FUNDRAISING RECITAL "LA VIE EN ROSE"
SUPPORT CAMBODIAN ARTISTS FRIDAY
5TH JUNE 2009 at 7:00 PM
The arts have an amazing capacity to bring people together for altruistic purposes. French restaurant, Topaz, and bosbaPANH, Khmer Coloratura Soprano, age 12, are collaborating to raise funds for Cambodian arts and artists on Friday June 5, 2009 at 7 pm. The fundraising recital was initiated when bosbaPANH heard about the difficulties facing a family of Cambodian classical artists whose house burned down when fire swept their neighborhood. To help these artists and promote Cambodian culture, Topaz Restaurant is enthusiastically embracing this project with bosbaPANH. Using the launch of her 2007 Concert VCD, bosbaPANH will give a recital to raise fund to be donated to the Cambodian Foundation for the Arts.
The Cambodian Foundation for the Arts aims at promoting all the arts in Cambodia as well as providing mutual assistance to artists in need. This year, the Foundation will support the family of Em Theay, her daughter Thong Kim An and her grand-daugther Noam Naroath. In late March, these three generations of Ramayana dancers and singers lost everything they had in the fire, including photos of performances and valuable costumes, musical instruments, recordings and sheet music. Em Theay, 72, has been featured in numerous Cambodian dance books and TV documentaries, and is one of only 10 percent of Royal Court dancers to survive the Khmer Rouge. Between 1975 and 1979, she lost her husband, her three sisters and five of her children. The fire is one more tragedy in her life. What's even sadder,as says bosbapanh, who has been studying Khmer dance with Em Theay and singing with her grand-daugther, Naroath they do not even have the right to rebuild.
They don't have any paper saying they lived on the second floor. They lived there for 20 years. The owners of the flat below are creating all kinds of difficulties to them. This should not happen to people who should be considered as our “National Treasuresâ€. To help Em Theay and her daughters and launch the Cambodian Foundation for the Arts, bosbapanh. will give a recital of popular Cambodian and international classics. Topaz Restaurant's Executive Chef Alain Darc will compose an innovative dinner with signature dishes in harmony with the recital. Accompanying bosbaPANH will be Topaz's in-house pianist, bosbapanh's group of classical musicians and her accomplished younger brother, flutist Panhlauv, age 8.
The concert, which is titled La Vie en Rose is designed to invoke the elegant and tranquil world of Phnom Penh in the 1960’s when it was hailed as the Paris of the East. La Vie en Rose is a 1946 love song by French singer Edith Piaf which has been interpreted by famous artists worldwide from Louis Armstrong to Luciano Pavarotti and Grace Jones. Piaf's life symbolizes both resilience in the face of adversity and the triumph of talent and love. This is the message of hope that bosbapanh and Topaz management wish to convey in these times of crisis. The concert will include a range of music from the elegant songs of King Father Sihanouk to traditional mohori Khmer lullabies, eternal songs from an international repertoire and bosbaPAN's own rendition of La Vie en Rose.
Tickets for the recital and dinner are $100 per person and include a cocktail reception, a gourmet 3-course dinner and wine. All proceeds will be donated to the Cambodian Foundation for the Arts which will help Em Theay and her talented daughters build a new home and hope for a better future to see La vie en rose. Concert bookings are essential seating is limited Topaz Restaurant 182 Norodom boulevard.
Email:manager@topaz-restaurant.com
Ph: 023 221 622; 012 346 555
MORE INFORMATION:
Cambodian Foundation for the Arts. The Association is a not-for-profit, non political, cultural and professional organization which aims to promote Cambodian arts and music and to advance the public's understanding and appreciation of music and the arts. It also aims at providing mutual assistance to artists in need. Presided by Luu Meng, the Foundation was recently established by a group of benefactors from Cambodia and overseas caring about Khmer artists and wishing to promote both classical works and to encourage new creations. Topaz Restaurant and Piano Bar is Cambodia's most renowned French restaurant.
Opened in 1997, the restaurant has developed a sterling reputation for fine dining through a decade of excellence. Continuing to strive for excellence and accommodate more of its patrons, Topaz relocated in 2007 to a stunning, spacious property at 182 Norodom Boulevard. This custom-built establishment includes a dining room that seats 116, 4 VIP rooms, a terrace under the stars that accommodates 150, a piano bar with a nightly lounge act, a wine cellar boasting 5,000 bottles and Phnom Penh's only Cuban cigar room. Continuing more than a decade of innovation, Topaz offers authentic but constantly evolving French food in a sophisticated yet pleasant setting. More about Topaz at: www.topaz-restaurant.com In collaboration with the Cambodian Foundation for the Arts, Topaz is launching a series of regular musical events that will run throughout the year. The fund-raising event La Vie en Rose will be held annually.