Music Academy Names CABARET Co-Chairs
For Immediate Release June 2, 2009
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Stephen Singleton and Judith Getto will serve as co-chairs for this year's CABARET gala fundraiser benefiting the Music Academy of the West. Featuring cocktails, a gourmet dinner, a live auction, and a performance of popular repertoire by Academy Voice Fellows, the event will take place at 5:30 pm Thursday, August 13, at Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort. This is the first year that Ms. Getto and Mr. Singleton have participated in planning for CABARET, an annual favorite among local philanthropists and one of the most anticipated benefits of the year.
A longtime community volunteer and fundraiser, Stephen Singleton has been a Santa Barbara resident for 30 years. He established a catering and event planning business in 1980 before opening the well-received restaurant Acacia in the early 1990s as a managing partner. Mr. Singleton currently is a partner at Christopher Teasley Interior Design, and actively participates in the Music Academy's Compeer and Relationship Management programs.
Judith Getto has a long history of community involvement in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. She has served on boards and chaired fundraising efforts for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco, and various schools and community youth programs in Harlem. As an educator, Ms. Getto taught, developed curriculum, supervised teachers, and served as the Bay Area coordinator for Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth.
Gerald Sternbach, whose extensive performance credits include serving as accompanist for the likes of Carol Burnett, Donna McKechnie, John Lithgow, and Kelsey Grammar, will oversee this year's CABARET musical production. The event will honor renowned mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, director of the Music Academy's acclaimed Voice Program. Organizers will also recognize past CABARET chairwomen Margo Barbakow, Judy Bartholomew, Carole Halsted, Nancy Hunter, Stanya Owen, Joan Selwyn, Diane Sullivan, and Mary Williams.
Early corporate sponsors for CABARET include Thomas Bollay Architects, Frank Schipper Construction Co., Fell, Marking, Abkin, Montgomery, Granet & Raney, LLP, and Phillips Metsch Sweeney Moore Architects. Table sponsorships are available for $10,000 and $5,000. Limited single tickets cost $300 each.
For ticket pricing, sponsorship opportunities, and related information, call 695-7917.
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.
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