In an item titled "Sweet celebration," the New York Post's Page Six gossip column features this about Martha Stewart and her barihunk nephew Chris Herbert.

Martha Stewart certainly didn’t spend much time in the kitchen on New Year’s Eve. The domestic doyenne rang in the New Year with her nephew Chris Herbert, part of the acclaimed male singing quartet the New York Polyphony, Herbert’s partner Tim Long, and Stewart’s longtime friend Memrie Lewis. The group popped into Le Cirque in Midtown just before midnight for champagne and a crème brulée. Director Woody Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi, were also spotted at the restaurant.

Herbert's aforementioned group New York Polyphony will next appear on January 26 with the Miller Theatre's Early Music Series at New York City's Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. They then head off on tour to Massachusetts, North Carolina, California, Alberta, Virginia, Louisiana and Texas. Check out their full schedule at their website.

Chris Herbert and his Aunt Martha (taken from her wonderful blog)

Also, check out their amazing new album endBeginning, which was was recorded in the superb acoustics of the 14th century church of Länna, Sweden, and features rare and never-before recorded works from the Franco-Flemish Renaissance by composers Crecquillon, Brumel and Clemens non Papa.

New York Polyphony performs William Byrd's "Agnus Dei" on WQXR in New York:

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

NY POST: "Woman collapses during Nathan Gunn performance at Richard Branson's Halloween bash"

Let's face it, the most enjoyable news and gossip can be found in the New York Post's "Page Six" column. Imagine our delight when we opened the paper and saw the post-Halloween headline that screamed: "Woman collapses during Nathan Gunn performance at Richard Branson's Halloween bash"

Here's the actual piece that ran in the NY Post:

There was drama at Saturday's Halloween masked ball at Richard Branson and Robert Wojtowicz's Natirar estate when a well-dressed woman collapsed as baritone Nathan Gunn performed. Guests including Cornelia Guest and Matthew Settle gasped as a member of the New Jersey social club and spa at the estate fainted as Gunn performed a Schubert piece in German. The woman was revived, but paramedics were called as a precaution. Gunn told us: "The song had a Halloween theme, about death. I decided not to sing in German again after that. Luckily there were two doctors in the house. I hope she is OK." Other guests at the breast-cancer fund-raiser included Veronica Webb and Mary Alice Stephenson, who seemed disappointed that Queen Noor was "unexpectedly detained overseas," according to organizers. Branson also missed the bash after he decided to party on his private Necker Island in the Caribbean.