Grammy Award-winning artist Estelle will perform at Face Forward Foundation’s Fifth Annual Gala, “A Venetian Masquerade” September 13, at The Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
When Estelle first burst onto the scene in 2008 with the #1, double-platinum hit song “American Boy” featuring Kanye West, she quickly became an R&B sweetheart. Now slated to release her highly anticipated fourth studio album, “True Romance” on November 4, the international singer teams up with Face Forward in their mission to spread awareness and mend the physical and emotional wounds of domestic violence.
Founded by Deborah Alessi, Face Forward Foundation provides pro-bono reconstructive surgery for victims of domestic violence. As its most important fundraising and awareness-building event of the year, The Fifth Annual Gala, “A Venetian Masquerade” will raise funds with a goal of $500,000 for 2015 to support their patients and celebrate the lives and accomplishments of survivors.
Alongside the special performance, the star-studded event will be masquerade-themed, with celebrity guests, a silent auction and an honorary awards ceremony dedicated to raising funds and awareness for this increasing epidemic. Face Forward Foundation will honor celebrity and community leaders for their inspirational work and on-going efforts to draw awareness to domestic violence. Confirmed guests include: Missy Piles (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Artist), Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie, Legally Blonde), Shohreh Aghdashloo (24), Bonnie Sommerville (Ugly Truth), Shaun Toub (Iron Man). To purchase tickets, visit http://faceforward.nbblticketing.com/
Since its creation in 2007, Face Forward has worked with advocates around the nation to identify victims of domestic violence who are working towards recovery, yet carry the physical evidence of past abuse. Face Forward does more than just provide pro bono reconstructive surgery to adults and children who have suffered from traumatic and physical abuse; they also create a welcoming and safe environment for the victims to start a new life and reclaim their confidence.
Deborah Alessi, Founder of Face Forward Foundation says “The work that we do turns our victims of abuse into victors in life and we have been fortunate to impact many lives with profoundly life changing results. Changing the outward appearance gives them the confidence to address the scars on the inside and move beyond their past to obtain fulfilling futures. ”
With domestic violence occurring every 15 seconds in the United States, Face Forward Foundation strives to alleviate the internal and external scars of victims and those affected. Ninety percent of all rape and abuse cases lead to physical disfigurement and Face Forward provides treatment to victims who are not able to afford medical assistance.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2014/08/estelle-teams-up-with-face-forward-foundation-to-sing-out-against-domestic-violence/#G4Y6cLsiFPjUS7x5.99
Posts tagged as “Grammy Award winner”
World-renowned jazz musician and composer Herbie Hancock has been named Harvard University’s 2014 Norton Professor of Poetry. Hancock will give six lectures this spring on topics that include “The Wisdom of Miles Davis,” “Breaking the Rules,” “Cultural Diplomacy and the Voice Of Freedom,” and “Innovation and New Technologies.”
“It is a great privilege to welcome Herbie Hancock as the Norton Professor,” said Homi Bhabha, Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities and Director of the Mahindra Humanities Center, which is hosting the lectures. “His unsurpassed contribution to the history of music has revolutionized our understanding of the ways in which the arts transform our civic consciousness and our spiritual aspirations. It would be no exaggeration to say that he has defined cultural innovation in each decade of the last half-century.”
Born on April 12, 1940, in Chicago, Hancock grew up in a family that wasn’t particularly musical, according to Biography.com. At the age of seven he began studying European classical music, which continues to influence both his playing and composing. At the same time, he was influenced by jazz pianists like George Shearing, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner. As a young teenager, he was playing Mozart with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet (which he joined in 1963), Hancock performed on dozens of albums and established a reputation as an outstanding composer who explored genres outside traditional jazz, ranging from fusion to R&B to hip-hop.
Hancock has also provided scores for a number of TV and film projects, including Bill Cosby’s Fat Albert cartoon series and an accompanying album, as well as for the movies Death Wish (1974), A Soldier’s Story (1984), and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986). He won an Academy Award for the score to ‘Round Midnight (1986); his other honors include 14 Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year for River: The Joni Letters.
“It is a great privilege to welcome Herbie Hancock as the Norton Professor,” said Homi Bhabha, Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities and Director of the Mahindra Humanities Center, which is hosting the lectures. “His unsurpassed contribution to the history of music has revolutionized our understanding of the ways in which the arts transform our civic consciousness and our spiritual aspirations. It would be no exaggeration to say that he has defined cultural innovation in each decade of the last half-century.”
Born on April 12, 1940, in Chicago, Hancock grew up in a family that wasn’t particularly musical, according to Biography.com. At the age of seven he began studying European classical music, which continues to influence both his playing and composing. At the same time, he was influenced by jazz pianists like George Shearing, Oscar Peterson, and Erroll Garner. As a young teenager, he was playing Mozart with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet (which he joined in 1963), Hancock performed on dozens of albums and established a reputation as an outstanding composer who explored genres outside traditional jazz, ranging from fusion to R&B to hip-hop.
Hancock has also provided scores for a number of TV and film projects, including Bill Cosby’s Fat Albert cartoon series and an accompanying album, as well as for the movies Death Wish (1974), A Soldier’s Story (1984), and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986). He won an Academy Award for the score to ‘Round Midnight (1986); his other honors include 14 Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year for River: The Joni Letters.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The house band for NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” is living large in its hometown of Philadelphia. Members of The Roots are now depicted on a multistory mural on the back wall of a school. The group attended a dedication of the project on Friday, May 31st.
The mural is called “Legendary.” It uses a colorful collage of images to trace the history of the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group. Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says it’s difficult to believe how far the band has come since its founding in the city in 1992. The art project was created by the city’s Mural Arts Program. There are more than 3,600 murals in Philadelphia.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
The University of Rochester has announced that it will present an honorary doctorate of music to Jessye Norman, one of the world’s leading classical sopranos. Norman will receive the honorary degree at a benefit concert in Rochester for Action for a Better Community on April 14. Action for a Better Community is a community action agency that promotes and provides opportunities for low-income individuals and families to become self-sufficient.
Jessye Norman has had a singing career spanning more than 40 years. She is a five-time Grammy Award winner, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in 2010 she was presented by President Obama with the National Medal of Arts. She holds honorary degrees from more than 40 colleges and universities around the world.
article via jbhe.com