April 22; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Folger Shakespeare Library Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Lou and Bonnie Cohen, and Lynn Redgrave Price: $500 Contact: Essence Newhoff, 202-6750377, enewhoff@folger.edu

National Museum of Women in the Arts Spring Gala What to Expect: Sumptuous food, festive music, lavish decorations, and dancing in the Great Hall of the museum will be featured as guests enjoy exclusive private viewings of the museum’s latest exhibit.

Date: Friday, April 24; 6 p.m.

Location: National Museum of Women in the Arts Attire: Black-tie Contact: Abbey Smith, 202-266-2815

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Freer and Sackler Gala What to Expect: It seems that each year, the Freer and sponsored Sackler outshines itself. The Indian Taj Mahal-influenced 2008 gala was simply divine. This year, get a glimpse of fabulous riches at the galleries’ Treasures of the Kremlin Gala, celebrating the opening of a dazzling exhibition of 16th-and-17th century diplomatic gifts from Turkish and Persian rulers to the Russian Tsars.

Date: Wednesday, April 29 Location: Freer and Sackler Galleries Attire: Black-tie Event Chairman: The Ambassador of the Russian Federation Price: $1,500 Contact: Elizabeth Damore, 202-633-0450

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Best Friends Foundation “Do You Remember When Rock Was Young?”

What to Expect: Grab your poodle skirts and slick back sponsored your hair for this ’50sthemed dance party to benefit efforts to help teenagers make healthy lifestyle choices.

Date: Late April/Early May 2009 Attire: “Leave your black-tie at home and come dressed to dance!”

Contact: Elayne Bennett, 202-478-9677

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May Kennedy Center Spring Gala What to Expect: Cocktails and dinner start off the night, sponsored followed by a star-studded performance in the Kennedy Center’s

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Concert Hall. Last year, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg hosted the event that honored collaborations of Hollywood composers and directors. There was even a sighting of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes!

The evening continues with dessert and dancing in the Roof Terrace Restaurant.

Date: Sunday, May 3 Location: The Kennedy Center Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: TBD Price: $1,000 to $50,000 Contact: 202-416-8338, springgala@ kennedy-center.org

Rockin’ the Runway What to Expect: It’s match time! America’s Polo Cup sponsored hosts a wine tasting gala and televised fashion show on the eve of the Australia vs. USA polo match.

Enjoy vintages from both continents, live and silent auctions with an evening concert.

Date: Friday, May 8; 8 p.m.

Location: The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium Attire: Black-tie optional Event Chairman: Fernando Murias Price: $100;VIP tables available Contact: 888-695-0888

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washington performing arts society spring gala What to Expect: Arts patrons won’t want to sponsored miss this annual concert, gala, and auction, which raises funds to produce some of the best stage productions in town. (We’re still dreaming of last year’s performance by pianist Yuja Wang.)

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Date: Saturday, May 9 Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: TBD Price: $500; tables starting at $5,000 Contact: 202-293-9325

The Washington Ballet Spring Gala What to Expect: Celebrating the 10th anniversary of sponsored Artistic Director Septime Webre’s tenure, the night starts with a cocktail reception and the world premiere of Webre’s Rocketman, set to music by Sir Elton John, followed by dinner and dancing.

Date: Tuesday, May 12; 7 p.m.

Location: The Harman Center, Smithsonian American Art Museum Event Chairmen: Mary Haft and Darryl Carter Price: TBD Contact: 202-362-3606

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Woodrow Wilson House “Perennial” Garden Party What to Expect: Start shopping now, as party sponsored traditions include a contest for the best Spring hats with ladies and gentlemen competing for prizes in numerous categories Silent auction, cocktails, and live music in the garden are also part of the festivities.

Date: Wednesday, May 13 Location: Woodrow Wilson House Attire: Spring hats Event Chairmen: Carter Brown (Mrs. C. Coleman Brown) and Eleonore Wotherspoon Price: $250, patron; $100, junior patron (40 and younger) Contact: Claudia Bismark, 202387-4062, ext. 21; CBismark@ WoodrowWilsonHouse.org

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The Phillips Collection Gala What to Expect: Washington’s top arts philanthropists gather sponsored for what is undoubtedly one of their favorite events of the season. Last year’s gala, themed “Bal des Canotiers” or the Boater’s Ball, was a huge hit, raising over $800,000. This annual night of dinner and dancing benefits the museum’s education and outreach initiatives.

Date: Friday, May 15; 6:30 p.m.

Location: The Phillips Collection and Anderson House Attire: Black-tie

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special feature | Balls and Galas Mosaic Foundation Benefit Dinner

Event Chairmen: TBD Price: $1,000 Contact: Keith Costas, 202-387-2151

Wolf Trap Gala for Arts and Education What to Expect: Start the summer off right with cocktails, dinner, and dancing under the stars after topnotch entertainment. Last’s year’s event featured the music of ABBA. Proceeds benefit Wolf Trap’s acclaimed arts and education programs.

Date: Tuesday, May 19; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Vienna, Va. Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: TBD Price: $500 to $1,000 Contact: Ricki Marion, 703-2551991, rickim@wolftrap.org

refugees international 30th anniversary dinner What to Expect: Refugees International’s largest and sponsored most high-profile fundraising event of the year will celebrate the organization’s 30th anniversary and will honor media visionary and humanitarian Ted Turner. In 2008, the event honored Senators Ted Kennedy and Gordon Smith, and Mia Farrow and her son Ronan Farrow.

Date: Thursday, May 7; 6:30 p.m.

Location: Embassy of Italy Attire: Cocktail Event Chairmen: Mariella and Michael Trager Price: $300 per ticket/Sponsorships also available Contact: 202-828-0110

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Cathy Jones Chair of The Choral Arts Society Holiday Gala What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about chairing a big fundraiser?

Start early on the gala and choose a very good committee.

You need people from many different backgrounds.

What do you do the day after the gala is over?

I go back to my real job.

Do you prefer French service or plated courses?

At a gala with over 300 people, I prefer plated courses.

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The trust for the national mall luncheon What to Expect: This elegant ladies’ “hat luncheon” held on sponsored the National Mall was one of the most successful new events on the social calendar last year, drawing more than 600 guest and raising vital funds to support the long-term restoration of the National Mall. date: Thursday May 7; 11:30 a.m.

Location: The National Mall Price: $500; sponsorships available Event Chairmen: Chip and Sally Akridge Attire: Business attire, ladies in hats Contact: Lindsay Shulman, 202-2073930, lshulman@nationalmall.org

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What to Expect: Hosted by the wives of Arab ambassadors sponsored to the U.S., this colorful event celebrates the Arab world while highlighting a major beneficiary each year. In 2008, AMIDEAST received a grant to help young women in the Middle East achieve professional success.

Date: Spring 2009 Attire: Cocktail or national dress Contact: 202-388-0000

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The 20th Annual Children’s Inn at NIH Gala What to Expect: One hundred members of Congress and their spouses host this annual event to support one of the most unique and successful organizations assisting with terminally ill children and their families.

Date: Spring 2009 Contact: Susan O’Neill & Associates, 301-229-0064

June The Opera Ball What to Expect: The WNO’s largest fundraising event is sponsored one of the most glamorous nights of the year. Beginning with an intimate dinner at an embassy residence, the evening culminates in an over-thetop ball held at a different residence every year. In 2008, lavish decorations filled French Ambassador Pierre Vimont’s home, transforming it into a Versailles-esque wonderland.

Date: June 2009; 7 p.m., dinner at participating embassies; 10 p.m., ball Attire: Black-tie Contact: 202-295-2449

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Washington Humane Society Bark Ball What to Expect: Break out the fancy leashes and tiny sponsored tuxedos for the only formal canine event of the year. Dogs dine in style and enjoy gourmet treats provided

by Doggie Style Bakery.

Date: June 2009 Location: TBD Attire: Black-tie Event Chairmen: Mary Matalin and James Carville Price: $225 Contact: Tara deNicolas, 202-723-5730 x226, TdeNicolas@washhumane.org

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2008

| washingtonlife.com

the HOT LIST

A guide to navigating the city’s best event planners, large venues, caterers, and florists

Event Planners

Grand Hyatt Washington www.grandwashington.hyatt.com, 202-582-1234

Occasions www.occasionscaterers.com, 202-546-7400

Hillwood Museum www.hillwoodmuseum.org, 202-686-8500

RSVP Catering www.rsvpcatering.com, 703-573-8700

J.W. Marriott www.jwmarriottdc.com, 202-393-2000

Select Event Rentals www.weparty.com, 800-439-8729

Library of Congress Great Hall www.loc.gov/about/facilities, 202-707-5218

Susan gage www.susangage.com, 301-839-6900

Capital Décor and events www.capitaldecorandevents.com, 301-595-9009

Mandarin Oriental www.mandarinoriental.com, 202-554-8588

Windows Catering www.catering.com, 703-519-3500

Covenant Weddings www.covenantweddings.com, 301-856-4173

The Mansion on O Street www.omansion.com, 202-496-2020

Music and Entertainment

Distinctive Events by Susan B. Katz www.susanbkatz.com, 301-765-1036

National Building Museum www.nbm.org, 202-272-2448, ext. 3107

Events by Andre Wells www.eventsbyandrewells.com, 202-518-6908

National Museum of Women in the Arts www.nmwa.org/facility, 202-783-7373

Gala, Inc. www.galaevents.com, 301-718-2900

NEWSEUM www.newseum.org, 888-639-7386

Jodi Moraru and Associates www.jodimoraru.com, 202-237-8244

Renaissance Mayflower www.renaissancemayflower.com, 202-347-3000

Plan-it-Parties www.planitparties.com, 301-977-7270

The Ritz-Carlton www.ritzcarlton.com, 22nd Street: 202-835-0500, Georgetown: 202-912-4100

A vista events www.avistaevents.com, 240-264-1061 Calla Lily Events 703-544-0883 campbell, peachey & Associates 202-636-8740

RGI Events and Public Relations www.rgievents.com, 703-708-5008 SoCo Events www.socoevents.com, 301-467-5585

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center www.itcdc.com, 202-312-1300

webster consulting www.websterconsulting.com, 202-237-0090

Stephen Decatur House Museum www.decaturhouse.org, 202-842.0290

Venues

St. Regis Hotel www.stregis.com/dc, 202-638-2626

Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium www.mellonauditorium.com, 202-207-5060

The Willard Intercontinental www.washington.intercontinental.com, 202-268-9100

Corcoran Gallery of Art www.corcoran.org, 202-639-1781 D.A.R. Headquarters www.dar.org/natsociety/events, 202-628-1776 THE FAIRFAX AT EMBASSY ROW www.luxurycollection.com, 202-293-2100 Folger Shakespeare Library www.folger.edu, 202-544-4600

Potomac Talent www.potomactalent.com, 301-587-6267 Strolling Strings Associates www.thestrolling strings.com, 301-292-2929 Washington Talent Agency www.washingtontalent.com. 301-726-1800

Flowers Amaryllis, Inc. amaryllisflowers.com, 202-529-2230 The Enchanted Florist 703-836-7777 Greenworks By Shane www.greenworksflorist.com, 202-265-3335

3Citron Caterers www.3citron.com, 202-342-3400

Janet Flowers Wedding and Event Designs www.weddingandevent.com, 301-230-0820

42 Catering www.42cateringservices.com, 301-838-4220 Avalon Caterers www.avaloncaterers.com, 202-337-2000

Frederick Douglass Museum www.caringinstitute.org, 202-547-4273

Georgetown Caterers www.georgetowncaterers.com, 703-866-1353

2008

Doc Scantian’s Imperial Palms Orchestra www.docscantlin.com, 301-855-9102

Jack H. Lucky FLORAL dESIGN www.jackluckyfloraldesign, 703-533-1515

Design Cuisine www.designcuisine.com, 703-979-9400

| se p te m b e r

Elan Artists www.elanartists.com, 888-800-3526

Caterers

Four Seasons www.fourseasons.com, 202-342-0444

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

East Coast Entertainment www.eastcoastentertainment.com, 800-521-2007

| washingtonlife.com

KaBloom of Washington DC www.kabloomofwashingtondc.com, 202-898-1190 Philippa Tarrant www.philippatarrant.com, 202-413-8562 Ultra Violet www.ultravioletflowersdc.com, 202-333-3002 Volanni www.volanni.com, 202-547-1603

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performing arts | roland flamini

renaissance A CAPITAL

The Symphony is searching for a new conductor, new leaders have come to the fore at the Smithsonian and the Phillips Collection, and more than a handful of theaters and museums are adding new buildings or wings.

By roland flamini

n a city that thrives on secrecy, where even a not even being seriously considered for recent Finns, Italians, Brits, Germans, Russians, oh, breakfast menu can be declared “classified,” vacant music directorships around the country. and maybe Americans, and even (don’t hold one of the best kept secrets these days has … The idea began to spread that Slatkin was your breath) a woman conductor, available got to be the search for a new resident phoning it in.” and willing to take on the challenge of an conductor for the National Symphony The maestro, who is now trying to orchestra that’s not – let’s face it – the Berlin Orchestra. There are more leaks from a papal communicate with the Detroit Symphony, Philharmonic, or symphonies in Chicago, conclave in the Vatican than from 2700 F conducted his last NSO concert in June; even Cleveland or New York. Quite possibly, it’s Street, where – presumably – the NSO been suggested, the searchers are being search committee meets to select a new set extra careful to avoid going from one of shoulders to replace Leonard Slatkin’s ultimately unhappy choice to another. stooping frame for Kennedy Center “They’re being very professional about it, audiences to look at during concerts. and to their credit they’ve done a great New Conductor for the In response to enquiries about how the job of keeping the lid on it, which is the al Symphony Orchestra ion Nat search is going, NSO spokesperson Patricia way it should be,” comments Neale Perl, d?

O’Kelly plays a theme with no variations. president of the Washington Performing han r you k of Do you know Mozart like the bac and hair ive inct “The orchestra has no comment,” she says Arts Society. “Unfortunately, there are Are you a natural leader with dist nights? king wor y enjo you in a tone that implies a certain effrontery so few organizations that do that.” It Do ng? timi impeccable n waiting bee ’ve you nity ortu opp the is in asking the question in the first place. would be fitting if the NSO could If so, this ic together! for – let’s make beautiful mus NSO officials are equally uncommunicative. announce its choice at the Season’s Apparently, the orchestra’s musicians are Opening Ball on Sept 20, but don’t periodically briefed on the progress in hold your breath. Once the Washington acquiring a new boss, amid hints that season’s major white-tie event, the ball terrible things will be done with piano wire is getting a new lease of life after some to anyone who talks to reporters – but that years as a more low key affair following may just be malicious gossip.

9/11. The new co-chair, business By his own admission Slatkin ended his leader and philanthropist Adrienne 12-year tenure a disappointed man. “I just Arsht says the ball will have some of couldn’t communicate,” he lamented to the effervescence of her current home Washington Post music critic Anne Midgette town, Miami. But it’s a homecoming before his departure. More than one of sorts for her: Arsht is a former subscription concertgoer had noticed that the so, he and the NSO agreed on this as the year chairman of Kennedy Center Productions, rapport between conductor and orchestra that to part company as far back as 2004. The early and of the Opera Board. results in great performances was often absent. announcement – it was said at the time – would Slatkin’s departure will still have a profound In her assessment of Slatkin’s NSO years, give the NSO ample time to find a successor. impact on the NSO, or rather the choice of his Midgette wrote: “Within the space of a few But not ample enough, at it turned out, successor will.Twelve years ago, Placido Domingo’s years [Slatkin] went from being a whiz kid to to sift through the small coterie of assorted appointment transformed the Washington

WANTED:

I LLU STRATI ON BY JC SUARÈ S

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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performing arts | roland flamini

“Washington culture is going THROUGH

National Opera. Can a new conductor perform similar prodigies for the NSO? But there’s the larger context. The NSO vacancy, temporarily filled by the Hungarian Ivan Fischer, is one of an unusually long list of significant recent and current changes on the Washington cultural landscape. Take, for example, the switch in May at The Washington Post from Tim Page to Anne Midgette, as chief classical music critic. Midgette was originally hired in January to fill in while Pulitzer Prizewinning Page took a leave of absence; but the appointment became permanent after Page opted for an early retirement buyout from the Post. Ironically, Midgette’s appointment was announced to the staff within hours that some 100 staffers were dropped from the paper’s editorial staff through such buyouts.

WANTED:

Contractor for a New Performing Arts Center s exp erie nce Req uire men ts incl ude pre viou mem ber s and a wor king with stin gy boa rd within budget proven track record of staying never happens (although, we both know this ided. ...”wink”,”wink*). Hard hat prov

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The critic of a leading metropolitan daily brings his or her knowledge and sensibility, and it doesn’t take him or her long to color how the public views not just the works performed themselves but the institution being reviewed.

Midgette, who formerly had a similar slot at the New York Times, has noticeably increased classical music coverage in the Post, setting forth strong opinions about performances and repertoires. Music bloggers recently gave her a hard time for saying she doesn’t like Brahms. Washington television host Robert Aubrey Davis, however, gives her good marks for industriousness. “She sees absolutely everything, and what she doesn’t get to, she sends someone,” he says admiringly.

Davis says Washington culture is going through “a sorting out, some pieces of rock are crumbling and falling through the sieve,” thus making way for new creative talent. “The musical life extends in all directions,” he says, but Washington’s cultural standout is its theater. Last year, 1,908,557 theatergoers attended 8,050 performances of 454 productions in Washington’s 67 professional theaters, according to the Helen Hayes Awards, which collects and records this data. The number of productions was 20 more than in 2006: audiences and performances were also on the rise.

The theater’s amazing trajectory has resulted in a spurt of new construction.

Sidney Harman Hall, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s new F Street venue, will celebrate its first anniversary in October. The Signature Theater shifted from its converted auto body shop in Arlington to what the New York Times called “positively swanky” premises, had a bumper season, and is looking forward to another one. Signature has commissioned a musical version of “Giant” by two-time Tony Award nominee composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa, but there’s no news yet who will play the James Dean part. The

season also includes the Washington premiere of Michael McDonagh’s Irish (what else?) black comedy “The Lieutenant of Inishmore.”

Meanwhile, the Arena Stage’s Maine Avenue, N.E., theater is in the throes of a major reconstruction while performances are split between two other theaters.

In some respects, of course, Washington’s cultural landscape is not quite like any other in the country. The President and/or First Lady can choose to attend any event, usually by prior arrangement, although some years ago President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary showed up at the opening of the big Rothko exhibition at the National Gallery unannounced, asking to be admitted. Members of the Supreme Court have appeared in their robes as extras in a production by the Washington National Opera. The city’s leading theater complex is named after an assassinated president, and one of the best known tourist sites is Ford’s Theater, where another was shot dead.

Foreign embassies organize musical events (usually classical) for the general public. The Embassy of Austria is especially active in the so-called Embassy Series, but how’s this for a D.C. tie-in? In December, the Turkish Embassy will hold a jazz concert at the ambassador’s Sheridan Circle residence in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish-born founder of Atlantic Records, who died two years ago. Ertegun lived there in his youth when his father was his country’s ambassador here, and there are still a few Washingtonians with long memories (not too many left) who remember his fledgling jazz band and his insistence on fully-integrated audiences in those segregated times.

The District’s huge and multi-faceted museum sector far exceeds the needs and size of the region’s population, but is largely targeted to the millions of tourists who visit here. (Eighteen million attendances were registered last year.) The main venue is the Smithsonian Institution, a behemoth of an organization with (in case you didn’t know) 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, nine research facilities, and

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

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IL LUSTRATION BY J C SUA RÈ S

a sorting out. Some pieces of rock are crumbling and falling through the sieve, thus making way for new creative talent.”

Left: Former National Symphony Orchestra conductor Leonard Slatkin and Martin Scorcese at the 2008 Kennedy Center Spring Gala. (Photo by Carol Pratt). Right: The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s new F Street home Sidney Harman Hall at The Harman Center for the Arts.

I LLU STRATI ON BY JC SUARÈ S

6,300 employees, including 500 scientists. The Smithsonian’s problems are commensurate with its enormous size and complexity: a secretary or chief executive dismissed for his astronomical expense account, budget overruns, a $2.5 billion backlog of building repairs and renovation that restrict public access and threaten precious collections, and a top-heavy board of mostly sinecure regents including, ex-officio, the Vice-President, who have clearly been asleep on the job for years.

Into this maelstrom steps the newlyappointed secretary, G. (for Gerald) Wayne Clough, a former president of Georgia Institute of Technology, who took over in July. He doubtless has all the right academic and organizational qualifications, but most important, under the present circumstances, is his proven skill as a fund-raiser. He’s going to need it. The challenges Clough faces are nearly as numerous as the museums’ collections of bugs and mosquitoes. A massive morale problem, for example, and the decision whether, when he has spent $170 million on renovating the shuttered Arts and Industry hall, it would serve a more useful purpose as the planned Museum of Black History, or the Museum of the American Latino, which is also under consideration.

Meanwhile, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of American Art reopened (with a grand new connecting courtyard) after major renovations that took more than a decade, and the

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2008

Museum of American History is due to reopen in November. A recent USA Today survey of the 25 top museums in America listed seven from the Washington area, including the first three. The National Gallery of Art topped the list, followed by the Air and Space Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. And still they keep coming: after the Newseum, the Museum of Crime and Punishment opened in May. The latter’s emphasis is more on Disney than Dostoyevsky, but it’s drawing in the crowds – which some might see as grimly fitting for a town with Washington’s record for criminal violence.

In the museum world, the other major change was the departure of Jay Gates, the affable director of that distinguished showcase of Impressionism and 20th century art, the Phillips Collection. Gates came to the museum nine years ago and oversaw its fiveyear expansion program, adding valuable additional exhibition space, and educational facilities to the house on 21st Street N.W. Under his direction, the museum also staged some impressive exhibitions, and built up a solid education program.

Washington Post critic Blake Kopnik rather oddly describes Gates’ successor as “a student of 19th century lesbianism and obscure French symbolist painting,” but there’s more to Dorothy Kosinski than that.

She was senior curator at the sprawling Dallas Museum of Art and has a 14page resume. A Dallas art critic speaks of

| washingtonlife.com

Kosinski’s determination: “She’s not warm and fuzzy at all – but very, very smart.” She wants to raise $40 million in endowment funds.

No more scraping by and muddling through, she says.

WANTED: Head of the Smithsonian Institution

Must love red tape, raising $$$ and be wellrounded in every conceivable art and science known to humankind. Begin by filing out the sim ple 121 -pa ge “Su bm issi on of Inte nt to Apply Cer tification Application 1a-7.03” at www. ezgovernmentaps/smithsonian/s i.org

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Armani Collezioni black tuxedo ($2,245) and MAROL cotton formal shirt ($595); James Clothier, Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Drive, McLean, Va., 703-883-1444. Prada silk silver/black tie ($185); Neiman Marcus, Mazza Gallerie, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-966-9700.

Marc Bouwer copper gown with jeweled broach ($3,800); Neiman Marcus, Tysons Galleria, 2255 International Drive, McLean, Va., 703-761-1600. Mindy Lam vintage metal flower bracelet with large resin teardrop accent ($420); Keith Lipert Gallery, 2922 M St. NW, 202-965-9736.

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Redux gown ($3,350); Neiman Marcus, Tysons Galleria, 2255 International Drive, McLean, Va., 703761-1600. Julie Wolfe rhinestone and sterling silver earrings ($465); Barneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New York, 660 Madison Ave., New York, NY, 212-826-8900.

P r o d u c e d by M i c h a e l M . C l e m e n ts

on her: Ronald Mouret black silk crepe with coral train gown ($4,380); Neiman Marcus, 5300 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-966-9700. Jimmy Choo black satin evening clutch ($1,450); Jimmy Choo Boutique, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 240-223-1102. Julie Wolfe rhinestone cuff bird bracelet ($565); Barneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Co-op, 3040 M St. NW, 202-350-5832.

ON HIM: Armani Collezioni black tuxedo ($2,245), Marol ivory silk tuxedo paisley shirt ($595), and 1967 Halo Ferreh velvet navy tie ($175); James Clothier, Tysons Galleria, 2001 International Drive, McLean, Va., 703-883-1444.

lifestyles | trend report

Ferragamo leather peep toe booties ($950). Saks Fifth Avenue,Tysons Galleria Mall, McLean,Va. 703-748-7620.

Kate Spade Beresford Jocelyn clutch ($265). Kate Spade, 3061 M St., N.W., 202-333-8302.

Gucci Suede high heel boots ($1,250). Gucci Boutique, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-986-8902.

back in

BLACK T his fall, top designers bring black to life with extra vengeance, creating a flexible trend in the color that has always allowed the modern woman to follow any style they like. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ibrahim Alghaffari

TRACY REESE

marc jacobs St. John

Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra vintage onyx, small ($5,450). Van Cleef & Arpels Boutique, 5454 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-654-5449.

Kenneth Cole Black knit print tie ($49.50). Kenneth Cole Boutique,Tyson Corner Center, McLean,Va., 703-821-7606.

gucci

Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Tourbillon Watch ($10,208). Van Cleef & Arpels Boutique, 5454 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-654-5449.

R. Scott french

Burberry Brit Check Wallet ($225). Burberry London Boutique, 1155 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-463-3000.

DARK

knight Gucci tear-drop aviator sunglasses ($320). Gucci, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-986-8902.

W ASH I N G TON L I F E

| september

2008

| washingtonlife.com

RALPH LAUREN

L

eave the ripped boots/cut jeans look to college freshmen and wear a fitted suit instead. This fall, Gucci, R.Scott French and other designers are back with classic standbys – all in classic black.

– Ibrahim Alghaffari

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lifestyles | trend report

purple POWER

BvLGARI Yellow gold sautoir with mother of Pearl (price upon request). Bvlgari Boutique, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-986-8610.

I

s purple the new black? Call it what you will, but this imperial color with its many shades has won over Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Gucci­. If you’re looking for something that makes you feel creative and luxurious, ban the black and progress to purple.

– Ibrahim Alghaffari Kate Spade Kelley shoe ($328). Kate Spade Boutique, 3061 M St. NW, 202-333-8302.

VERSACE Violet buckle belt ($800).

Versace Boutique,Tysons Galleria, McLean,Va., 703-448-5554.

gucci Hysteria clutch ($2,590). Gucci Boutique, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-986-8902.

EMILIO PUCCI

gianni Versace

Ralph Lauren W ASH I N G TON L I F E

| september

2008

| washingtonlife.com

LIFESTYLES | What’s hot

HOLLYWOOD MakeOut Mints ($3). Wink, 3109 M Street NW, 202-338-9465.

HAUTE PAPIER Individually hand-made stationery and invitations (price upon request).

Haute Papier, 1300 35th Street NW, Suite 1, 202-337-1623 or www.hautepapier.com.

the BvLGARI Key ring ($350) Bvlgari Boutique, 5481 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-986-8610.

big night T

ricks of the trade for a worry-free gala evening: reliable car service, the cologne of the season, miniature mints, an elegant money clip, a cute keychain that fits in your purse, a posh handkerchief, and beautiful thank-you notes.

john Hardy Kali Silver Money Clip ($350). Available online at www.saks.com.

Kiehl’s Forest Rain Eau de Toilette, 1.7 oz. ($38). Kiehl’s, 3110 M Street NW, 202-333-5101.

D. PORTHAULT Handkerchiefs ($40).

D. Porthault, 470 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 212-688-1660, www.dporthault.com.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| se p te m b e r

2008

| washingtonlife.com

Reston Limousine Licoln Town Car ($84 one way).

703-478-0500.

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lifestyles | trend report

THE PERFECT SUIT What to know when buying bespoke

Hand-padded canvas collars eliminate tell-tale creases.

Lapels are rolled by hand to rest properly on the chest.

Armholes and sleeves are individually measured and cut so that the suit hugs the arms as well as the chest.

Buttons are made of horn.

Those on the cuffs are aligned and actually unbutton.

Buttonholes are hand-sewn.

Ticket pocket

Sleeves are cut to ensure that both reveal the same amount of shirt cuff.

(Most men have one arm longer than the other.)

Jacket is close-fitting to accentuate slimness, but is not too tight. It should move with you when you lift your arms.

H

P H OTOS BY Ja m e s R. B ra ntl e y

eads turn automatically when a certain sort of man enters a room. He may not be a senator, visiting British royal or distinguished author recently seen chatting with Charlie Rose. His self-assured aura nonetheless secures that key extra minute in a receiving line with the British ambassador or a good table from a maitre d’ at a top restaurant – even though he is completely unknown to them. Movie star looks?

Perhaps. Commanding height and unmistakable confidence? Maybe.

It could be any of those things, Irfan Baytok suggests, “but it’s probably his suit.”

Baytok is one of the great masters of “bespoke” tailoring (from the English term, “bespeak,” to order or reserve) and many prominent local men owe their fine silhouettes to his skillful hands: Congressional leaders, diplomats, members of the Cabinet, old money Georgetown scions and even a few Redskins, Nationals, and Wizards.

88

Irfan Baytok at work in his Georgetown tailoring store.

Unlike off-the-rack or so-called “custommade” garments (cut in a factory then finished off by a tailor), a Baytok suit is a timeconsuming ritual involving countless hours of bench work and three to four fittings after consultations to choose the fabric and style.

The finished product compensates for most

defects in the masculine physique and the results are generally spectacular. One shoulder lower than the other is remedied by padding and individually-cut sleeves. Middle-aged spread? Careful cutting of the sides and front do wonders to disguise it. Bowlegged? A matter of adjusting the trouser seams to curve with the legs. Gym-bod syndrome? Tapered alignment of Monsieur’s 50-inch chest with his 32-inch waist will suffice.

Bespoke suits last for decades with proper care. Even better, they can be altered easily to take into account most weight losses and gains.

Prices start at $2,850 and average in the $3,500 range but are well worth the expense according to Baytok’s longtime clients.

As they used to say of Packard motorcars: “Ask the man who owns one.”

Baytok Bespoke (by appointment): 1804Wisconsin Avenue NW,Washington, D.C.20007; 202-337-4800.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| S e p te m b e r

2008

| washingtonlife.com

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Lifestyles | fashion event

Models in G-Star Raw

Iraklis and Yasmine Karabassis

Faryde Yanine and Donald Syriani

wl sponsored

Jason van Buren and Crystal Hannon

Mauricio Gamero, Rich Gomez, and Gulson Alpan

G-STAR RAW Opening G-Star Raw, Dupont Circle PHOTOS BY JB YONG and Abby Greenwalt

The event: Dupont Circle heralded in the latest edition to the District’s burgeoning shopping scene with the addition of Dutch label, G-Star Raw. The scene: This fashion-forward brand is known for innovative and cutting edge denim looks but has expanded to include a full range of urban fashion. The event attracted trendsetters who shopped while enjoying summer cocktails crafted from SurReal Vodka’s Ginger Peach and Grape flavors and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres from Chevy Chase hot spot, M Café. The people: Iraklis and Yasmine Karabassis, Ed Henry, Shirley Hung, Tien Claudio, Adrian Loving, Eric Brewer, and Paul Wharton.

Toddre Monier and Adrian Loving

Nicole Venable, Paul Wharton, and Lauren Price

Terence Noonan and Howard Brooks

W G TON L IFE 91ASHIN

| SE P TE M B E R

Chauncey Moore, Matthew Taylor, and Adam Harden

2008

| washingtonlife.com

G-Star Raw Fall 2008

STYLISH

CHIC S I M O N E

SEDUCTIVE P E R E L E

FALL 2008 INTIMATE APPAREL COLLECTION NOW AVAILABLE AT

Haute Papier Washington’s premier invitation and social stationery studio for couture design

Proudly announces the arrival of

Le Catalogue a collection of wallpaper inspired invitations Our fit experts invite you to be seduced by the elegance of of Simone Pérèle SyLene Washington 4407 South Park Ave. Chevy Chase (301) 654-4200 #OMPLIMENTARY ROOFTOP PARKING s Open Sundays 12-6

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www.hautepapier.com 1300 35th Street NW Suite 1, Washington, DC 20007 202.337.1623 info@hautepapier.com By appointment only.

Lifestyles | design event

Jack de Villiers and Hollis Pica

Artwork on display

Lindsey and Jay Scott

wl sponsored

HABATAT GALLERIES/ FENDI CASA PARTY Fendi Casa, The Design Center PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL

THE EVENT: Habatat Galleries owners Lindsey and Jay Scott brought some of their most beautiful works (paintings and glass) to Fendi Casa’s showroom at the Design Center where interior designer Dominique Alexander was the guest speaker and Famoso café provided the hors d’oeuvres and Couture Cupcakes the desserts. Tunes by Euro Lounge got everyone in the mood for Ibiza or Mykonos throughout the night, including Fendi Casa’s Ani Schroeder.

catering by design 703.979.9400 • WWW.DESIGNCUISINE.COM

Josh Waxman, Julia Chappell, Nickolena Sidler and Richard Strauss

Fendi Casa furniture Ani Schroeder and Dr. Sharam Salemy

Dominique Alexander and Barbara Hawthorne

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| se p te m b e r

2008

| washingtonlife.com

93

lifestyles | the dish

A TEATRO TREAT

One night in the kitchen with Executive Chef Enzo Fargione B y C h r i s S i lva

T

he chef ’s table at TEATRO GOLDONI (1909 K St. N.W.) comfortably seats six and is situated with unobstructed views of the kitchen allowing patrons to watch executive chef Enzo Fargione do what he does best – create innovative Italian dishes. Fargione, who came to Teatro Goldoni in late Spring 2008, describes his creations as “personalized Italian cuisine.” He typically serves eight courses at the chef’s table, although he can go to as many as 16 if the party is up to it.There are also a lot of surprises in between.

For our dinner, my guest and I were first served a salty and sweet amuse bouche along with niçoise (potato and cold tuna salad) wrapped in a gold-leaf foil drizzled with tomato oil. It literally melted on my tongue.The second course was lighter and included organic summer tomato and roasted eggplant terrine sprinkled with a reduction of balsamic vinegar and accompanied by a side of basil gelatin.

Wine pairings can accompany each serving if desired – we desired – so we requested a flavorful Venetian Pinot Grigio (in honor of Teatro’s Venetian roots) to augment our terrine. A lighter Sauvignon Blanc from Tuscany was better suited for the next course, a delicately-sliced branzino carpaccio (European sea bass) served in a cigar box with morel mushrooms.

94

Fargione playfully delights in experimenting with presentation – I thought I was being served a mid-dinner Montecristo until I flipped the lid to encounter an enticing applewood aroma. But that was just the beginning: The paccheri pasta with braised codfish, fresh scallops, and warm broccoli puree arrived in a caviar tin; large shrimp tempura jutted out from a white ceramic cappuccino cup, whose base had been painted with a fresh basil and pea puree topped with porcini mushroom foam; and we couldn’t help but smile when served tomato “popsicles” with goat cheese and strips of roasted eggplant.

The Turin Italy native’s creative approach and penchant for drama seems a natural fit for Teatro Goldoni’s colorfulVenetian festivalthemed interior.The bright colors and vibrant ambiance are a welcomed respite from the city’s more traditional Italian restaurants.

Latter courses included Hawaiian ahi tuna seared 10 seconds per side and served in garlic and anchovy sauce; and Moulard duck seared 30 seconds per side accompanied by blood orange reduction and mascarpone cheese sauce. For dessert, we enjoyed a savory extra virgin olive oil and poppy seed gelato and two sorbets: sour apple and blueberrylemon zest.

Fargione’s sous-chef experience under Roberto Donna, including five years at Galileo, have served him well. But watch him create from the chef’s table and you get the impression that he is delighting in spreading his culinary wings and experimenting with ingredients, flavors and, most notably, presentation.

For years Teatro Goldoni was defined by owner/chef Fabrizio Aielli. Fargione isn’t reinventing the wheel, but he is injecting an important new ingredient into the menu – his personality – and elevating a dining experience that has long been a K Street staple.

The chef’s table seats six and costs $95 per person for eight courses, or $250 per person for 16 courses. www.teatrogoldoni.com

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| S e p te m b e r

2008

| washingtonlife.com

Washington so c ial d ia r y The Young & The Guest List, Over the Moon, Around Town, and Exclusive Parties, Parties, Parties!

Keriann Meslar, Megann Vaughn, and Chelsea Maughan at the Sinatra Soiree. (Photo by Betsy Spruill)

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

THE Young & the guest list

While My Boss Was Away…

The real fun this summer was nowhere near the campaign trail BY ed i e van h o r n

I

t’s been a divinely busy couple of months for the Y&GL. We nearly fell off the balcony at Saylor’s off-the-wall Fourth of July party. We dressed up like Shep and Ian Murray for the Sinatra Soiree. We spoke on background to W Magazine for their profile of young Washington society. We hosted a couple of birthday parties for ourselves. Good gracious, we’re exhausted!

So, in case you’ve been at the Vineyard for two months with Chelsea, Quinn, and the Haynes clan (sigh … you lucky beast), here’s the skinny on a scorchingly hot summer inside the Beltway.

FLY ME TO THE MOON As we all know, the Capital Club is one of Washington’s favorite young men’s clubs, hosting biannual fêtes attended by a core group of bon vivant Republican bachelors, and a rotating selection of beautiful young women they take for granted.

According to unconfirmed sources, criteria for membership in the Cap Club include fancy

OVERHEARD BUT UNCONFIRMED

• Now that a certain reality show concept has been picked up by a chick-flick cable channel, the three lead characters are desperately trying to convince their most photogenic friends to sign the releases, while certain other well-known locals are entertaining four-figure offers for cameos. Expect the ‘gals seriously slimmed down for their roles, per the producers’‘suggestions.’

• Edie has noticed that a certain table-leg-balancer (read: carpetbagging social ’zine) just released their annual who-to-date guide. Despite the list’s disappointing nautical launch party earlier this summer (too much seasickness; not enough Seagrams), I checked it twice. My take? Don’t put too much stock in the poorly researched categories – do believe the reliably single status of the listees.

98

pants,joie de vivre, and faith (in the rhythm method). So it was no surprise that 1,100 young Washingtonians jumped at the chance to conform to a dress code of “strong summer” (gents) and “aggressive cocktail” (ladies) and dance (read: drink), the night away at the club’s annual Sinatra-themed affair. Seen in the crowd, the recentlygraduated-and-moved-back-to-town Luke Russert, who’s reporting for NBC this fall and living in G-Town.

The Capital Club’s Sinatra Soiree: Dignified?

No. Fun? You betcha.... (Photo by Betsy Spruill)

PARTY LOYALTY If you’re young, blond, and lovely, then you’ve probably met Michael Saylor, the high-flying philanthropist and owner of the summer’s two most Facebooked boats: the hometown, bikinifriendly Firefly, and her sister ship, the Russian ‘model’ magnet Harle. Both yachts are apparently capable of updating their owner’s FB status.

“Le Capitain” spared no expense to throw the hottest ticket of Independence Day – a bash at his Washington Harbour penthouse that drew a bevy of D.C.’s most raucous, scantily-clad patriots.

Despite a couple of over-served gropers, everyone had a ball – the host even flew Gordon Winn, of The Winn Brothers band, over from Spain just for the party. At press time, Mr. Saylor’s yacht reports that he is “having a barbeque in Saint-Tropez.

Stop by if you’re in town.”

Speaking of great bands, on July 5th Tom Snedeker’s Sick Feed hit the stage at the White House, where Jenna and Barbara threw an only slightly more laid-back, though decidedly more exclusive, bash of their own.

THE SCENE IS BACK ON THE SCENE Even venerable W Magazine has the “electionyear-itch” this month, with a piece by Haven Thompson that examines the effects of eight years of Republican social majority in young D.C.

society. Your faithful scribe hopes you said nice things and remembered the difference between what’s on background, what’s on the record, and what will cost you your job.Your own proximity to the article notwithstanding, read it for great quotes from Names You know, and juicy insights from those smart enough to remain nameless.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ... ME! Gone this summer were the weekly Thursday night Smith Point “fundraisers” ($10 donation) to benefit Operation Smile, puppy welfare, and polo lessons for inner city kids. In their place, we were all cordially invited to celebrate someone who was celebrating themselves.

From “EPIC” 23rds to “NEVER AGAIN” 38ths, welcome to the new genre of celebration.

Said recent birthday boy (and Duke ’06 grad) Kensington “Keg” MacArthur, “It’s my birthday, bitches. I’ve got the best DJs in town, the venue, and an EFFING alcohol sponsor – my Vodka’s PINK, dude!”

Have we aged, my dears? Not at all. It appears we’ve simply learned how to swing, when to sing, and why we should celebrate ourselves.

Readers wishing to get in touch with Edie can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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2008

| washingtonlife.com

Washington so c ial d iar y

THE Young & the guest list

Roby Penn, Kara Kotarski, Kirk Wiles, Amanda Mitchell, and Anthony Dimambro

Amy Angelo and Alan Adler

Kelley Miller, Katherine Rolen, and Alex Lara

MEADOW MATCHES Great Meadow Polo Club, The Plains, Va. PHOTOS BY JOSEPH ALLEN

THE EVENT: A day-long exhibition polo event to support the Courage Cup’s programs for at-risk urban youth. THE SCENE: Corporate supporters (The Legal Times, MicroStrategy and Akin Gump, among others) hosted clients in special tents while other social folk pretended — mostly — to watch the chukker action at private tailgate parties. Everyone perked up when two lawyer teams, the Gavels and the Mallets, competed in the second annual Segway Polo Charity Challenge match.

THE GUESTS: Deborah, Donald and Wright Sigmund; Sanju Bansal; John Cecchi; Charlie Muldoon, and Nick Arundel.

Caroline Lyders and Fletcher Gill

Ann Hsu, Andy Argyris, Zac Hudson and Dana Green’s lawyerly Segway “polo” match Kenny Day, Kate Griffin, and Doug Barnes

Stefanie Ball, Allison Katz, and Sophie Pyle Daymar Rosser

Polo players compete at Great Meadow.

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| SEPTEMBER

Nicki Kalokerinos and Mark Goode

2008

| washingtonlife.com

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

THE Young & the guest list

Omar Popal, Jerome Johnson, Katie Rost, and Aaron Jackson

wl exclusive

CELEBRATING OMAR’S 30TH Napoléon Bistro photos by Tony Powell

THE EVENT: Omar Popal is smart, handsome, charming, a bit mischevious

A NLDODNA Y S P A S A L O NS A

768 Madison Avenue (between 65th & 66th) 2nd Floor New York, NY 10065 212.517.5133

in good hearted way, and oh-so-discreet – just a few of the reasons why 300 of his best pals jammed Napoléon Bistro, his family’s Adams-Morgan eatery, to drink, dine, and dance in honor of the actor/model/restaurateur’s 30th.

THE SCENE: The birthday boy watched good-naturedly as a lifetime’s worth of often embarrassing but always wittily encaptioned photos were put together and projected by big brother Mustafa Popal and sister Fatima Popal. Later, clan elders surrendered the premises to late-arriving scenesters who partied until closing in the lower level lounge/discothèque. THE GUESTS: Paul Wharton, Karim Chrobog, Routiza and Bita Vahhabaghai, Carolina Furukrona, Douglas Eldridge, Erwin Gomez, and Will Thomas.

Akiko and Bill Manfredi

Georgetown Court 3251 Prospect Street, NW Washington, DC 202.333.5133 Fatima and Mustafa Popal

Penn Quarter 801 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 202.628.5133

Michael Gershenson, Kate Bolduan, Robin Miller, and Brian Friedman

Jennifer Carter and Colin Shah

www.tokasalon.com 100

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

| se p te m b e r

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| washingtonlife.com

Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

Parties, Parties, Parties!

Books, birthdays, and bling celebrated at some very special gatherings

A TASTEFUL PURSUIT Top chefs helped support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America at Charlie Palmer Steak. Guest chefs MATT HILL, ROBERTO DONNA, CHARLIE PALMER and MICHEL RICHARD. / JONATHAN SILVER, MIKE MCCURRY and

MARJORIE MCCURRY

PROFILE STORE OPENING Chic guests enjoy socializing and shopping among high end Italian and Brazilian designs at Tala Rassi and Kourosh Chitsaz’s new luxury boutique, Profile, located at 2003 11th St. N.W., while Thais Luporini, Daniela Gorenxa, and Tala Rassi gather outside the store. (Photos by Alexis Fedoroff)

ALZHEIMERS ASSOCIATION DINNER Former Speaker of the House

NEWT GINGRICH, CALISTA GINGRICH and current Speaker NANCY PELOSI. / TRISH VRADENBURG, Sen. MARY LANDRIEU and PHYLLIS GEORGE (Photos by Kyle Samperton)

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

WRIGHT SIGMUND’S BIRTHDAY DONALD SIGMUND and his son WRIGHT gathered with family and friends to celebrate Wright’s birthday at Georgetown’s L2 lounge.

(Photo by Tony Powell)

MCLEAN PROJECT FOR THE ARTS BENEFIT Co-chairwomen MICHELLE OLSON and PIPER GIOIA / SUSIE BISSELL and LYNDA and CHUCK ROBB (above) attended the benefit at Prospect Hill, the Forman family’s historic home.

SINATRA SOIREE JONATHAN WALK and LUKE RUSSERT were among the young professionals carousing at the Capital Club’s gathering at the National Building Museum.

Also spotted (above): MEGAN BENNITT, CONNOR PAGE, LAUREN ANNICELLI and IAN BENNITT / LINDSAY STROUD (Photos by Betsy Spruill)

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BOYS AND GIRLS AT BULGARI PATTY PERKINS ANDRINGA and ROYA KINGDOM attended

the Boys and Girls Club’s reception at Bulgari’s Chevy Chase Collection Store. /

SUE ALBRECHT

FRENCH WINE SOCIETY Christophe Ehrhart and Terry Smith (below) were among the guests

enjoying French wine, cheeses and hors d’oeuvres at the group’s gathering at Park on Fourteenth. The three lovely ladies below posed for pictures before the house musique à la française kept the crowd moving ‘til minuit.

JANINE TURNER BOOK PARTY Rep. KAY GRANGER, JANINE TURNER and Rep. ELLEN TAUSCHER greeted guests at the Sewall-Belmont House party honoring Turner’s book, Holding Her Head High: 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changed History. (Photos by Kyle Samperton)

WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

Summer Treks and Arts Flashes Seasonal meanderings, a bachelor no more, and news from the Diplomatic Reception Rooms

By Donna Shor

WHO WENT WHERE Lynda Webster says this was “The Year of the Fish” after angling for trout in Montana with husband Bill before heading to Alaska for more. … JoAnn and John Mason summered at home, preoccupied with visiting grandkids and John’s appointment as a National Endowment for the Arts trustee. After an escape to Nantucket, they relaxed at Ireland’s super-chic RitzCarlton spa, the Ireland Tower Court, an hour from Dublin. … Monica and Hermen Greenberg topped the summer with their annual barbecue at “Rutledge,” their Middleburg estate, where beautiful Monica presided in a huge picture hat. “Fifty of the 500 guests were kids,” birthday boy Hermen said proudly. There were kiddie games galore, and EVERYONE got a prize. … George and Trish Vradenburg winged it to Sao Paolo, Brazil, as Trish’s play, Surviving Grace, is touring Latin America. … Mike and Julie Connors had a marathon summer, after first hosting a cocktail party in their art-filled Georgetown home honoring National Museum of Women in the Arts gala co-chairs Juliana May and M.A. Brickfield. Then it was Dark Harbor, Maine and Nantucket followed

by Greece to visit Carol and Climis Lascaris.

That foursome, joined by Mary Mochary and Phil Wine, left from Nice for a Seabourn cruise of the Italian Riviera, ending in Rome before the Connors headed to California. …

Gertrude d’Amecourt went off to the Vermont retreat of Lolo Sarnoff, who recently hosted the elegant and indomitable Gertie’s 98th birthday celebration. It fell on the night of a major storm, with no electricity and non-working traffic lights, yet 200 of the guests made it anyway. Lolo lit many birthday cakes’ worth of candles, and everyone partied on.

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ADDING TO HIS COLLECTION African art collector and noted bachelor Warren Robbins has finally taken the Big Step. His newest acquisition, bride Lydia Puccinelli, worked with him back when he housed a ground-breaking exhibition of 80 objects, loaned by others as well as himself, in the historic Frederick Douglass family

PASSING THE TORCH At the annual reception hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Marcee Craighill debuted as the director and curator of the State Department’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms, where the vice-president, secretary of state and other Cabinet members receive and fete U.S. and international dignitaries. These sumptuous spaces hold fine 18th- and 19th-century American furniture and decorative art, but they once were a brown-carpeted hodge-podge of forgettable furnishings until the first director, Clement Conger, (the “Grand Acquisitor”), began armtwisting for donations. His successor, Gail Serfaty, who recently retired after working a total of 42 years there, continued acquiring furnishings and the funds to buy them from a nationwide donor base, public-spirited givers whom the annual reception honors. Among this year’s yield: from Maryland, the Curator Marcee Craighill (center) greets her predecessor, Gail Serfaty, at a recent Diplomatic Reception Rooms dinner.

Robert Turners gave a “plowshare” paperweight, one of several presented homes. Warren later donated the buildings, to signers of various treaties by Secretary of State plus nine other row houses and 12 garages William Jennings Bryan; and from the Leonard to the Smithsonian Institution, thereby Silversteins, a fine Chippendale Pembroke table. funding the nucleus of that institution’s Washington hostess and Democratic Party activist National Museum of African Art, where he Esther Coopersmith gave a colored aquatint, is Director Emeritus. The Robbins Cross- “Benjamin Franklin at the Court of France, 1778.”

Cultural Center, which he founded because The Richard Milburns of Vienna, Va., funded of the sensitive state of race relations, “Great Falls of the Potomac,” an engraving after sponsors traveling exhibits of African art. George Beck’s painting, which once hung in At present, his own eclectic assemblage of George Washington’s Mount Vernon dining room. objects is in the Robbins’ handsome home, Additional longtime supporters seen at the reception two conjoined Capitol Hill townhouses. The were Toledo, Ohio’s Sandra Alexander, joined by Washington elite and other notables have her son Brad, from polo capital Wellington, Fla. been drawn to Warren’s salons over the years, (where he had his own string of polo ponies when and many remember meeting authors like he was 21); John Gleiber, Ruth Buchanan and Saul Bellow or public figures like Hubert John Peters Irelan.

Humphrey amid other politicos and artists Readers wishing to get in touch with Donna Shor can gathered there. email: columns@washingtonlife.com

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Abraham and Ashley Carr, Matthew, Suzy and Rachel Hall with Robert Hall

Robert Stanton

FATHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS Mayflower Hotel PHOTOS BY Tony Powell

THE EVENT: The Washington, D.C. Fathers Day Council and the American Diabetes Association honored five local, notable dads at their annual dinner to assist efforts to prevent and cure the disease. THE HONOREES: developer Jim Abdo, artist William Christenberry, lawyer Robert S. Hall, former National Park Service Director Robert G. Stanton and the late U.S. District Court Judge John Garrett Penn.

Lisa, Kaylee, Kendall, Rileigh, and Raegan Garvin

Marlon Moore and Michele Payne

Linda Johnson and William Christenberry

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Jim, Mai, Sophie, and Griffin Abdo

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

around town

Dancers Kristen Segin, Sara Adams, Mark Wax, Grace McLoughlin, and Lydia Wellington

wl exclusive

SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET DINNER Joan and Maurice Tobin Residence Photos by James R. Brantley

THE EVENT: A buffet supper honoring young School of American Ballet dancers on the eve of their opening night performance at the Kennedy Center.

THE SCENE: The buzz ratcheted up when the gorgeous troupe made its entrance into the Tobins’ glorious Kalorama home. “Beautiful art, beautiful food, a beautiful garden and now this …,” one guest marveled as an exquisite ballerina quintet posed for pictures at the bottom of the staircase in the front hall. No wonder several balletomanes-in-the-making ordered tickets on their cell phones right then and there. THE GUESTS: Duane Hampton, Lucky Roosevelt, Mary Weinmann, Aniko Gaal Schott, Phil and Nina Pillsbury, Henry von Eichel and veteran ABC correspondent Ann Compton, who regaled guests with tales from the Hillary Clinton campaign trail before reminiscing about the Reagans with former Nancy Reagan aide Jim Rosebush.

Carolyn Deaver, Michael Sullivan, Ann Compton, and Maurice Tobin

Nina Pillsbury with James and Nancy Rosebush Inola Hodges, John Hodges, and Betsey Apple

Joan Tobin and Kay Mazzo

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Washington so c ial d ia r y

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Washington so c ial d iar y

over the moon

Hunt Country Artists The horsey set draws, paints and sculpts BY vicky moon

DOWNTOWN IN THE PLAINS Not far from the main intersection of the sleepy hunt country village of The Plains, artist Lilla Ohrstrom is a constant presence at her Youngblood Art Studio. Lilla and her husband Chris Ohrstrom have three children, and yet this busy mother finds time to teach classes, host life drawing sessions and stage exhibitions.

Since childhood, Lilla has been intrigued with working in clay and it remains her preferred medium. “Most of the sculpture I’ve been making over the last couple of years is based on the human figure,” she says. “Sometimes the forms are abstracted focusing more on an emotion than a representational form.”

With a degree from Skidmore College University Without Walls, Lilla also studied at Parsons School of Design in Paris. She focuses on stoneware, terra cotta, porcelain, and has cast a collection of dog sculptures in bronze.

“A physical and visual conversation between the artist and the medium are always part of the process,” she explains.

Her latest work “is mostly about trying to view our foggy internal world and put that abstracted place into some kind of physical shape” Many of her pieces in this genre will be part of a show titled “Transfiguring” which will be on display in Washington from midSeptember through the end of the year at the Charles Sumner School Museum.

Lilla says her long term plans for Youngblood art studio are to “continue working and teaching, but also to use the gallery space as a venue for artists to show their work on a quarterly schedule.”

She recently held a show for Charlie Westbrook’s “expressionistic bovine paintings” — a big hit in these parts. Another exhibition/ benefit for lesscancer.org raised $3,700 to support a fund to buy groceries for children with the disease.

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Lilla Ohrstrom works on sculpture in clay, her preferred medium. (Photo by Karen Buckley)

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hunt country calendar September 11 – December 30 “Transfiguring,” an exhibition featuring three local artists who reshape the human form across three mediums: photography by Karen Keating, painting by Lida Matheson Stifel and sculpture by Lilla Ohrstrom at the Charles Sumner School Museum, 1201 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 202-442-6060.

September 20 Circle of Life: An Evening of Song & Imagery at Coachman Farms. The Plains, honoring Archbishop Desmond Tutu and featuring Lebo M, Broadway performers and dancers, Harry Belafonte and Paul Simon’s musicians, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Alumni Chorus and celebrity emcee Michael Bacon to benefit Ubuntu Education Fund. For information 540-364-6062.

September 20 America’s Polo Cup will be hosting a match on the on Washington’s National Mall to benefit the Journey For the Cure.

Advance ticket sales only. Contact: RSVP@ AmericasPoloCup.com.

Virginia polo players in action. (Photo by Crowell Hadden)

Lilla’s philosophy is not just to let her studio be another retail gallery space. “I’m less interested in selling and more interested in encouraging artistic expression as a means of growth, healing and community gathering,” she says. “Things have been selling, which is rewarding, but it is not the mission.”

was “Safari Club” for Verdun Adventure Bound; last year it was “Cape Town in the Country” for the U.S.-South Africa Wine Foundation.

The African theme can be seen throughout the magnificent residence at the top of the hill in a “cottage” once built for his late parents. Jay and Sandi have brought together an eclectic mix of major wildlife art with crafts, travel mementos and décor to create an environment certainly unique in Middleburg and likely anywhere. It’s like a museum and filled to the rafters.

This year’s charity gala in mid-September is a benefit for the Ubuntu Education Fund for families in poor South Africa townships. (The evening will be dedicated to Ubuntu’s patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose health Sandi and Jay hope will permit him to attend.) Grammy winner, Lebo M, best known as the “voice and spirit” of The Lion King, will perform against a breathtaking backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by all things African.

THE PLAINS OF AFRICA Jay Fetner is another talented artist who lives near The Plains. In the past twenty or so years he has traveled to Africa for business and to photograph wild animals. His 1987 book, The African Safari: The Ultimate Wildlife and Photographic Adventure was published by St. Martin’s Press. He is currently working on a second edition and preparing a screenplay and production for a film treatment that he has written on the fight against AIDS in Africa.

Jay and Sandi Young, an events planner, live at Coachman Farm. In the past few years they’ve teamed up on several African-inspired charity events there. In 2003, they hosted “Out ON THE FIELDS IN UPPERVILLE of Africa” for Loudon Healthcare. In 2005, it Jay also is an avid polo player with his

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September 27 Virginia International Polo Club 8-goal finals at Llangollen Farm in Upperville. Spectators are admitted free. For more information call 540-592-7474, or go to www.vipoloclub.com.

October 4– 5 Virginia Fall Races, Glenwood Park, Middleburg, www.vafallraces.com.

aptly named team, Golden Zebra, and fellow players Gonzalo Fucci, Diego Ferreira and Bill Gunn. They are among the regulars in Upperville at Maureen Brennan’s Virginia International Polo headquartered at Llangollen, the magnificent estate once owned by John Hay “Jock” Whitney, heir to one of America’s greatest fortunes and a member of one of the country’s top polo families. With a bit of luck and practice, the Golden Zebras might be among the teams for the season finale at the end of September … as another summer of bliss in the country slowly concludes. Before you know it, we’ll be pulling out the tweeds for the Middleburg races.

Readers wishing to contact Vicky Moon can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.

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inside homes, real estate news, and open house | At Home with the Danilovichs and the latest Real Estate buys

Georgetown

SAFE HOUSE

Irene Danilovich lounges on her terrace with her beloved dogs: Gabriel the dachshund, Holly the cocker spaniel and Aphrodite the French poodle.

Joe Alsopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s controversial design irritated neighbors but ensured a comfortable retreat for President John F. Kennedy and other high-placed friends. Senior Editor KEVIN CHAFFEE reports that recent owners John and Irene Danilovich both appreciate and share its beauty, spaciousness, and light. p ho t o g r a p h y b y L E N D E P A S WA S H I N G T O N L I F E

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The living room’s “Eclectic English Country House” décor is evidenced by the Adam mantelpiece, period oils, and beautiful Chinese export porcelain; comfortable, overstuffed furniture and a few Op Art touches.

he cinderblock and brick pile at 2720 Dumbarton Street, N.W., can hardly be considered an “historic home,” although many historical figures have gathered there throughout the years. President John F. Kennedy considered it a “safe house” where he could mingle freely with friends, confident that his words (and perhaps even a few deeds) would never be leaked. Prime ministers, presidents, Congressional leaders, diplomats, journalists, and the crème de la crème of international society knew it well — and many still do. “If only the walls could talk!” they say.

Now its most recent occupants are leaving.

John Danilovich, a former ambassador to Brazil and Costa Rica who currently dispenses billions in global aid as head of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, will take leave of his post when the Bush Administration ends. He and his wife, Irene, daughter of the late Lord Charles Forte, the British hotel magnate, have recently sold their residence and will re-locate to rented quarters before their January return

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to London. While packing, they graciously grant Washington Life a first-and-last tour of one of the city’s most fascinating houses.

Approaching from the front, it’s easy to understand how its design and construction in 1949 by syndicated columnist Joseph W. Alsop caused a neighborhood scandal. Although its stark, bunker-like appearance was softened by plantings of holly and clematis (a camouflage effect that remains today), there was, as Alsop wrote in his posthumous memoir I’ve Seen the Best of It, a fearful stir among the selfappointed grandees of taste in Georgetown.”

So fearful, in fact, that outraged citizens passed a law soon afterwards that, as Alsop scathingly noted, prohibited further building that did not fit into the approved “pseudo-Georgian” style.

The columnist, however, had few sympathizers.

Even his wife, Susan Mary, the patrician hostess and historian who moved in after their 1961 marriage, called it “a hideous little gray place that looks rather like a Victorian girls’ reformatory.”

Alsop always admitted that his self-styled

Syndicated columnist Joseph W. Alsop’s cinderblock and brick house was considered an abomination by his Georgetown neighbors when it was built in 1949. He preferred spending his money on the interior and garden.

“Garage Palladian” house looked as it did to save money. Post-war construction materials were expensive and he preferred to allocate resources to the interior and garden instead.

Alsop would have appreciated Irene Danilovich’s realizing the genius of his flowing floor plan of bright, airy chambers around a central courtyard garden. There is a flow of light from tall windows into every surrounding room that she calls “a blessing.” John Danilovich, on the other hand, “hated the house at first sight,” his wife recalls in the entrance hall as a Houdon-esque bust of George Washington

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home life | inside homes looks stolidly on, oblivious to a jauntily-angled Harrow School hat plopped atop its head.

Nonetheless, her husband soon gave in. “It’s a pig of a house,” he quipped, “but we’ll try to make it a prize pig.”

Apart from adding expensive heating and air conditioning systems and slightly modifying the antediluvian kitchen with paint, a new floor, countertops and appliances, the couple did little to alter the house when they arrived in 2005. “I just loved the 1950’s look and resisted the urge to do a ‘Martha Stewart kitchen,’ ” Irene Danilovich notes as the family’s three dogs scurry for a pre-dinner snackette at their benevolent mistress’s side.

The “Upstairs, Downstairs” contrast between the kitchen and adjacent reception areas is apparent in the living room, where comfort reigns despite a “drawing room” aura conferred by plush window treatments, art and antiques.

While the space defies strict stylistic definition, “Eclectic English Country House” fits as well as any. The eye is drawn to the elegant Adam mantelpiece and its gilded overmirror reflecting the opposite wall’s floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with bibelots and books. Museum-quality standouts include Goya etchings and a pair of heroic oils by 17th-century Flemish artist Willem Reuter, contemporary with Poussin in Rome, that depict Old Testament scenes from the life of Jacob and Joseph. Modern bronzes and blue and white Chinese export porcelain complete the “Treasure House” effect along with an Empire chest fronting additional bookcases on the rug-less parquet floor.

In another house, such admirable objets might serve to intimidate; here they do not.

The room is meant to be enjoyed by family and friends who would easily graviate toward the pleasingly plumped settee (“slip-covered for the dogs”) of recent manufacture. A quartet of Brigit Riley Op Art prints and a Lucite coffee table with its requisite art books, tempt guests to confide an “out of school” tale or two, much as the Alsops might have done in Camelot’s heyday with JFK, Sir Harold Macmillan or Lady Diana Cooper.

The Daniloviches are reluctant to discuss their own entertaining, although it is surely no state secret that President and Mrs. Bush recently came to dinner. There is no need for

cover when a Secret Service convoy descends on a public street in broad daylight.

“It was just the two of us and the two of them plus our two sons and three other guests,” John Danilovich reports, referring to the evening as “informal and casual” — although he notes “a discussion of world affairs was unavoidable.”

His wife supervised preparation of the veal and dessert soufflé (information about the appetizer remains classified), assisted by her Filipina cook, Hermie, and two steadfast waiters, Steve and Greg, whom she laughingly describes as a “behind-the-scenes operetta in the kitchen.”

The dining room must have looked much as it does now on that night. Irene Danilovich gestures past the 18th-century chinoiserie wall hanging to the handsome William IV chairs that surround a trestle table covered in white linen.

Georgian silver, a Limoges dinner service and Peruvian silver goblets share bragging rights with mauve alliums dramatically dotted amid daisies in square glass vases. A most inviting scene, indeed.

For larger affairs, the dining room’s 18-top maximum can be expanded to include 12 more in a small library which connects the living

“of all the houses we have lived in, we have loved none more.”

Irene and John Danilovich in their garden, where a Haddonstone obelisk is centered at the rear wall between a pergola-like gardening shed and a lap pool.

home life | inside homes room to the master suite and another 12 in the striking breakfast room designed by local architect Outerbridge Horsey for the house’s second owner, George Herrick. Done in the style of classic English architect Sir John Soane, it features a cupola above 16 small windows which add immeasurably to the glorious garden light streaming in. On the far wall, ten-foottall Piranesi prints of the colossal Trajan and Antonine triumphal relief columns in Rome flank four curiously small Egyptian-motif pillars (that turn out to be old balustrade posts) perched over a doorway to a connecting study.

The enchanting garden, tended by master horticulturist Kerry Blockley, beckons visitors from three sides. Its magnetic draw derives as much from its shade and seclusion as the oldworld charm that permeates the space. Carefully pruned Kingsville boxwoods compete for attention with an ancient wisteria — its vines as thick as an Olympian shot-putter’s arm — along with a Haddonstone obelisk centered at the rear wall between a pergola-like gardening shed and lap pool. Narrow pathways twist around the plantings to form a focal point where the owners have installed a bronze statue of a garden goddess extending her welcoming arms. “We call it ‘The Spirit of Dumbarton Street,’ ” Irene Danilovich says, noting that the work, by Brazilian sculptor Sonia Ebling, will accompany them to London.

John Danilovich soon came to admire the “outstanding design and flow” of his home and its “beauty, access, light, color and feeling.” He says many people ask him about its history as well, especially during the wee hours of January, 21, 1963, when JFK dropped by to celebrate with close friends after attending five inaugural balls. Persistent rumors that the president had a liaison with Marilyn Monroe in a downstairs bedroom (his wife, Jacqueline, was tired and had returned to the White House) are largely unfounded, he says.Two guests who were there told him that such a liaison was highly unlikely, mostly because the group was rather small, and the president’s lengthy absence during a 90minute visit would not have gone unnoticed.

Such stories only make the “Garage Palladian” on Dumbarton Street all the more special, of course — and all the harder to leave.

“Of all the houses we have lived in,” he says, “we have loved none more.”

The breakfast room designed by local architect Outerbridge Horsey in the 1990s features a cupola, wonderful light and two magnificent Piranesi prints.

The dining room has provided a genial gathering place for presidents, prime ministers, and the crème de la crème of international society.

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Entertaining Havens Properties that provide natural settings for easy relaxation

Historic 1928 Residence 3006 45th stREET, N.W. washington, d.c.

This 1928 Wesley Heights residence set on park-like grounds features an entry foyer with a dramatic sweeping staircase and large living and dining rooms suitable for entertaining. The property, which has had only two previous owners, includes a study with a wood-burning fireplace, master bedroom with a private balcony, six additional bedrooms, three full and two half baths, and a two-car garage. A large screened-in porch at the rear of the house leads to gardens that make this historic property one of a kind.

Asking: $3,450,000 Listing agents: William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki

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Waterfront Getaway 20485 Quail’s Nest Way Leonardtown, Maryland

Located just one hour from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, this 24acre Potomac River estate provides an escape from busy city life. The threestory main residence includes spacious bedroom suites, but visitors can also stay in the “mountain cabin” guesthouse that includes a stone fireplace, balcony and full kitchen. A three-car garage adds to its allure, as does a pool house that includes a full bar, steam shower, and French doors that open to a patio.

Outside, professional landscaping and a private pier and beach are complemented by dramatic sunsets over the Potomac River.

Asking: $2,995,000 Listing agent:

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MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE HEIGHTS

Billion-Dollar Developer R. Donahue Peebles â&#x20AC;&#x153;rebuildsâ&#x20AC;? a 1929 Heurich Mansion. 6BR. 7.5BA, Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Orangier, Gentlemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Library, Trophy Kitchen, Gym, Wine Cellar, Au-Pair Quarters. Located amongst DCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exclusive enclave of magnificent Estate-Properties. $8,300,000 Carroll Dey 202.320.0441 Greg Gaddy 202.421.4734

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An enchanting 1916 Dutch Colonial meticulously restored, renovated & expanded.

Situated within the Village of Chevy Chase, this six bedroom, four full bath and two half bath home is lavishly appointed with extensive moldings, grand scale & classically period finishes. An ideal offering on one of Chevy Chase Villageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loveliest streets. $2,875,000.

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SPRING VALLEY

Sited on a large elevated corner lot, this five bedroom, five and a half bath classic center hall Colonial residence has excellent scale, two family rooms, a bright open kitchen, a master suite with two large walk-in closets, and a serene rear yard with a flagstone patio and two car garage. $2,450,000.

Jonathan Taylor 202.276.3344

DUPONT

Soho/South Beach style loft meets DC with stunning design. 2000 sq ft with 300 sq ft of outdoor space offers nearly every luxury with the best materials.

Elevator opens directly into this duplex home complete with limestone slab flooring, Poggenpohl kitchen, waterworks bathrooms, fireplace, gar parking and views. $1,649,900.

Jim Firkser 202.747.1002

Magnificent two bedroom, two and a half bath condo in Observatory Circle/Upper Georgetown. Over 1800 sq feet with recessed lighting, Viking professional series appliances, custom millwork and glorious floor to ceiling windows complete with two parking spaces. $1,049,000.

Michael Hines 202.379.5868

Elegant home on quiet enclave ideal for entertaining on a grand scale.

A dramatic 20-foot foyer welcomes guests to this home.

Large formal living room, separate dining room and charming library.

Upper level master suite with spacious master bath.

Lower level family room. Two extra bedrooms and hall bath. Two car garage. $1,700,000.

Julia Diaz-Asper 202.256.1887

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SPRING VALLEY

Carrie Carter Tessa Morris

Fabulous new renovation of this sophisticated townhouse features a dramatic sunken living room with over 12ft ceilings, massive fireplace and floor to ceiling windows with French doors. Gourmet kitchen with custom cabinets, spacious master bedroom & library.

Deep rear garden and three car parking.

Ellen Burdette 202.487.7040 Nichole Norton 703.585.6925

LOGAN CIRCLE

Meticulous five bedroom, four and a half bath townhouse in vibrant Logan Circle. Features chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kitchen with Carrera marble, spa baths, slate terrace, 2-3 car parking and rental unit.

Steps to Whole Foods, Metro, restaurants & theaters. $2,295,000.

Alex Venditti 202.550.8872 Paul Pike 202.550.8871

CRESTWOOD

FOXHALL CRESCENT

OBSERVATORY CIRCLE

KALORAMA

Handsome four bedroom, three and a half bath sited on a corner lot with a spectacular garden, offers large public rooms, a renovated kitchen, family room, living room and a period-style dining room making this residence comfortable and suitable for large-scale entertaining. $1,595,000.

John Mahshie 202.271.3132 Carrie Carter 202.421.3938

GEORGETOWN

New Listing.

Spectacular two Beautifully renovated bedroom, 1 bath field stone residence penthouse with with the charm of the panoramic views English Countryside. of Montrose Superbly finished Park. Renovated on three levels, kitchen and bath enchanting gardens with hardwood on quiet tree-lined floors throughout. street.

Located on a tree-lined street and steps to winding trails and tennis courts.

202.421.3938 Jeremy Sickman 202.421.4630 202.236.9543 Mary Fox 202.316.9631

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Š MMV Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Les Bords de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Epte a Giverny, used with permission. Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International RealtyÂŽ is a licensed trademark to Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated, Except Offices Owned And Operated By NRT Incorporated.

home life | open house

Prestigious Bradley Farms 9115 Fox Meadow Lane Potomac, Maryland

Located in close-in Potomac, Md., this exquisite mini-estate with a charming three bedroom, three bath carriage house is sited on 3.8 private acres in Bradley Farms. Completely renovated in 2004, this New England colonial features gracious formal rooms, English library, center island gourmet kitchen with stone fireplace, family room, and five-car garage. The second level features a stunning master suite with a sitting room and limestone bathroom. Custom heated pool, built-in gas barbeque and acres of green space complete the exterior, making it the perfect venue for alfresco dining and large-scale entertaining.

Asking: $4,795,000

Listing agents: Jean Wright

301-213-7299

Marcy Wilson 301-908-4244

W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors - A Long and Foster Real Estate Company

Forest Hills Haven 2812 Chesterfield Place, N.W. Washington, D.C.

This stately seven-bedroom residence is sited on an estate-sized 1.1 acre lot in sought-after Forest Hills. Ideal for entertaining, with a gracious entry foyer, large public rooms, a highend chef ’s kitchen and catering kitchen, and two flagstone terraces overlooking the swimming pool, grounds, and national parkland.

Other details include five fireplaces, crown molding, a bright family room, a master suite with his/hers baths, maid’s suite, elevator to all levels, two-car garage, and semi-circular driveway.

Asking: $7,500,000 Listing agentS: Michael Rankin

202-271-3344

Jonathan Taylor 202-276-3344

Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty

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Available in select areas

®

Darnestown, Maryland

$3,500,000

This unique offering on 73 acres backs to beautiful parkland. Constructed in the 1700’s, the 10,000-squarefoot manor home has been renovated for today’s lifestyle.

Barns, ponds, woods, and pastures complete the scenic estate. www.tkhomes.com.

Toni Koerber 301.802.6770/ 301.299.6000 (O).

Potomac, Maryland

Washington, D.C.

$1,799,900

Beautiful woodwork, 4 fireplaces, and high ceilings exemplify the luxury finishes in this new 6,200-squarefoot home. An incredible chef’s kitchen, formal rooms, 5 ensuite bedrooms, and a lower level recreation space with a wet bar are special appointments. Brad Rozansky 301.656.7700/ 301.907.7600 (O). brad@rozansky.com

Bethesda, Maryland

$2,297,500

$1,199,000

This elegant, urban residence enjoys the white glove amenities for which the Ritz-Carlton is renowned. Stateof-the-art technology and sophisticated decorative touches complement the 2 master suites, the den, the chef’s kitchen, and the spa baths.

Tony Hain 202.415.8669/ 202.483.6300 (O).

Washington, D.C.

Potomac, Maryland

$3,250,000

This custom-built, Georgian-style home was constructed in 1974 by master builder Patrick Cullinane. Remodeled in 2001, and since further enhanced with a $1,000,000 renovation, the flawless workmanship and exceptional details create a home of distinction. marcfleisher.com.

Marc Fleisher 301.961.3180/ 202.364.5200, Ext. 2927 (O).

Washington, D.C. $1,495,000

Washington, D.C. $2,995,000

A true jewel of Georgetown, this Victorian home has been updated and restored. The home boasts a gourmet kitchen, a custom designed master suite, and a lower level with a family room leading out to a charming garden and a guest suite with a separate entrance.

Lupe Rohrer 301.938.2499/ 301.299.4000 (O).

This restored 1876 classic has been featured on the Georgetown House Tour. The 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath home offers a family room, an au pair suite with a 2nd kitchen, exquisite gardens with a fountain and fireplace, and a detached garage. Terri Robinson, Associate Broker 202.607.7737/ 202.944.8400 (O). trrestate@aol.com

$1,445,000

Washington, D.C.

$1,399,000

McLean, Virginia

$4,200,000

This elegant home features 10,500 square feet of living space featuring the finest appointments. Sited on one private acre, the estate boasts a large reception area with a circular driveway, a private motor court, a carriage house, and extensive landscaping by Charles Owens.

Lilian Jorgenson 703.407.0766/ 703.790.1990 (O).

Oakton, Virginia

$1,995,000

This 2-acre home backs to a lake and is Fox Lake’s finest custom colonial. With a heated pool, a barn/artist studio, renovations, and a gourmet kitchen, this is a home of distinction. The equestrian community features bridle paths, a show ring, and a dock.

K. Diane Bellaschi 703.517.7000/ 703.790.1990 (O).

Potomac, Maryland

$2,595,000

Sited on one-half acre, this colonial features a 2-story foyer, great room, formal living and dining rooms, gourmet kitchen, 3-car garage, first-floor master suite, and 4 additional bedrooms and baths. The daylight lower level offers offices, a gym, and billiards room. Graciela Haim and Albert Haim 301.807.8845/ 301.299.6000 (O).

This towering Cleveland Park colonial is just 2 blocks from Metro and shops, and is across the street from the park. Gleaming hardwood floors, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 2 fireplaces, a table-space kitchen, an elevator, and a garage complete the home. Jamie Coley and Leigh Reed 888.907.6643/ 240.497.1700 (O). coleyreedhomes@aol.com

Nestled amongst lush landscaping with Rock Creek Park views, this former diplomatic residence is convenient to downtown Bethesda. Features include formal rooms, private courtyards, ensuite bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, and an elevator. Marilyn Charity 202.427.7553/ 202.362.1300 (O). marilyn@marilyncharity.com

Built by Chris Bogdan, this custom colonial is sited on 2 private acres in prestigious Marwood. Features include a Town & Country pool with waterfalls, a large patio, extensive landscaping, a master suite with a sitting room, an in-law suite, and an au pair suite. Krystyna Litwin 301.299.6098/ 301.983.0060 (O). k.litwin@longandfoster.com

Kensington, Maryland

North Bethesda, Maryland

Chevy Chase, Maryland

Chevy Chase, Maryland

$1,695,000

The remarkable imprint of architect George T. Myers is evident in this Arts and Crafts-style residence nestled on landscaped grounds. The 6-bedroom, 5.5-bath home offers a 4th-floor apartment, high ceilings, custom millwork, and front and back porches. Krystyna Litwin 301.299.6098/ 301.983.0060 (O). k.litwin@longandfoster.com

$2,049,000

This new custom home in Luxmanor features a chef’s kitchen, a family room with a stone fireplace and coffered ceiling, and a screened porch. The finished lower level and bonus fourth level add to the great livability. Sharon Gross 240.994.8959. sharongross@comcast.net/ Harriette Adler 301.518.0297. haradler@aol.com/ 301.983.0060 (O).

$1,495,000

Located in the most luxurious condo complex on 17+ acres near Metro, shops, and dining, this renovated 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath condo features an open floor plan and treed views.

The amenities include a clubhouse/spa, tennis courts, pools, a doorman, and a concierge. Linda and Jay Rosenkranz / Coley-Reed Team 301.215.4141/ 240.497.1700 (O).

$1,795,000

Offering great views, this 2-bedroom, 3.5-bath condo is in the most luxurious complex, sited on 17+ acres near Metro, fine shops, and dining. The amenities include a clubhouse/spa, tennis courts, pools, a doorman, and a concierge. Linda and Jay Rosenkranz / Coley-Reed Team 301.215.4141/ 240.497.1700 (O).

home life | real estate news

The stately 4,800-square-foot Tudor-style mansion at 4921 Rockwood Parkway N.W., boasts a swimming pool and heated garage. It recently sold for 3.3 million.

Summer Sizzlers Recent sales in the District, Maryland and Virginia

By Mary K. Mewborn

The District The estate of Barbara Suzanne Caldwell and George Kenneth Brobeck has sold their residence at 4921 Rockwood Parkway, NW in Spring Valley for $3.3 million. Mrs. Brobeck, who died last autumn, was raised in Washington, D.C., and attended the National Cathedral School and George Washington University and was a member of the Sulgrave and Chevy Chase clubs. Her husband, to

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whom she was married for 58 years, died in 2006. Their former home is located not far from where Meet the Press host Tim Russert lived with his wife, Maureen, until his untimely death in June. The stately six-bedroom, six bath Tudor-style dwelling was built in 1931 and features an impressive living room with a beamed ceiling, fireplace and leaded-glass windows. The formal dining room has a tray ceiling, hardwood floors, wall sconces and a

stone alcove showcasing a fountain. French doors open to a screened porch beyond which lies a flagstone patio and stone walkway leading to the rear garden and a heated twocar garage. William F. X. Moody and Robert Hryniewicki of Washington Fine Properties listed the 4,800-square-foot, four-story abode for $3,695,000. Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties represented buyer Charles D. Nottingham, who is chairman of

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The price is just as inviting.

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Welles Street, Vienna, VA

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home life | real estate news

the Surface Transportation Board.

By press time, 2501 49th Street, NW in Wesley Heights is expected to have changed hands with Washington Fine Properties’ agent Jim Bell representing the buyers, Nancy Dorn, vice president of corporate government relations at General Electric, and Will Ris, senior vice president for government affairs at American Airlines. The house has embassysized public areas and a large master bedroom suite with a fireplace, a projection screen TV and a sitting room. Exterior features include a secluded swimming pool, heated driveway and two-car garage. Washington Fine Properties’ Heidi Hatfield and her sister Anne Hatfield Weir listed the property with an asking price of $3,850,000.

Maryland Joel Glazer, executive vice president of

the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his wife, Angela, have purchased a Colonial-style mansion at 8508 Country Club Drive in Bethesda for $4.695 million. Joel is one of the three sons of billionaire Buccaneer’s owner Malcolm Glazer (who also owns England’s Manchester United soccer team). Both of the purchasers attended American University.

The custom-designed house sits on two acres with a pergola, waterfall and multi-tiered terrace overlooking the scenic grounds of the Congressional Country Club. The 7,721square-foot residence has a large formal living and dining rooms; a gourmet eat-in kitchen with an adjoining family room; five bedrooms, all en suite; and several sun rooms. It was listed

by Washington Fine Properties William F. X. Moody for Janice Shrader and her husband, Ralph W. Shrader, Ph.D., chairman and CEO of Booz Allen Hamilton. Long and Foster Real Estate realtor Sharon Gross represented the Glazers, who also own a $5.6 million, 8,608-square-foot waterfront house on Pointe of Harbour Island in Florida. The couple sold their previous Florida home at 1000 North Lake Way in Palm Beach for $12,965,000 in October of 2006.

Virginia The French Country-style estate at 11005 Beach Mill Road in Great Falls has sold

124

Large entertaining spaces and a secluded swimming pool made this Wesley Heights residence at 2501 49th Street, N.W., an attractive buy for two high-level corporate executives.

for $3 million. The five-bedroom house with seven baths totals 9,000 square feet and is situated in a two-acre compound featuring wrought iron gates, a mineral springs pool, a spa and patio. The house has four stone fireplaces, cathedral ceilings and an expansive verandah. RE/MAX Presidential agent Karen Hawken listed the property for the builder, real estate developer Gregory Cox and his wife Jean, for $3,295,000. Weichert’s Penny Yerks was the selling agent representing buyers Joseph and Carol Brandt.

Penny Yerks was also the selling agent for 1203 Stuart Robeson Drive, in McLean.

Built in 1990, this three-story, three-bedroom townhouse with an upgraded kitchen and four full and two half baths went for $1,700,000.The buyers are Meredith W. and Terrence W. LaPier.

Meredith LaPier is a partner at the Global Corporate Services Group. Terrence LaPier is the founder of the Piermont Group, which provided strategic advisory services to publicly held multinational real estate corporations.

Terrence LaPier is the founder of the Piermont Group, which provided strategic advisory services to publicly held multinational real estate corporations. In the late 1990’s, he was senior vice president and group managing director of Bechtel. The LaPiers purchased their new

home from Judith W. and J. Robert Prince. Mr. Prince is chairman of the audit committee of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which is comprised of Washington National Cathedral, the National Cathedral School for Girls, St. Albans School for Boys, Beauvoir; the National Cathedral Elementary School, and The Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral. The Princes’ listing agent was Long and Foster Real Estate’s Terrie Dietrich.

Also in McLean, 1356 Kirby Road has sold for $1.1 million after being listed for $1.5 million

by RE/MAX Allegiance. The remodeled 1950s contemporary sits on a private one-acre lot with a deck, Zen garden and heated pool. Among its special features are vaulted ceilings with skylights and recessed lighting, hardwood floors and a double-sided gas fireplace.The brick house has five bedrooms, three marble baths, a country kitchen, a finished basement with rear and side entrances, a mudroom, recreation room, den, carport and workshop. The buyer is Kirk Burgee, associate bureau chief for the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau. He was assisted by Long and Foster Real Estate agent, Charlie Hein. The seller was IT consultant Glenn Tobin.

Please send real estate news items to columns@washingtonlife.com.

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uxurious Waterfront Estate with breathtaking views on Potomac Creek at historic Pratt Point. Exquisitely decorated and set on 10 private acres, this spectacular custom build colonial personifies resort-like estate living. This elegant residence epitomizes everything one seeks in a luxury home - peace and quiet, stunning natural beauty, and extraordinary amenities with meticulous attention to details. Hand-carved marble for exterior of the house. Hardwood and marble flooring throughout. Not another site like this in the entire area. Words do not adequately portray the elegance and flow of this rare opportunity - call for a private showing appointment. $8,500,000

Other exclusive offerings...

Aquia Creek - $3,500,000

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Aquia Creek waterfront. Deep water, fantastic views and accessible utilities. Very convenient location that has unbelievable growth potential. This is truly a unique opportunity for an enterprising developer. A total of 50 acres are available, call for details. Seller of this property is relocating - make your call today.

Anna Zillow Broker-Owner/Regional Director Direct: 202.731.0103 Office: 703.533.2200 WPI International Fax: 866.280.6232 Washington D.C. Metro Region www.GoToWPI.com 140 Little Falls Street Suite 101 www.JoinWPI.com/dc Falls Church, VA 22046-4321 Email: anna@wpidc.com

Anna Z illow

Jeff Mauer

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Washington Harbour Georgetown 202.487.5460 jfmauer@aol.com

Georgetown

EXCLUSIVE OFFERING WASHINGTON,

DC

-

Rare offering of a truly prominent and historic Georgetown estate.

This magnificent 1850â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Victorian grande dame in Italianate style features substantial and well-proportioned entertaining rooms BMPOH XJUI CFESPPNT 5.5 baths, a separate guest house plus a detached two car garage and additional multiple car parking. Home is serenely set on .81 lavishly landscaped private acres on one of Georgetownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prestigious blocks. Recent architectural plan approval by historic board allows for additional wing and a swimming pool. Plans by renowned Washington architect to convey, if desired, with sale. $7,400,000 , 4U /8 4VJUF t 8BTIJOHUPO %$

Private Waterfront Estate in Leonardtown, MD Just 90 Minutes from the DC Metro Area www.20485quailsnestway.com Property includes: Main Residence, Pool House & Guest House â&#x20AC;˘ Six Bedrooms, Six Full Baths, Two 1/2 Baths â&#x20AC;˘ Impressive, Comfortable Entertaining Spaces â&#x20AC;˘ 24 Acres with Private Beach & Pier â&#x20AC;˘ Heated Lap Pool, Steam Room, Elevator, Alarm â&#x20AC;˘ Golf, Shopping & Restaurants: 10 Minutes

$2,995,000 Chris McNelis, Broker chris.mcnelis@comcast.net Office: 410-394-0990 Cell: 410-610-4045 www.mcnelisgroup.com

S ELLING

THE

A REA â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S F INEST P ROPERTIES

Mike Bowman of Michael M. Bowman and Associates had a vision… architect Bill Sutton helped him create it.

PreMier neighBorhood-LAngLey FArMS È A deSign Like no other È A FAirytALe Setting

Appointment only or cAll for informAtion chris fraley • Keller Williams • 703-217-7600 • www.chrisfraleyhomes.com $7.9 million

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

Bethesda, maryland EDGEMOOR - Rare opportunity to purchase this major Edgemoor Estate, White Chimneys. Exquisite English-style manor home sited on 1 acre double lot with pool and tennis. 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 7 fireplaces and a 4-car garage. $6,750,000

Sherry Davis

301-996-3220

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

mass ave heights, Washington, dc NEW LISTING! Exceptional 1924 Estate with Englishinfluenced architecture on 16,553 sq ft lot of mature landscaping with Guesthouse & Pool. Gracious principal rooms, 6 Bedrooms, 5 full & 3 half Baths. $6,500,000

William F. X. Moody Robert Hryniewicki

202-243-1620

mclean, virginia

Gracious classic home with lovely living and entertaining spaces. Library & Dining Room with bay windows overlooking pool & garden; spacious master suite + 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths; 2-car garage. $3,295,000

Stunning five bedroom new home on large beautiful lot in central McLean offers elegant Old World facade with open floor plan, Architectural details, three finished levels, top-of-the-line kitchen, flagstone patio and four-car garage. $2,595,000

202-243-1635 202-243-1634

Bethesda, maryland Extraordinary features of this 10,000 sq ft home on a 1.67 acre include a 30’ living room, gourmet kitchen with sitting area & fireplace, a master suite occupying entire wing of the first floor & indoor 48’ glass enclosed pool with vaulted ceiling & skylights. $4,999,945

Marsha Schuman

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

sPring valley, Washington, dc

Anne Hatfield Weir Heidi Hatfield

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

Victoria Kilcullen

703-915-8845

301-299-9598

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

West end/ritz residences Rare, totally renovated three-level penthouse with 2 bedrooms + den, 3 baths, rooftop terrace with outdoor space on every level, and two-car parking. $2,195,000

Ellen Morrell Patrick Chauvin Matthew B. McCormick

202-728-9500

Potomac, maryland

chevy chase, Washington, dc

Bethesda, maryland

Welcome to a special home located on half acre on a quiet cul-de-sac in close proximity to Potomac Village.

High, vaulted ceilings with skylights, lots of glass overlooking professional landscape and interesting architectural details enhance a wonderful floor plan. $1,395,000

Classic Chevy Chase home with charming front porch, spacious & light Living Room with fireplace; large Dining Room with handsome beamed ceiling; sun-filled eat-in kitchen, 6BR, 4.5BA, including in-law suite. $1,350,000

Located in highly desirable Goldsboro, this spacious town home has an excellent floor plan for those looking for easy living in a wonderful location. Decorated by a leading international designer with numerous upgrades, this home is truly a rare find. $1,250,000

Marsha Schuman

301-299-9598

Anne Hatfield Weir Tammy Gale

202-243-1635 202-243-1649

Marsha Schuman

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS • LOCAL AFFILIATE

301-299-9598

WASHINGTON, D.C. GEORGETOWN BETHESDA/CHEVY CHASE POTOMAC NORTHERN VIRGINIA WFP.COM

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

202.944.5000 202.333.3320 301.222.0050 301.983.6400 703.317.7000

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

CLeveLanD Park, Washington, DC

georgetoWn, Washington, DC

PotoMaC, MaryLanD

Architectural masterpiece with long driveway to 8 bedroom, turn of century detached house with picturesque porch & well proportioned rooms on half-acre. Great addition with Family room. 2-car garage. $4,900,000

Potomac River Views! Well renovated extraordinary brick federal with a built in garage, private terraces and some of Washington’s most inspiring views. Conveniently located. Great entertaining space. $3,800,000

Sited on six spectacular acres, this fully renovated house offers the best of everything. Only the finest materials have been used and all with a designer’s eye. Don’t miss the barn with the indoor basketball court, batting and golf cages. This one is a real prize! $3,450,000

Jamie Peva A. Michael Sullivan, Jr.

202-258-5050 202-365-9000

Jamie Peva A. Michael Sullivan, Jr.

202-258-5050 202-365-9000

Anne Killeen

301-706-0067

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

BethesDa, MaryLanD

DarnestoWn, MaryLanD

PotoMaC, MaryLanD

Welcome to this special home located on a spectacular two acre lot in the Greens, a private enclave of homes across from Avenel and backing to the 17th hole at Congressional Country Club. Gracious southern plantation living at its best. $3,390,000

Elegant custom built home provides the perfect blend for entertaining and casual living. Five private acres off River Road on the Potomac border. 3 wonderful levels featuring 6 Bedrooms and 5 Baths. Boasts use of the finest materials and craftsmanship. $1,750,000

Gorgeous Colonial shows like a model! Three finished levels with many architectural details, light-filled Morning Room off gourmet Kitchen. Five bedrooms, four baths with Master Suite with Dressing Room, luxury Bath and walk-in closet. $1,599,000

Marsha Schuman

Michael Matese

Michael Matese

301-299-9598

301-806-6829

301-806-6829

Logan, Washington, DC

BethesDa, MaryLanD

West enD, Washington, DC

Stylish and sophisticated 3BR, 2.5BA home features renovated kitchen, high ceilings, thoughtful details, lovely rear terrace and garden, with path leading to separate garage and studio. $1,195,000

Luxurious 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo in boutique building with only 11 residences. Open floor plan with high ceilings, hardwood floors, gourmet kitchen, marble baths and exquisite finishes. 2 garage spaces. Steps from all Downtown Bethesda has to offer. $795,000

NEW LISTING! Wonderful, light-filled 2BR, 2BA condo in fabulous location. Great vistas from balcony, washer/ dryer, Lobby desk, Garage Parking. Close to 2 Metros, Dupont, Foggy Bottom & Georgetown. $625,000

Heidi Hatfield Anne Hatfield Weir

202-243-1634 202-243-1635

Sherry Davis

301-996-3220

Bobbe Ward Patrick Chauvin

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS • LOCAL AFFILIATE

202-243-1604 202-728-9500

Washington social d ia r y

party places

GREAT PLACES TO HAVE A

PARTY

“Location, location, location,” the time-worn mantra of the real estate industry, also applies to entertaining, the sleeper component of an event. It sets the tone and all else follows. Washington has some of the most impressive sites in the country to choose from, both from an historic as well as architectural perspective. Here’s a select list:

Carolyn Peachey shares her to-die-for spaces For that extra-special event

Photo by Tony Powell

Photo by Tony Powell

Photo by Jonah Koch

MELLON AUDITORIUM

CORCORAN GALLERY

FOLGER LIBRARY

MERIDIAN HOUSE

The site du soir for 300-plus events and highly acclaimed for its soaring ceiling and gilded details. NATO and other treaties have been signed there; Princess Diana and Princess Caroline of Monaco have dined there. Perfect for dancing.

Provides a perfect palette for formal or “happening” events large and small, as well as those requiring traditional or contemporary design. Being able to illuminate the Beaux-Arts façade for grand arrivals is an added plus.

If you are having a seated dinner for 200 or less, definitely consider the Folger.

The ability to combine cocktails in the Great Hall and dinner in the book-lined Reading Room will impress even the most jaded guests.

This architectural masterpiece and the adjacent White-Meyer House are an oasis in the heart of the city.The linden trees in the lovely garden, which can be tented, are a major plus. A favorite for weddings and corporate events.

1301 Constituition Ave. NW, 202-367-5601

500 17th St. NW, 202-639-1781

201 East Capitol St. NE, 202-675-0324

1630 Crescent Place NW, 202-939-5592

Photo by Tony Powell

Photo by Tony Powell

THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM

THE NEWSEUM

PHILLIPS COLLECTION

How inspiring to drink and dine next to the two-story-high rotunda, home to the original copies of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Only private events hosted by The National Archives or its foundation are permitted.

Fifteen-story-high ceilings and massive columns make this is a spectacular site for 500 persons or more, but you need to make a statement with lighting and décor; otherwise the space can swallow your event.

Event spaces here provide one of the most extraordinary views of the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall.

Be prepared to have a large budget, much of which will go to their inhouse caterer.

Guests strolling through the music room and galleries can sip cocktails and dine beside works by Renoir, Goya, El Greco and Van Gogh. The perfect site for smaller events, and a florist’s dream space. Inspiration hangs on the walls.

700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-357-7361

401 F Street NW, 202-272-2448 ext. 3107

555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202-292-6100

1600 21st St. NW, 202-387-2151 ext. 267

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WASHINGTON, D.C. GEORGETOWN BETHESDA/CHEVY CHASE POTOMAC NORTHERN VIRGINIA WFP.COM

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

202.944.5000 202.333.3320 301.222.0050 301.983.6400 703.317.7000

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

K alorama, washinGton, DC

K alorama, washinGton, DC

wesley heiGhts, washinGton, DC

Best of Kalorama. Stately, beautifully renovated Georgian style Kalorama house overlooks Tracy Place. 10+ ft. ceilings, original detail, large living and dining room, French doors, lead to a secluded limestone garden. Elevator serves all levels. 7 BR, 6.5 BA, 4 Fireplaces. $3,995,000

Former Kingsbury School. Magnificently renovated Kalorama maisonette. Approximately 6,000 square feet.

4 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, 3 Powder Rooms, Library, Au Pair Suite, and Garage. Expansive roof-top terrace. $3,395,000

Lush award-winning garden surrounds this large English Cottage home. Formal entertaining rooms include unique octagonal dining room, library, and sunroom. Ornate architectural elements. Chef’s kitchen with family room.

4 BR, 4.5 BA, fireplaces, 2 Car Garage. $2,995,000

Jim Bell

202-607-4000

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

Jim Bell Connie Carter

202-607-4000 202-491-6171

Jim Bell

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

Completely Renovated in 2008 Brick Federal with luxurious, gracious interior. Rooftop Terrace with Beautiful Vistas. 3 bedrooms, 3 full/2 half baths. $2,795,000

Gated community of Hillandale – Features spacious rooms, Library, Family Room, Gourmet Kitchen, 2-car garage, community pool & tennis courts, 6BR/4.5BA.

Cecelia Leake William F. X. Moody Robert Hryniewicki

Ellen Morrell Patrick Chauvin Matthew B. McCormick

202-256-7804 202-243-1620 202-243-1622

202-728-9500

202-607-4000

INTERNATIONAL OFFERING

Foxhall, washinGton, DC Minutes from Georgetown, private drive to circular motorcourt leads to gracious Georgian Style mini estate with pre-WWII patina & Guest House. Completely Renovated in 2008. Owner/Agent. $2,595,000

William F. X. Moody Robert Hryniewicki

202-243-1620

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

wesley heiGhts, washinGton, DC

GeorGetown, washinGton, DC

Distinguished wide 4 bedroom Victorian, quiet East Village location, fabulous large kitchen/family room with fireplace opens to garden, high ceilings and excellent entertaining space. Steps to Montrose Park. $1,950,000

Rarely available house ideally located in Battery Kemble Park with exceptional scale, large gourmet eat-in Kitchen that opens to Family Room, 4 spacious Bedrooms, Lower Level In-law suite, beautiful private yard and 2 car Garage Parking. $1,795,000

Beautiful 3BR/3.5BA Victorian with renovated gourmet Kitchen, separate Dining Room, spacious Living Room with fireplace, wonderful Den, sun-filled Office, finished Lower Level In-Law suite with Kitchen, Family & Garden Rooms, and a lovely rear garden and patio. $1,750,000

Nancy Taylor Bubes

Nancy Taylor Bubes

Jamie Peva A. Michael Sullivan, Jr.

202-258-5050 202-365-9000

202-256-2164

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS • LOCAL AFFILIATE

202-256-2164