Sternbach Lends His Talents to CABARET
For Immediate Release July 27, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Gerald Sternbach, whose extensive performance credits include serving as an award-winning music director as well as an accompanist for the likes of Carol Burnett and Kelsey Grammar, will oversee the musical-revue-style production at the heart of this year's CABARET, the annual gala benefiting the Music Academy of the West's full-scholarship program. The event will take place at 5:30 pm Thursday, August 13, in the Plaza del Sol rotunda of Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort in Santa Barbara.
This year's CABARET will feature 23 talented young singers from the Music Academy's acclaimed Voice Program performing an array of popular songs from stage and screen, in addition to cocktails and a gourmet dinner. World-renowned mezzo-soprano and Music Academy Voice Program Director Marilyn Horne will be honored during the program.
"With this spectacular evening of musical entertainment we'll pay tribute to some of the most memorable melodies of the recent past and ensure that the Music Academy's full-scholarship program continues to support the most talented of today's up-and-coming classical music artists," said Scott Reed, vice president for Institutional Advancement at the Music Academy.
As resident music director of the company Reprise! Broadway's Best for six seasons, Mr. Sternbach earned nine LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award nominations (winning in 2006 for Zorba) in addition to six Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nominations (the organization honored him in 2007 and 2008) and two Garland Awards.
Mr. Sternbach made his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2005 as the onstage pianist for Stephen Sondheim's 75th Birthday Concert. His other credits include serving as associate conductor for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Merlin, and The Tap Dance Kid (all on Broadway), and conducting the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance starring Melissa Manchester. He has accompanied a wide variety of artists, from Marilyn Horne, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Henderson, and Carol Burnett to Adam Lambert, Nancy Wilson, Donna McKechnie, John Lithgow, Kelsey Grammar, and Jason Graae. Mr. Sternbach also served as onstage pianist for Carrie Fisher's one-woman show, Wishful Drinking, at the Geffen Playhouse, and has participated in numerous star-studded benefit events.
As a songwriter/composer Mr. Sternbach has contributed material to musicals including Heartbeats, The Gay '90s Musical – Looking Back ... Moving On, and Vampire Virgins from Venus, and has been featured in ASCAP Rising Songwriter Showcases on both coasts, Cabaret Conventions at New York's Town Hall, and at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill.
Stephen Singleton and Judith Getto are serving as co-chairs for this year's CABARET fundraiser, which is returning after a one-year hiatus. According to Mr. Reed, Mr. Singleton and Ms. Getto have brought a new level of creativity to planning for the event. "Both of these impressive individuals are well known in local philanthropic circles, and their efforts on behalf of this year's CABARET have been nothing less than outstanding," he said.
Corporate sponsors for CABARET include Thomas Bollay Architects; First Republic Bank; Frank Schipper Construction Co.; Fell, Marking, Abkin, Montgomery, Granet & Raney, LLP; Montecito Bank & Trust; PMSM Architects; and Urban Developments. Table sponsorships are available for $10,000 and $5,000; single tickets cost $300 each. All proceeds will benefit the Music Academy's full-scholarship program.
For more information, call (805) 695-7917.
As part of its 62nd Summer Festival, the Music Academy also will present an ambitious production of Ambroise Thomas' charming French Romantic opera Mignon, as well as a Baroque Evening with Nicholas McGegan and a season-ending concert featuring conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Academy Festival Orchestra. The Academy is presenting more than 190 events over the course of this year's Summer School and Festival, which began June 22 and concludes on August 15. Additional highlights will include a performance by Canadian Brass and a conducting turn by George Manahan. Featuring the Academy's exceptionally talented Fellows, together with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events are being presented at the Academy's scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
For information, call 969-8787. Information is also available online at www.musicacademy.org.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy began broadcasting live performances by the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
