Fashion Duo MARCHESA to be featured at 2011 Symphony Spring Fashion Show on April 26, 2011

July 26, 2010

High-end fashion label Marchesa, co-founded by British designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, will team with Naples-based boutique Marissa Collections to present the 2011 Symphony Spring Fashion Show on April 26, 2011. Hosted by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra League at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the show will feature the New York-based designers' 2011 Fall Collection.

Incoming Symphony Orchestra League Board President Sadhna Williams is pleased to announce that Janet Bentz and Johnna Watson will chair the 2011 event. ABC News Correspondent Deborah Roberts, a reporter on 20/20 and substitute news anchor for Good Morning America, will emcee the event. Roberts, who resides in Manhattan with husband Al Roker, has attended previous Nashville Symphony fashion shows as a guest.

"We couldn't be more excited about having Marchesa come to Nashville next year, and I can't think of a better place to showcase their unique, elegant designs than the beautiful Schermerhorn Symphony Center," co-chair Johnna Watson said. "This only continues the string of world-class designers hosted at the Symphony Spring Fashion Show and further establishes it as one of the social events in the region," Bentz added.

To help kick off the 2011 Fashion Show announcement, Jay Hartington, whose family owns Marissa Collections, visited the Nashville Symphony offices on Tuesday, June 22, to begin planning pre-Fashion Show events and the 2011 Fashion Show. (See attached photo)

Marchesa co-founders Chapman and Craig met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London and subsequently established the Marchesa label in 2004. Their unique designs have gone on to garner international acclaim – in 2006, the label was named one of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund's top ten finalists – and can be spotted at red carpet events in Hollywood and around the world. Their designs have been worn by such stars as Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Eva Longoria and Halle Berry.

All proceeds from the Symphony Spring Fashion Show go to the Nashville Symphony and the Thor Johnson Scholarship Fund, which provides educational opportunities for talented young musicians in Middle Tennessee. For more information about the show, please contact Stacie Taylor, Director of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra League, at 615.748.4778 or at [email protected].

The Nashville Symphony Orchestra League is a membership-driven organization that supports the Nashville Symphony by organizing and training volunteers for a variety of tasks critical to the Symphony and its operations at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Membership benefits include discounts on symphony tickets, invitations to Orchestra League social functions, and a bimonthly Nashville Symphony newsletter, among other benefits. For more information about membership, please visit NashvilleSymphony.org.

For more information on Marchesa, please visit http://www.marchesa.com. For more information on Marissa Collections, please visit http://www.marissacollections.com.