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Thursday, May 03, 2007

Wynton Marsalis Wins 2007 Montblanc de la Culture Award

Wynton Marsalis Wins 2007 Montblanc de la Culture Award

-- World-Renowned Jazz Educator and Pulitzer Prize Winner Honored at Tribeca Film Festival for Arts Patronage --

NEW YORK, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Wynton Marsalis, artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, was presented with the 2007 Montblanc de la Culture Award, which supports the arts in ten countries, at a gala held during the Tribeca Film Festival last night. The event, at the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts, was emceed by actor and Saturday Night Live alumnus Dean Edwards and included Montblanc jurors singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash and producer Lee Daniels, Festival co-founders Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal, and other celebrities.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070503/NYTH132 )

The evening's festivities included surprise tributes and performances by individuals who have been influential to Marsalis' life and career. Wynton's father, Ellis Marsalis, tap dance maestro Savion Glover, percussionist Roy Haynes and legendary 81-year-old jazz artist Clark Terry, Marsalis' longtime friend and mentor, performed to honor Marsalis.

Created in 1992, the Montblanc de la Culture Award honors individuals in 10 countries who commit their time and resources to enhance the arts and culture. An international panel of jurors selects a winner from each country. Actor Val Kilmer was also one of this year's U.S. jurors.

As this year's U.S. winner, Marsalis received a monetary award that he has chosen to donate to Jazz at Lincoln Center, as well as a limited edition of this year's Montblanc Patron of Art Writing Instrument -- one of only 10 in the world -- specially designed and named for Alexander von Humboldt, the German naturalist and arts patron who supported many artists of his time. This year's other U.S. nominees were music impresario Quincy Jones and Martha Richards, who established the Fund for Women Artists.

"We are proud to honor all the nominees tonight for their efforts on behalf of the arts, and we congratulate Wynton Marsalis on being voted this year's Montblanc de la Culture Award winner," said Jan-Patrick Schmitz, President and CEO of Montblanc North America. "His commitment to improving people's lives through music, and his contributions to numerous arts endeavors, are closely aligned with Montblanc's core values - to support the arts and artists worldwide, thus nourishing the soul of civilization."

As part of the gala, an inspirational canvas was autographed by Wynton Marsalis and other invited guests, including Tribeca Film Festival co-founders Robert De Niro, Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal, Emmy Rossum, Salman Rushdie, Naomie Harris, Mort Zuckerman, Grace Hightower De Niro, Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosanne Cash and Lee Daniels. The canvas will be auctioned at a later date, with proceeds to benefit educational programs at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Savion Glover and Roy Haynes were the first to take center stage, surprising Marsalis. The two wowed the crowd with fancy footwork and dynamic rhythm in honor of Marsalis.

After Marsalis accepted the award, Terry Clark, Ellis Marsalis and Roy Haynes, along with jazz musicians Stantwan Kendricks and Mark McLaurine, played in an impromptu jam session that energized the crowd.

As an advocate, educator and cultural leader for music education, Marsalis regularly conducts master classes, lectures and concerts for students, including the popular Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz for Young People concerts that spawned the first-ever comprehensive jazz appreciation curriculum of the same name for grades 4-9. Marsalis' organization, Jazz at Lincoln Center, is dedicated to bringing jazz to a larger audience and, in doing so, produces nearly 1,000 performances and educational events each year. His educational endeavors also include the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival that has involved more than 3,500 bands in North America and Australia.

Montblanc

Established in 1906, Montblanc has built an unrivaled reputation for precision in design, materials and craftsmanship and today is one of the leading worldwide, diversified luxury brands owned by the Swiss holding company, Richemont. Throughout Montblanc's 100-year history, the company has been firmly committed to the advancement of art and culture worldwide. The Montblanc de la Culture Award is one of the company's many international arts initiatives. For more information about Montblanc, visit http://www.montblanc.com/.


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Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070503/NYTH132
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN11
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Montblanc

CONTACT: Helen Patrikis or Lori Gosset of Robert Marston And Associates,
Inc., +1-212-371-2200, for Montblanc

Web site: http://www.montblanc.com/


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