Category: BREAKING NEWS

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Prince Mario-Max Joins the Terry Lee Show

On Monday, May 11, 2026, at 2 p.m., a touch of royal polish meets the grounded warmth of independent broadcasting. H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe joins the Terry Lee Show as a special guest for a live-streamed conversation under the Real Life Times News Radio banner.

The Terry Lee Show has built its identity on something increasingly rare: direct, unhurried conversation. Faith, culture, public dialogue, and community-centered media form the program’s backbone, and its appeal lies in clarity — a host, a guest, a microphone, and an audience. That the show now travels across YouTube livestreams, internet radio via Zeno.FM, and the Byways and Hedges Facebook community only extends the reach of a format rooted in trust and consistency.

A guest of occasion

Prince Mario-Max brings a distinctive presence to the episode: royal styling, international media visibility, and long-standing philanthropic engagement. In the Terry Lee Show’s setting, that profile becomes part of a broader exchange about character, purpose, and how media connects people across backgrounds. The promotional artwork captures the balance — a formally attired guest beside a host in classic broadcast styling, confident and celebratory without stiffness.

It’s the kind of booking that defines a program’s range: community conversation one week, international cultural exchange the next, each handled with the same sincerity. Listeners can tune in through the show’s YouTube stream, Real Life Times News Radio on Zeno.FM, and the connected Facebook community — three doors into the same real-time conversation.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Vienna in Manhattan: The Schlesingers’ New Cultural Era

New York has welcomed many diplomatic couples. Few have arrived with the combined intellectual weight and artistic credibility of MMag. Thomas Schlesinger and Dr. Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger — and their growing presence, crowned by the reception inaugurating the debutantes and escorts of the historic 70th Viennese Opera Ball in New York, marks a genuinely refined new chapter for the city’s cultural life.

A diplomat and a scholar

Thomas Schlesinger came to New York after a distinguished career that included serving as Austria’s Ambassador to Nigeria and senior posts across Austria’s foreign ministry. As Austrian Consul General, he has made cultural exchange, institutional partnership, and deeper Austrian-American engagement his signature — the polished, accessible face of modern European diplomacy.

Beside him stands one of Austria’s most formidable cultural diplomats. Dr. Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger has directed the Austrian Cultural Forum New York since 2022, bringing to it more than three decades of bilateral and multilateral diplomacy — postings in Vienna, Paris, and New York, UN negotiations chaired on human rights, gender equality, and social development, and deep work in humanitarian affairs and refugee policy. What sets her apart in New York’s cultural world is rarer still: a PhD in musicology and literature from the University of Vienna and training as a concert pianist. She meets artists, curators, and scholars as a peer, not a patron.

The Forum’s outward turn

Under her direction, the Austrian Cultural Forum has grown more visible and more adventurous — exhibitions on architecture and modernism, interdisciplinary programming, musical performance, and collaborations with universities and museums across the country. The institution increasingly reads as a participant in the city’s creative discourse rather than a diplomatic outpost that happens to host art.

Seventy years of the Ball

The Viennese Opera Ball has long been New York’s grandest celebration of European culture — music, philanthropy, diplomacy, and social tradition in a single evening — and its 70th anniversary is a milestone. The Schlesingers have emerged as central figures in the celebration’s prestige and diplomatic weight, a natural fit for two careers built on the conviction that culture and diplomacy work best together. (Norah Lawlor handles PR for the Ball, underscoring its signature blend of charity and diplomacy.)

Together, the couple moves with ease between receptions, museum galas, concert halls, and academic conferences — European refinement worn lightly, substance underneath. In a city that rewards seriousness about the arts, they have helped restore warmth and accessibility to Austria’s presence while raising its intellectual profile. Vienna and New York have always been kindred crossroads; the Schlesingers are writing the relationship’s newest chapter.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Seventy Years of Splendor: The Viennese Opera Ball’s Best Night

Seventy years in, the Viennese Opera Ball in New York just had its finest night. On Friday, May 8, 2026, Cipriani 42nd Street filled with white tie, long gowns, and the particular electricity of a milestone — and by evening’s end, the verdict around the room was unanimous: of all seventy editions, this was the best.

The credit belongs to Ball President and Executive Director Silvia Frieser, whom the evening effectively coronated as the undisputed Queen of the Opera Ball. She orchestrates this vast charitable undertaking all year and makes it look effortless — a real-world superwoman, as the evening’s admirers put it. Beside her, Artistic Director Daniel Serafin curated a program of genuine operatic weight, while PR powerhouse Norah Lawlor made sure the night shone far beyond the ballroom: best cause, best music, best dance floor, best guests.

A triple anniversary

The 2026 Ball carried historic resonance beyond its own milestone. The evening commemorated 270 years of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart alongside the 250th anniversary of the United States — a cultural convergence of Austria and America — under the theme “A Magical Night, a Fairy Masquerade.” The whole affair unfolded under the gracious patronage of the Federal President of Austria, H.E. Alexander Van der Bellen.

Diplomatic gravitas was everywhere: Ambassador H.E. DDr. Petra Schneebauer, Consul General H.E. MMag. Thomas Schlesinger, and Dr. Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger of the Austrian Cultural Forum attended as shining representatives of the US-Austrian relationship. The Honorary Gala Chair was Vienna’s Governor and Mayor Michael Ludwig, with Jean Shafiroff as Gala Chair and Peter Thomas Roth as Vice Chair.

An evening of genuine artistry

The opening ceremony featured the Presentation of the Debutantes, choreographed by Sandra Stockmayer of Dancing School Svabek, with Roman Svabek and Stockmayer serving as masters of ceremony — and the Svabeks delighted the room with a mid-evening Broadway-style dance tribute to Austria and its balls, a Fred Astaire-and-Ginger-Rogers moment all its own. Officers of the United States Army presented the colors; the Viennese Opera Ball Orchestra performed under Maestro Rainer Sulzgruber.

The artistic centerpiece belonged to the voices. Guests of honor included soprano Angel Blue, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, soprano Hera Hyesang Park, tenor Adam Smith, and soprano Golda Zahra — each earning standing ovations in selections from Lehár’s Giuditta and Das Land des Lächelns, Puccini’s La Bohème and Tosca, and Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata. Principal dancer Liudmila Konovalova of the Vienna State Opera brought Viennese authenticity to the ballet program, set to the overture of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, K.588.

Philanthropy in white tie

Beneath the glamour runs a serious charitable engine. Across its history the Ball has supported Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation, Carnegie Hall, the Feed Foundation, the Central Park Conservancy, the United Nations Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, CARE, Special Olympics, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center — with the anniversary edition continuing that mission with exceptional force, supporting young musicians and emerging artists on both sides of the Atlantic.

The night closed as Viennese nights do: the Midnight Quadrille, Austrian late-night dining, and a ballroom transformed into an extension of Vienna itself. And a final note of remembrance — for the late legendary Harald Serafin, whose musical gifts live on in his son Daniel, who inherited all the talent and none of the complacency, working tirelessly to put magical moments into the world. Bravo, Silvia. Thank you, Daniel. Seventy years, and still ascending.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: N’Kenge Commands Times Square at the 2026 Music Will Benefit

The sixth floor of the Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, became the center of the music universe. On benefit night, N’Kenge — the reigning queen of the stage — took over as emcee and featured talent of the 2026 Music Will Benefit, presented by Gregory and Carolyn Hall, turning Times Square into a cathedral for music education.

Guests entered through a 6 p.m. red carpet reception into an evening where Broadway polish met genuine mission. Music Will, now in its twenty-third year, has reached some 1.8 million students across America with music instruction — and aims to impact 11 million students annually by 2029. CEO Mike Wasserman, described by N’Kenge and N’Kenge Foundation board member Anzhelika Steen-Olsen as a man on a mission for kids, has steered that remarkable growth.

A room full of legends

The honorees set the tone: legendary producer T Bone Burnett, whose influence spans generations of American music, and Bruce Eskowitz, recognized for leadership in cultural and philanthropic advancement. Honorary Benefit Chair Wyclef Jean brought global artistry and humanitarian perspective.

The talent roster read like a festival lineup: Maren Morris, Master P, Yola, Lachi, Nile Rodgers, Fabrice DuPont, Elvis Costello — musicians spanning genres and generations — alongside film world luminaries Joel Coen, Frances McDormand, Oscar Isaac, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and Elvira Lind. N’Kenge guided it all with elegance and authority, her commanding presence stitching performances, tributes, and fundraising moments into one flowing evening. Her talented singer daughter watched from the audience as the room rose in standing ovations.

The auction and the heart

The live auction delivered serious electricity: a private Concord Nashville Studios recording experience with a mastering session led by seven-time Grammy winner Paul Blakemore; a custom Gibson guitar package with factory tour and a luxury Nashville retreat for ten; and a private culinary experience with Chef Philippe Bertineau of Restaurant Daniel, Alain Ducasse, and The Polo Bar pedigree.

But the emotional center belonged to the student musicians. Their performances — direct evidence of what access to music education makes possible — grounded the glamour in purpose. In a room of icons, the kids reminded everyone why the icons had come.

Under the lights of Times Square, the 2026 Music Will Benefit became more than a fundraiser: a national statement about the value of music education and the shared responsibility to protect creative opportunity for the next generation. (To support the mission directly: musicwill.org/donate.)

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: The Waxman Luncheon: New York’s Premier Cancer Charity Event

The Samuel Waxman Institute for Aging & Cancer presented The Waxman Luncheon as one of the season’s defining philanthropic afternoons — an elegant gathering dedicated to advancing cancer research while celebrating the donors, supporters, and cultural figures who sustain the institute’s mission across New York society.

The Waxmans inspire genuine admiration: the kindest, most energetic team, all in service of a prime cause. And the caliber of the room was unmistakable — seeing dear friend Arlene Lazare, a friendship spanning two decades from Luigi and Liza through New York, LA, and Thanksgiving dinners, made clear this was an A-list affair. PR powerhouse Norah Lawlor pointed out the city’s most philanthropic, kind, and caring leaders — truly the charity luncheon of the year.

Honoring the supporters

The luncheon honored philanthropists Mary Slattery and Alexandra Adame, recognizing both women for their commitment to funding cancer research and their sustained support of the institute’s scientific and philanthropic work.

Luncheon chairs Marion N. Waxman, Susan Pernick, and Dina Koutroumanis led the afternoon, with co-chairs Erica Linden-Fineberg, Nancy Litman, and Helen Vaysman, and a committee including Sandy Ackerman, Jessica DiPalma, Orital Karelic, Norah Lawlor, Tali Mehdyzadeh, Lorri Scott, and Randi Schatz.

Runway meets research

A live fashion presentation of the Safiyaa Spring/Summer 2026 collection brought international luxury into the afternoon, pairing contemporary design with charitable purpose. The program’s visual identity — soft florals in blush pink, cream, lavender, burgundy, and deep plum — matched the refined, feminine elegance of the occasion.

Riverpark curated the culinary experience: burrata with asparagus, frisée, charred snap peas, fava beans, parmesan crisp, and green goddess dressing to start; mushroom-and-herb stuffed chicken breast with truffle mashed potatoes, spinach, peas, oyster mushrooms, and chicken jus for the entrée; and a choice of strawberry rhubarb mille feuille or espresso chocolate tart to finish.

Fundraising ran through a raffle — $125 a ticket, three for $350 — and a silent auction closing at 2:30 p.m., with support from donors including Jimmy Choo, Judith Leiber, Ralph Lauren, Alice + Olivia, Movado, the Metropolitan Opera, and jewelry sponsor Brilliant Stars. Special thanks extended to the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, the Mazursky Family Foundation, and the Waxman family circle itself. Fashion, fine dining, and fierce commitment to the science of curing cancer — New York charity at its very best.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Adele Nino’s Mandarin Oriental Luncheon Honors Dr. Lyda Lindell

Adele Nino hosted one of the season’s most elegant private gatherings at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City — a luxury VIP luncheon overlooking Central Park and Columbus Circle, welcoming Florida super doctor Dr. Lyda Lindell, CEO of UrBestNow, on her visit from Tampa. Small world: Dr. Lindell is a dear friend of longtime Tampa Bay friends Julie and Steve Weintraub of Gold and Diamond Source International.

The exclusive afternoon gathered royalty, philanthropy leaders, cultural figures, and celebrated guests in a setting of understated sophistication. Adele Nino impressed with her celebrated philanthropic vision and remarkable business sense — friends in the room described her as fabulous in unison, admiring her grace, leadership, and gift for uniting influential figures from multiple worlds.

A royal guest list

The luncheon honored Dr. Lindell with a personalized three-course prix fixe, the menu greeting her with “Welcome to NYC Dr. Lyda Lindell” — a thoughtful touch that set the tone under the direction of Executive Chef Sylvain Delpique.

Among the distinguished guests: HSH Princess Tina Radziwill, bringing European elegance and royal distinction; Silvia Frieser, CEO of the Viennese Opera Ball, recognized internationally for her cultural and philanthropic leadership; and Countess Di Palma with her daughter, celebrity actress Julianne Michelle, president of Mommy’s Heart charity, whose presence reflected the afternoon’s charitable spirit. H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe confirmed the gathering’s standing, describing it as definitely the luncheon of the year.

The Delpique menu

The culinary presentation matched the company. Starters included hamachi crudo with peppadew, cucumber, serrano chili, and bergamot dressing; an iceberg salad with Bayley Hazen blue cheese, pastrami bacon, confit tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and crispy shallots; and charred bell pepper romesco with ricotta, smoked paprika, Marcona almonds, mint, and pickled mustard. Mains ranged from roasted chicken with celery root, whipped potato, and lavender truffle jus to branzino with Swiss chard and olive-peppadew relish, pappardelle with lamb ragu and stracciatella, and vegan tofu masala with saffron basmati rice. Dessert closed the afternoon in style: baba au rhum with mango tartare and yuzu curd, classic New York cheesecake with confit lemon and morello cherry-balsamic sauce, and palet d’or with Mexican dark chocolate mousse and fleur de sel.

As conversations continued above Columbus Circle, the afternoon became a portrait of modern society entertaining at its highest level — elegant, intimate, charitable, and deeply personal. Adele Nino created exactly the kind of gathering that remains rare even in New York: influence, generosity, and hospitality coming together with complete natural ease.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Voices of Vienna: An Intimate Chelsea Concert for MSK

Some evenings prove that the most exclusive experiences in New York aren’t the biggest — they’re the most intimate. The Viennese Opera Ball’s Junior Committee hosted “Voices of Vienna,” a private charity recital in Chelsea that blended classical mastery with genuine philanthropic purpose in support of the MSK Food Program.

The invitation — warm gradient shifting from coral to gold, clean and contemporary — set the tone: tradition, thoughtfully modernized. The venue was a breathtaking Chelsea penthouse belonging to Jonathan De Peri, centered around a Carnegie Hall Grand Steinway. Doors opened at five; by six, a hand-selected audience in cocktail attire had settled into a room where every note would be heard with crystalline clarity.

Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven — up close

The repertoire drew from the foundations of Western music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven. Soprano Clara Regina Heupgen led the evening, her voice carrying immediacy and nuance through works that feel entirely different at arm’s length than from a concert hall’s back row. At the piano, Philip Huber provided structure and dialogue — the interplay between voice and keys sustaining the room’s attention from first phrase to last.

Emily Mohr, a celebrated A-list fixture of Manhattan, welcomed guests to the penthouse, and the Junior Committee’s curatorial hand was evident throughout: this was classical music presented as living culture, accessible and relevant, not museum-bound.

Music that feeds

The philanthropic mission was clearly defined. Ticket proceeds — structured as minimum donations, with donor options for those unable to attend — support the MSK Food Program, connected to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, providing nourishment to patients and their families. Artistry and social responsibility, in one room.

The concert also offered a preview of what PR powerhouse Norah Lawlor promised would be a splendid Viennese Opera Ball 2026 at Cipriani’s — and if the Junior Committee’s recital was any indication, that anticipation was well placed. (To support the Ball’s charitable work: vienneseoperaball.com.)

Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Victor dE Souza’s Beige and Black Tie Ball Marks a Triumphant First Year for Emanuel New York

Some anniversaries are parties. This one was a statement. On Friday, May 1, 2026, the flagship of Emanuel New York at 329 West 39th Street opened its doors for a Beige and Black Tie Ball honoring the fashion house’s first year — and the room looked exactly the way the invitation promised.

Guests arrived in strict beige and black, turning the store into a single composed image: soft neutrals against sharp dark lines, clothing and conversation moving in the same key. PR powerhouse Norah Lawlor, who handled communications for the prestigious house, had called it the best night in New York City. Walking in, it was easy to see why she said so.

A flagship that became a ballroom

The address mattered. Set in a Midtown corridor known for industry and quiet reinvention, the Emanuel New York store has spent its first year building a clientele that prizes measured elegance over noise. For the anniversary, the space — part atelier, part showroom — was reworked into a venue that never stopped being itself. Garments stayed in the room, not as static displays but as living parts of the evening’s story.

The invitation had set the tone weeks earlier: layered typography, tonal contrast, the name Emanuel New York cascading down a central axis. That same graphic discipline showed up in the room itself — lighting that revealed texture slowly, pathways that guided without corralling, music pitched to carry conversation rather than drown it.

An international nod

Among the guests was H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, whose presence gave the evening an international register. He congratulated designer Victor dE Souza personally, praising the clarity of vision that has defined the brand’s first twelve months.

dE Souza worked the room the way he designs — with control and warmth. Every detail, from the pacing of service to the placement of a single chair, felt considered. The early hours moved at a deliberate tempo; small clusters formed and re-formed, the shared understanding being that this night was about alignment, not spectacle.

What the first year proved

Emanuel New York grew the hard way: slowly, deliberately, foundation first. No rushed expansion, no loud pivots. The ball reflected that philosophy back at its guests — success presented as consistency rather than sudden impact.

As the night wore on, the composure held. There was no single showpiece moment, and that was the point. Guests left through a room that looked as intentional at midnight as it had at eight, carrying the sense that a brand can celebrate itself without raising its voice.

One year in, Emanuel New York has a voice of its own. On May 1, it used it beautifully.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: What Harrison Ford and Jason Segel Taught New York About Acting — and Life

The theater inside the Museum of Modern Art went quiet in the particular way New York rooms do when something real is about to happen. The occasion was a special Apple TV+ screening of Shrinking, followed by a conversation with its two anchors, Harrison Ford and Jason Segel — and an audience that understood exactly what it was witnessing.

Among the guests was H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, the SAG-AFTRA actor, voice artist, and television host whose own hundreds of recorded performance hours gave him a professional’s ear for the evening. The invitation from Apple TV+ had felt personal: here were two careers he has long admired, speaking plainly about the work.

Two masters, one craft

Ford brought the weight of decades — the measured confidence of someone who has navigated the public eye without losing his center. His reflections kept returning to discipline and consistency: show up, stay grounded, let the work speak. Segel answered with a different but complementary register, all curiosity and emotional honesty, making the case that vulnerability is not the opposite of strength in performance but its engine.

Together, on screen in Shrinking and in person that night, they modeled something rare: a creative partnership built on empathy and reflection rather than ego. The series itself — a story of connection, grief, and growth — landed differently in that room, with its themes echoing back from the stage.

A personal through line

For Prince Mario-Max, the evening carried an extra layer. He has crossed paths with Harrison Ford before, at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards and the private pre-receptions at The Proud Bird hosted by Jerry and Laurie Lips. Aviation is a genuine passion of his, and those encounters built a familiarity that made the MoMA evening feel like a continuation rather than a first meeting — Los Angeles tarmacs one year, a Manhattan theater the next.

As the discussion turned to resilience, neither actor offered slogans. The lessons arrived as reflections shaped by experience: keep your humility, keep learning, keep your feet on the ground no matter how high the credits climb. The audience — performers, writers, people who make things — recognized the authenticity instantly.

After the credits

The night closed at one of New York’s fine Italian restaurants, where the conversation loosened but never thinned. Talk moved between performance and aviation, craft and curiosity, with Prince Mario-Max happily bridging both worlds.

It was, by every measure, more than a premiere. It was a reminder that the best storytelling — on screen or off — still comes down to honesty, discipline, and the courage to stay human in front of an audience.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe Receives Certificate of Recognition from the Town of North Hempstead

Inside a deep green presentation folder, sealed in gold, the Town of North Hempstead put its gratitude in writing. Dated April 21, 2026, the town’s Certificate of Recognition, Achievement and Appreciation honors H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe for his visit and his organizational efforts in support of Espoir Youth Programs Inc.

The document is composed with old-school municipal dignity: formal serif type, balanced margins, the town seal embossed behind the text with Nassau County’s 1784 insignia. Prince Mario-Max’s name anchors the page in bold — the unmistakable focal point of the honor.

Signed by the town’s leadership

Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena signed the certificate in blue ink, lending the formality a personal endorsement. The full civic roster stands behind it: council members Robert J. Troiano, Jr., Edward Scott, Dennis J. Walsh, Christine Liu, Yaron Levy, and Mariann Dalimonte, along with Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava and Receiver of Taxes Mary Jo Collins.

That collective signature matters. This was not one official’s gesture but a coordinated acknowledgment by the town’s entire leadership — the kind of consensus that gives a civic honor its weight.

Heritage meets community

The recognition captures something characteristic of modern public life: a European prince honored by a Long Island town for work with a youth organization. Geography no longer limits participation, and a local government saw fit to say so on parchment.

For Prince Mario-Max, the certificate joins a growing record of cultural and philanthropic engagements. For North Hempstead, it affirms a simple civic instinct — that contributions to young people deserve to be named, framed, and kept.

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Originally published on Times Square Chronicles.