Picket of Gotham Org. chairs TOC's annual benefit - November 10

Rock legend Lou Reed, New York's first public advocate Mark Green and Mayor Cory Booker as well as Ben Jelen, Yannick Noah and Dominic Chianese attended Ten O'Clock Classics' (TOC) sixth annual charity gala on November 10 at the Union Square Ballroom. Other special guests included Silvercup Studio's president Stuart Match Suna and David Picket, president of Gotham Organization, Inc. and TOC's chairman. TOC raised in excess of $200,000 auctioning off items such as a Justin Timberlake autographed piano and two Lou Reed autographed guitars. The evening included much anticipated performances: Ben Jelen and twenty children from Mount Carmel Holy Rosary School in East Harlem performed Coldplay's Viva La Vida; 12-year-old prodigy violinist Alice Ivy-Pemberton brought the event's guests to tears with her performance of Fritz Kreisler's Prelude and Allegro; French tennis star Yannick Noah sang La Bombe Humaine; and world renowned opera singer Ailyn Perez performed Puccini's Ch'il bel sogno. Additionally, proceeds from paintings sold by celebrated Hampton's based-artist Michelle Suna, displayed throughout the event space, went to TOC. Ten O'Clock Classics is a non-profit group seeking to eliminate the financial barriers that keep talented, underprivileged children in New York City from fully realizing their artistic potential by providing them with the resources needed to study classical music. Their annual gala raises funds for their programs and allows TOC to provide many services free of charge, such as music lessons taught by graduates of the Juilliard School, instruments for home practice, educational outings to concerts at venues such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and outreach concerts for large groups of children at public schools.