Emceed by Mandvi, program to feature Williams, Ascher, Manish Arora’s creations.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW YORK: Singer/songwriter/composer Paul Williams and jazz piano icon and composer Kenny Ascher, famous for co-writing the Oscar-nominated song “Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie, will reunite on stage to recreate their award-wining musical magic for the Indo-American Art Council’s (IAAC) 15th anniversary gala on November 21st at the Angel Oresanz Foundation for the Performing Arts, in Manhattan.
At the striking venue, where Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker married Matthew Broderick and Lady Gaga posed for her Vogue photo shoot, the IAAC will commemorate 15 years of educating and exposing NYC audiences to literary, performing, visual and folk arts from the Indian subcontinent.
“It may be surprising to find Kenny and I performing at an Indian gala, but it just goes to prove that music is universal and does not discriminate by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status,” said Williams, who has been at the receiving end of Academy, Golden Globe and Grammy awards, with his most recent work being featured on current pop sensation Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, in a statement.
IAAC is the first and only Indian Arts Council in the United States representing all of the artistic disciplines, including theatre, dance, music, film, folk arts and literature, said a press release issued by the organization. The IAAC pioneered the first annual Indian theatre, film, dance and playwright festivals in the country, as well as an annual travelling exhibition of contemporary Indian art.
“Aroon Shivdasani (founder of IAAC) and her team of volunteers took a vision we presented 15 years ago and made IAAC the pioneer when it comes to representing Indian arts and culture in the U.S.,” said Jonathan Hollander, President and Artistic Director of Battery Dance Company and one of the founding members of IAAC, in a statement.
The emcee for the IAAC’s 15th anniversary gala will be actor/comedian Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). A fashion show, organized by Exclusively.In, will showcase the work of Indian designer Manish Arora from Paris Fashion Week. Author Salman Rushdie, culinary expert Madhur Jaffrey, and director Mira Nair will also be part of the evening’s star-studded line-up.