SHOWBIZ Magazine March 2024

VIOLINIST PAUL HUANG JOINS MEI-ANN CHEN AND THE ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM MUSIC FROM TAN DUN’S VIOLIN CONCERTO: FIRE RITUAL This year’s celebration marked the 24th anniversary of the Symphony’s signature event, which is an elegant celebration of the Lunar New Year, drawing upon vibrant Asian traditions, past and present. It is the most important holiday for many cultures in East, South, and Southeast Asia, and is celebrated by people of Asian descent worldwide. Delighting the audiences with her enthusiasm and sheer energy, Conductor Mei-Ann Chen and the Orchestra performed works by Asian composers. Brilliant virtuoso violinist, Paul Huang joined Chen and the Symphony to perform music from Tan Dun’s Violin Concerto: Fire Ritual. A standing ovation of rousing applause prompted him to perform an encore for the audience. Preconcert lobby…

Mid-February the Ballet announced a historic $60 million gift—the largest single gift ever given to the company and one of the largest gifts to an American Ballet Company. The gift is to ensure the organization’s capacity to create new works, acquire masterpieces, and bolster its vision of revolutionizing ballet. MERE MORTALS A Meditation on Artificial Intelligence Mere Mortals, San Francisco Ballet’s highly anticipated world premiere commission, is a reimagination of the Pandora and Prometheus myths inspired by the ethically complicated discovery and proliferation of artificial intelligence. Marking many “firsts” for the company, including its first full-length commission from a female choreographer (Aszure Barton), Mere Mortals has been brought to life by an international collective of artists across disciplines and performed by a 43-member cast. Performed in the heart of the…

I pressed the elevator button to the 14th floor. Unlike other designers’ showrooms, whose work samples are seen in the display window, Ehrran Montoya’s atelier only accepts appointments to see his gowns. The room was only 20 square meters, with the mannequins and big gowns on the side. Our primary source of light would be the transparent half-body window. After our short talk, he sat down and prepared to work on his table. He pulled out his sketch pad and opened a blank page. He then adjusted his table and chair to make room for the camera. I planned to film him doing an actual sketch of a gown. This was our second meeting in person. There was something genuinely electrifying about meeting someone face-to-face after having only interacted with…

Yet, beyond all that fame and glory, being surrounded by nature provides tranquility for Pat who believes in restoration to her spirit and rejuvenation of her being. “My childhood dream was to be peaceful in a garden and to hear the birds singing and to see the butterflies flying around the flowers. That was always my peaceful sanctuary,” she shares. One fateful day, while commuting on the subway, Pat caught the eye of an assistant to Vogue magazine’s fashion editor, who was captivated by her beauty, physique, and outfit. During that time, Pat was studying to be a fashion designer. After Vogue featured her story as a forthcoming designer, Ebony magazine reached out, inviting her to model for the Fashion Fair national runway tour. Embracing this opportunity, Pat set her…

Antonio Contreras Aviance, a visionary of film direction and production, traces his roots to the vibrant streets of cosmopolitan Mexico City. His formative years were steeped in the artistic ambiance of La Esmeralda School of Arts, where luminaries such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera once roamed. Immersed in this creative milieu, Contreras imbibed firsthand accounts from these legends and developed a profound love for Mexican cinema, along with an enduring admiration for the larger-than-life Mexican diva, Maria Felix. In the early ‘90s, Contreras embarked on a transformative journey to San Francisco, where he swiftly ingratiated himself into the city’s effervescent club culture and fashion scene. His artistic talents found expression in elaborate watercolor paintings, coveted by personalities within the culture and fashion world. A chance encounter with Spanish film…

Rosalina Tran Lydster is a Vietnamese American jewelry designer renowned for her exquisite creations and impeccable craftsmanship. With a background as a Wall Street investment banker, Rosalina made a bold career transition to pursue her passion for jewelry, establishing her couture line, Jewelry by Rosalina, in 2002. Born into a family of jewelers, Rosalina inherited her love for design from her mother, who dressed socialites and dignitaries in Saigon during the 1960s. In the 1970s, her family relocated to San Francisco, where Rosalina studied at San Francisco State University and The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, honing her skills and expanding her knowledge of the industry. In 2018, Rosalina expanded her endeavors, venturing into the world of media production as a co-executive producer for the docuseries TV show “House…