Luxury Leader LVMH & American Composers Orchestra Announce National Call for Scores to Create Original Orchestral Music Inspired by the Theme "A Greener New York City”

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the global leader in luxury goods, and American Composers Orchestra (ACO) announced that they are jointly launching a competition for the creation of a new orchestral work by an American composer.

At a press conference today, Renaud Dutreil, Chairman of LVMH Inc. in North America, unveiled the theme and guidelines for the unique commission, which will come from a national call for an original orchestral work based on the theme: "A Greener New York City.”

Dutreil said, "LVMH has a long history of commitment to fostering creative passion and exalting artistic endeavor. We are thrilled to work with American Composers Orchestra to enable talented, emerging American composers to launch and excel in their careers. The new commission we announced today reflects both LVMH’s focus on supporting the next generation of artists, as well as our deep dedication to promoting environmental sustainability. The composer we are looking for will demonstrate highly developed skill in composition and effectively communicate an original vision of what "A Greener New York City” sounds like. The winning orchestral piece will anticipate a brighter, more sustainable, greener world and promote a green consciousness as well as the Art de Vivre.”

Submissions for the commission are due January 15, 2010 and the winning composer will be announced in March 2010. Their work will be premiered by ACO later in the year. [More information about the guidelines and call for proposals is available at www.americancomposers.org/greenernyc/]

This commission marks the second phase of the partnership that LVMH and ACO entered into earlier this year to promote the creation of and to premiere new musical works for orchestra. The first commissionee of the LVMH-ACO partnership is Erin Gee, an award-winning, young composer and vocalist, whose new work will premiere at ACO’s season-opening concert at 7:30 pm on Monday, November 30 at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall (57th St. and 7th Ave.) At today’s press conference, Gee gave a preview of her new work Mouthpiece XIII – Mathilde of Loci, Part 1, a concert-opera narrating the mysterious final moments of a fictional scholar of memory.

ACO’s Artistic Director Robert Beaser said: "Art in all its mediums springs from a similar source, the passion and vision of an individual responding to the whole of the world. There is an essential bond between fashion, visual arts, music and media, based on creativity and innovation. One art medium alone cannot survive in a vacuum but must readily respond and develop with all the others. LVMH shares this vision and belief that art creates a better life for all and at ACO, it is our extreme pleasure to be the first Music Arts partner of LVMH’s sponsorship commitment in America.”

Dutreil added, "Under the leadership of our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault, LVMH is deeply dedicated to corporate and social responsibility initiatives. Earlier this year, our Bike in Style Challenge in collaboration with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the Fashion Institute of Technology represented the beginning of our environmental efforts in the U.S. This partnership with ACO is another opportunity for LVMH to encourage environmental consciousness while expanding our commitment to support creative ingenuity and innovation in the arts. This marks the first time a leading luxury group has supported the creation of an original musical composition in America. We consider it a great privilege and honor to support artists as they begin their careers, and I believe this commission will offer an exceptional opportunity for musical artists to express and further develop the full scope of their talent.”

(See attached Fact Sheet on LVMH’s environmental initiatives and support of new talent.)

About LVMH

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is the world's leading luxury goods group. The Group is represented in Wines and Spirits by a portfolio of brands that includes Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Krug, Ruinart, Château d'Yquem, Hennessy, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Belvedere Vodka, Chopin, 10 Cane, Chandon, Cloudy Bay, Terrazas de los Andes, Cheval des Andes, Green Point, Cape Mentelle, Newton. Its Fashion and Leather Goods division includes Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury brand, as well as Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Givenchy, Thomas Pink, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Berluti, StefanoBi as well as eLUXURY, the authoritative online source for luxury goods on the Internet. LVMH is present in the Perfumes and Cosmetics sector with Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, Parfums Kenzo, Perfumes Loewe as well as other promising cosmetic companies (BeneFit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Acqua di Parma and Fresh). LVMH is also active in selective retailing through DFS, Sephora in Europe and the United States, Le Bon Marché and la Samaritaine. LVMH's Watches and Jewelry division comprises TAG Heuer, Chaumet, Christian Dior Watches, Zenith, Fred, Hublot and De Beers Diamond Jewellers Limited, a joint venture created with the world’s leading diamond group.

About ACO

Now entering its 33rd year, American Composers Orchestra is the only orchestra in the world dedicated to the creation, performance, preservation, and promulgation of music by American composers. ACO makes the creation of new opportunities for American composers and new American orchestral music its central purpose. ACO also serves as an incubator of ideas, research, and talent, as a catalyst for growth and change among orchestras, and as an advocate for American composers and their music. To date, ACO has performed music by more than 600 American composers, including 200 world premieres and newly commissioned works. Through its concerts at Carnegie Hall and other venues, recordings, radio broadcasts, educational programs, New Music Readings, and commissions, ACO identifies today’s brightest emerging composers, champions established composers as well as those lesser-known, and increases awareness of the infinite variety of American orchestral music. Among the honors ACO has received are special awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and from BMI recognizing the orchestra’s outstanding contribution to American music. ASCAP has awarded its annual prize for adventurous programming to ACO 32 times, singling out ACO as "the orchestra that has done the most for new American music in the United States,” including the 2008 ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming. ACO received the inaugural METLife Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, and a proclamation from the New York City Council. ACO recordings are available on ARGO, CRI, ECM, Point, Phoenix USA, MusicMasters, Nonesuch, Tzadik, and New World Records, and online at InstantEncore.com.

About Erin Gee

Erin Gee's music defies a simple description. Often, an impression of ephemeral, fragile poetry is formed from the gossamer-quality of the work, which continually aspires to plumb the possibilities of the human voice, while also serving as the inspirational source for contemplating new instrumental sounds.

- Kultur Steiermark

This is composer Erin Gee’s first professional orchestral commission. Her musical output has largely revolved around unique, fascinating vocal experiments. Gee’s new piece, entitled Mouthpiece XIII: Mathilde of Loci, Part 1, will meld video art created by her brother, Colin Gee (an accomplished movement artist and actor, who will also perform onstage during the concert), her electronically processed voice, and vivid orchestral colors. Mouthpiece XIII: Mathilde of Loci, Part 1 is inspired by a fictionalized account of the life of Matteo Ricci, proponent of the Memory Palace or the Method of Loci, a mnemonic technique. Gee, who is American, currently lives in Austria where she completed her Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Music and Dramatic Arts Graz in 2007. Gee’s awards for composition include the Teatro Minimo first round prize from the Zürich Opera House, the International Rostrum of Composers Award, the Samuel Barber Rome Prize, the Impuls award, the Gianni Bergamo Prize, and a CAP award from the American Music Center. She has worked with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Vokalensemble Zürich, the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the Latvian Radio Chamber Choir, and Klangforum Wien among others. Link to video about Erin Gee and Colin Gee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u41XRV1gYqA

For more information

American Composers Orchestra: www.americancomposers.org
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton: www.lvmh.com
Composer Erin Gee: www.erin-gee.com
High resolution photos: www.christinajensenpr.com (ACO’s gallery)

FACT SHEET:

LVMH’S SUPPORT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING THE TALENT OF EMERGING ARTISTS

"Tradition cannot be separated from innovation, nor nature from creation”, said Bernard Arnault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton

For LVMH, environmental protection and sustainability is not just about generosity or philanthropy; it is critical to the world’s future and an integral part of the way the Group does business.

Since the creation of its Environment Department in 1992, LVMH has devoted significant resources to limiting its activities’ impact on the environment, as well as aligning itself with global best practices. Its Environmental Charter was drafted in 2001 and outlines five major principles to which the Chairman of each division must commit. LVMH signed the Global Compact in 2003 and has supported the Objectives for the Millennium since August 2007.

In 2002, LVMH decided to put emphasis on the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GES) emissions. Since then, it has worked to evaluate the GES emissions related to each of its brands’ activities and identify the actions that needed to be taken to reduce them. For example, instead of air transportation, Louis Vuitton now uses maritime transportation for 60% of its leather goods sent from France to Japan. Other Louis Vuitton initiatives include supporting major organizations that fight Global Warming: last year, the brand featured celebrities such as Catherine Deneuve, André Agassi, Steffi Graf and Mikhail Gorbachev in an advertising campaign benefiting Al Gore's Climate Project.

To educate the leaders of tomorrow, LVMH regularly presents programs explaining how the Group supports environmental protection in major universities and business schools.

In April 2007, Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a groundbreaking plan to make New York the world’s cleanest, healthiest city and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030. For the last two years, the City of New York has made tremendous efforts in developing and promoting eco-friendly transportation within New York City. As the leader and pioneer of the luxury industry with a long-standing commitment to environmental protection, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton wants to be at the forefront of the green revolution in New York City. Both the "Bike in Style Challenge,” a contest for students at the Fashion Institute of Technology to design stylish bikewear in order to promote eco-friendly, bicycle commuting, and the Group’s support of the City’s Summer Streets 2009 mark a significant first step in this effort, which is continuing with the commission it just announced with American Composers Orchestra (ACO) for a new orchestral work based on the theme "A Greener New York City.”

In addition to being committed in the protection of the environment, LVMH fervently supports young talent -- from elementary school to college students, emerging artists and designers. Since the early 90s, students from all over the world have been able to benefit from various educational programs conceived, initiated and carried out by the Group (LVMH Young Artists' Award, the Young Virtuoso’s Concerts, Art Discovery classes…) Again, "Bike in Style” and its partnership with ACO are a reflection of LVMH’s focus on supporting the next generation of artistic endeavor.

For more information about LVMH’s work in these areas, please visit www.lvmh.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6101657&lang=en