The Petroushka Ball, a traditional
Russian ball held annually in New
York City, is the primary fundraising
event for the RCWS. It was started
in 1965 as a small tea dance by a
group of descendants of Russian families
whose intent was to raise funds to
help Russian children. Since then,
the Ball has become one of New York
Society's most vibrant and anticipated
annual events, attracting upwards
of 800 dinner and dancing guests.
Past Petroushka Ball events featured
Opera greats Anna Netrebko, Dmitri
Hvorostovsky, Elena Obraztsova, Maria
Guleghina, Rollando Villazón, Paul
Groves, as well as soloists from
the American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi
Theater, Novaya Opera and the Spivakov
Foundation.
Petroushka Ball 2008
On February 8, 2008, the 43rd Petroushka Ball was held at the magnificent ballroom of the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City for the third consecutive year. The Ball hosted over 400 dinner guests and an additional 200 dancing guests.
Mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca performed as the evening's special guest star accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger. Elina was sensational and brought the house down with a beautiful rendition of Una
voce poco fa from Rossini's "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", Habañera from Bizet's "Carmen" and Carceleras "Al
pensar" from Chapi's "Las hijas del Zebedeo".
Barynya Balalaika Orchestra provided an additional
entertainment, performing Russian
folk dance "Kalinka-Malinka" and
Ukrainian folk dance "Gopak." The Lester
Lanin Orchestra, under the
baton of Spencer Bruno, continued the evening's
musical program as guests moved to the dance
floor.
RCWS owes a special thanks to The Estee Lauder
Companies Inc. for a generous
donation of their Ladies' Gift.
We would like to thank Mr.
Peter Tcherepnine for underwriting
the cost of flowers and Mr.
Michael Jordan for covering
a portion of the dinner wine expense. We are
most grateful to Mr. Art Saguirian, President
of BMC Imports for a generous donation of "Jewel
of Russia" Ultra-Premium
Vodka. RCWS would like to acknowledge
Mr. Gregory Tolston, CFO, Grand
Market International Corp.
(Net Cost Market); Mr. Valery
Dantchenko and Mr. Ian Serjantov,
Valerio 888; and Dr. Eda Ellis,
Denta Spa for contributing items for the gift
bags. In addition, we would like to thank
all those generous and wonderful people, who
provided valuable silent auction and raffle
prizes as well as assisted us with organizing
the event.
We look forward to seeing you at our 44th Annual Petroushka Ball in February 2009!
Petroushka Ball 2007
On February
9, 2007, the 42nd Petroushka Ball
was held at the Waldorf=Astoria
for the second year
in a row. RCWS is pleased to report
that the Ball
brought in over $132,000 net profit
to benefit the Society.
It was an exciting and glorious evening! Metropolitan Opera star tenor Matthew Polenzani performed with a young Russian soprano, Anna Alkhimova, who appeared with the kind permission of the Los Angeles Opera Company. Matthew brought the house down with a beautiful rendition of Una furtiva lagrima from Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" and 
La donna e mobile from Verdi's "Rigoletto." Anna Alkhimova sang beautiful renditions of Rachmaninoff's Ne poi, krasavitsa and Puccini's Musetta's Waltz. Pianist Anna Polonsky began the program with the exciting Three Fantastic Dances by Shostakovich. Both singers ended the entertainment with a duet from Verdi's "La Traviata," sipping champagne while singing the drinking song Libiamo ne' lieti calici Brindisi.
Alexey Arkhipovskiy, a balalaika virtuoso flown in from Russia and considered by many the best in the world, almost stole the show by combining traditional folk music with unique improvisations and showmanship.
The Lester Lanin Orchestra, under the baton of Spencer Bruno, continued the evening's musical program as guests flooded the dance floor. In the adjoining rooms, Mikhail Smirnov and the Barynya Balalaika Orchestra provided sensational additional entertainment in the best spirit of Russian culture well into the morning hours.
RCWS owes a special thanks to Mr. Michael Jordan of Aton Securities for providing wine for the event and to Mr. Art Saguirian, President of BMC Imports Ltd., for a generous donation of "Jewel of Russia" Ultra-Premium Vodka. We are likewise grateful to Mr. Peter Tcherepnine for underwriting the cost of the stunning flower arrangements, created by Inna Nagibina and The Soft Orchid.
We thank all companies and individuals
who donated valuable prizes for the
Petroushka Ball raffle and silent
auction.
All dinner guests received blue and white bags filled with an elegant bone china cup and saucer from the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory (LFZ) in St. Petersburg, Russia; Estée Lauder fragrances and makeup sets; DCL/Milbar Laboratories skin care products; delicious chocolates from A. Korkunov Chocolatier, Inc.; Valerio 888 amber pendants; Opera News, Russian Life and Russia Profile magazines.
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| Cover designs
by Dimitry Schidlovsky |
