Grey Partners With Yoko Ono In Music Seminar At Cannes

NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Grey New York announced today that its fourth annual Music Seminar with Living Legends will feature Yoko Ono on Friday, June 25, at the Debussy. The 2010 Cannes event follows three years of high popularity for the Grey music seminar with legends Stevie Van Zandt in 2009, Tony Bennett in 2008, and John Legend and Donavan in 2007.

Yoko Ono is multimedia artist who constantly challenges the traditional boundaries of art, known for her groundbreaking conceptual and performance pieces, experimental films and music.

In Grey's annual seminar on music and its place in marketing communications, Yoko Ono will discuss today's music scene and the impact on brands and bands, her own adventurous music and performance art created over a high-profile lifetime, perhaps never as critically appreciated as it is today, and her extraordinary life with John Lennon and raising her musician son Sean Lennon.  

Yoko will be interviewed by Tim Mellors, Worldwide Creative Director of Grey Group, and introduced by Josh Rabinowitz, Director of Music, Grey New York.

"Yoko Ono needs no introduction to anyone touched by the music scene for more than 40 years," said Mellors, former President of the Cannes Festival and multiple Cannes Lion winner. "Her marriage to and influence on John Lennon is legendary.  The famous 'bed in' in Amsterdam, and the interview from inside a bag were direct extensions of Yoko's early art happenings in the Fluxus group.  Her deep knowledge of the alternative music scene and people like John Cage, the founder of Fluxus, are seldom given the credit due for their influence on Lennon's solo career."

About music's relevance to advertising, Josh Rabinowitz, who is also an adjunct professor at The New School said, "Advertising is a new form of the music label. The most popular song in America, as well as around the world, is as likely to come out of a brand's advertising as it is from a record. It is a brave new world for musicians and Yoko Ono, who packs the room at 77 and won MOJO magazine's 2009 Lifetime Achievement  Award, has braved new frontiers over her entire life. She will no doubt provide a unique perspective on sustaining a brand both for musicians and marketers."  

About Grey

Grey Group, famously effective since 1917, ranks among the largest global communications companies.  Its parent company is WPP (Nasdaq: WPPGY).  Grey Group's total offering includes Grey, one of the largest global advertising agency networks; G2, its global activation marketing network; healthcare communications; media planning and buying and public relations.  Grey New York's client roster includes many of the world's best known companies;  Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, BAT, Diageo, Darden Restaurants, Wyeth, Canon, 3M, Eli Lilly, Dairy Queen and ETrade. Grey New York is the flagship and largest office of Grey.

About the 57th International Advertising Festival June 20-26 20010 in Cannes, France.

The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is the world's biggest celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international advertising awards, more than 22,500 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winners receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, presented at four award ceremonies throughout the week.

The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. Over 6,000 delegates from 90 countries attend seven days of workshops, exhibitions, screenings, master classes and high-profile seminars by the likes of Sir Martin Sorrell, Bob Greenberg, Kofi Annan, Steve Ballmer, Biz Stone, Maurice Levy, Bob Geldof, Mark Tutssel and Tham Khai Meng.

The networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communication.

About Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono is a multi-media artist who constantly challenges the traditional boundaries of art, known for her groundbreaking conceptual art, instructional arts, performance arts experimental films and music. Yoko was born in Tokyo in l933. 1952 Studied in Gakushuin University, 1953 to 1957 studied at Sarah Lawrence College. In NYC, 1960 to 1961 presented avant-garde events and concert series in her loft in Chambers Street with La Monte Young. 1961, Met George Maciunas and became a seminal member of Fluxus.  In 1962, Yoko returned to Japan to present her  one-woman exhibition at the Sogetsu Art Center, in Tokyo. That same year, performed a concert tour with Toshi Ichiyanagi, David Tudor and John Cage. In l964 she published her book, "Grapefruit: a Book of Instructions," in Tokyo. The same year presented her now legendary performance art, "Cut Piece," for the first time in Kyoto and then Tokyo. In 1964 Yoko returned to NYC and in 1965 performed "Cut PIece" at the Carnegie Recital Hall. 1966 was a turning point for Yoko when she moved to London and  had a one-woman show in Indica Gallery. 1967 was a full year with a one-woman show at  Lisson Gallery , filmmaking - the controversial Bottoms Film (Film No. 4) and a performance  in Knokke Film Festival in Belgium. 1968, Yoko performed her music works in Paris and in Albert Hall in London with Ornette Coleman. In 1969, married John Lennon and formed The Plastic Ono Band.

Selected exhibitions include:

1971, "This Is Not Here"  solo exhibition,  Everson Museum of Art, New York; 1989, "The Bronze Age" solo exhibition Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; 1990,  "Fumie" solo exhibition,  Sogetsu Museum of Art ,Tokyo; 1993, Venice Biennale; 1997, "Have You Seen the Horizon Lately" solo exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, UK-toured to  Europe;  2000, "Yes Yoko Ono" solo exhibition, Japan Society, New York-toured to Europe and Asia; 2003 Venice Biennale;  2007, Moscow Biennale;  2008, "Between the Sky and My Head" solo exhibition, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany, and  Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art , Gateshead, UK. 2009, Anton's Memory, Venice Biennale.

SOURCE Grey