When word got out that it was time for the highly an

nationalpost.com
NATIONAL POST, Saturday, February 28, 2015
life
WP17
Andrea McQueen
Bernadette Morra and Nicholas Mellamphy
Emmanuelle Gattuso and Lynda Prince
Erika Lawrie, Wayne Clarke and Julia Conley
Lucian Matis preview Elaine Fields; Lucian Matis and Zeina Esmail; Model at the show; model; Lysa Lash; Kelly Rosen; model
NAC Orchestra performance Peter Herrndorf (NAC president) and Eva Czigler; Julie Nesrallah (opera singer, CBC host) and Roberto Martella (owner of Grano); Barbara Williams (SVP Shaw Communications) and Christopher Dossett;
Ron Bernbaum and Renee Bleeman (founders of PearTree Financial Group); Adrian Burns (NAC board chair) and Don Johnson (BMO Capital Markets); Veronica Tennant (producer) and Gail O’Brien (NAC board member)
A m o ry n E n g e l
W
hen word got out that it
was time for the highly anticipated annual ShangriLa Fashion luncheon, the most gorgeous and glamorous of Toronto
fashion plates came running to see
the spring/summer 2015 collection
by Lucian Matis — well, running
as fast as they could in their stilettos.
While the Lobby Lounge at the Shang
has become the place to be after
photos by George Pimentel Photography
dark, this party got started much earlier with Champagne cocktails and a
stunning luncheon put together by
chef Damon Campbell.
Matis was born in Romania and
had been exposed to fashion while
spending time with his mother in
her tailor shop. There, he was able
to perfect the art of cutting and mastered intricate hand techniques. A
couple of years ago, Matis suffered
personal tragedy and as a result, put
his business on hold. This was a fabulous relaunch with frocks met with
oohs and ahhs from everyone who
attended. Models sashayed between
tables in beautifully executed showstoppers. Schwartkopf brought the
hair next level as did MAC cosmetics
with the makeup.
After the show was complete, ladies
got a small sampling of the Chinese
New Year High Tea, which is being
served daily at the hotel until March
1. And of course, no party is complete
without the Shangri-La’s marketing
guru Alex Filiatrault, who always
offers a certain “je ne sais quoi.”
It was a most memorable night as
more than 100 who’s-who braved a
snow squall to come out to toast the
National Arts Centre Orchestra. I
had the honour, as a director of the
NAC, to open my home for a preperformance supper before the
masses made the trip to Roy Thomson Hall for the concert sponsored by
PearTree Financial.
Pinchas Zukerman, one of the
world’s most famous violinists and
music director of the National Arts
Centre Orchestra, and his wife, cellist Amanda Forsyth, performed as
members of the NAC Orchestra for
the last time at Roy Thomson Hall.
(Both Zukerman and Forsyth will retire from the orchestra later this year.)
They performed their signature piece,
the Brahms Double Concerto, in front
of a packed audience. Zukerman has
often said he fell in love with Forsyth
through this piece of music when he
first started at the NAC in Ottawa in
1999. In the second half of the concert,
the orchestra was joined by piano
soloist Yefim Bronfman, who performed the Brahms Piano Concerto
No. 2 to rapturous applause.
“We are so happy to share the
beautiful music and love story between Pinchas and Amanda with the
people of Toronto. Both have given
so much to the Canadian music
scene, we are grateful for everything
they have done for us at Canada’s
National Arts Centre,” said Jayne
Watson, president and CEO of the
NAC Foundation.
It was a stellar crowd making the
scene, including Edward Burtynsky,
ballet icon Veronica Tennant, the
CBC’s Heather Hiscox, Manulife
dynamo Jeronimo de Miguel, Michael Budman and Diane Bald, and
of course the NAC’s Watson and Peter
Herrndorf.
Weekend Post