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A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton

In attendance—and looking divine—were John Irving, Nelly Furtado, Audra McDonald, Margaret Atwood and many more

By Erin Hershberg| Photography by George Pimentel
 | May 1, 2023
A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Stylist to the stars Marc Andrew Smith with songbird Nelly Furtado and fine art photographer Aleksandar Antonijevic

The Ritz-Carlton was all sorts of fabulous last night as the pretty people rolled in for the 519 Gala to honour American Canadian novelist John Irving, a strong ally to the LGBTQ community. The money was raised to help provide counselling, refugee aid, food security and family care, among other resources, to Toronto’s growing LGBTQ community. Featuring a live performance by Broadway superstar Audra McDonald, it was a night of love, laughs and sass.

Related: Inside the star-studded opening of the Netflix Canada headquarters

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Writer Eva Everett Irving with proud papa John Irving

Related: John Irving on Trump, abortion, tattoos and everything else

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Kate and David Daniels with Kim Cattrall and partner Russell Thomas

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Philanthropist and patron of the arts Salah Bachir shares some kind words about 519

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Filmmaker Patricia Rozema and actor Emily Hampshire

 

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A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
No stranger to galas, Sylvia Mantella smiles for the camera

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Nightlife queen Tynomi Banks looking gorgeous

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Publicist Victoria Gormley with Juno Award–winning artist Billy Newton-Davis

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Fashion legend Nicholas Mellamphy with jazz master Molly Johnson

 

Laurent Bergeron with partner Kent Monkman
Laurent Bergeron with partner Kent Monkman

Related: Behind the scenes of Kent Monkman’s Being Legendary

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A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Margaret Atwood and Rick Mercer

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
The National Film Board’s J’net Ayayqwayaksheelth with OCADU dean Dori Tunstall

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
CTV’s Traci Melchor in a dazzling ensemble with a smile to match

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Paul Austin, Al Ramsay and Dalip Girdhar glitzing it up

 

A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
The evening featured powerhouse performances from Tony-winning Audra McDonald

 

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A look inside the fabulous 519 Gala at the Ritz-Carlton
Stylist-to-the-stars Marc Andrew Smith with songbird Nelly Furtado and fine-art photographer Aleksandar Antonijevic

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