Arts & Culture Magazine - January/February 2008 - (Page 76) Calendar : : 7th Annual Van Wezel Foundation Gala For an exciting cap to your Valentine’s Day, invite your sweetheart to see the fabulous Grammy-award winning R&B singer and songwriter Patti LaBelle perform live for the first time in Sarasota at the 7th Annual Van Wezel Foundation Gala on February 15. With hits ranging from girl group pop to space age funk to lush ballads, the awesome Miss LaBelle is musical dynamite! The celebratory evening will also include cocktails, a Michael’s on East catered dinner in the Grand Foyer, an auction of one-of-a-kind items, and a spectacular South Beach-style after-party. “We are honored to have the opportunity to invite an artist on the level of Patti LaBelle to Sarasota,” says Chris Pfahler, cochair with Veronica Brady of this year’s gala. LaBelle’s exclusive performance is the foundation’s special way of marking its 20th anniversary. Ticket sale proceeds will help fund the Van Wezel’s Schooltime Performance program, which has been threatened with elimination because of city-wide budget cuts. To save this nationally-acclaimed educational outreach program, the Foundation pledged a one million dollar grant to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, which will be distributed over four years, at $250,000 per year. 76 : : arts and culture magazine “We couldn’t stand by and watch this valuable program disappear,” says Rodger DeRose, president and CEO of the Foundation. “We feel certain that we can raise the monies needed to keep Schooltime Performances alive.” The Schooltime Performance program introduces artists and performances to nearly 40,000 students and educators from Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties every year. Other Foundation programs include master classes, artist workshops and residencies, lectures and demonstrations, and discounted tickets. The Gala begins with a dinner party at 5:15pm. Tickets range from $275, $500 and $750 for the entire gala; $75 in advance and $100 at the door for the concert only; $75 in advance and $100 at the door for the after-party only. Call Special Events Manager Jennifer Wilson at 941.366.5011 for tickets and further information. Visit www.vwfoundation.org to learn more about the Van Wezel Foundation. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is located at 777 North Tamiami Trail. Call 941.955.7676 or visit www.vanwezel.org for more information. Tamiami Trl. $45-$85, 8pm. A benefit concert for Asolo Repertory Theatre, come see the star of A Tale of Two Cities performing his favorite Broadway show tunes. Call 941.351.8000 or visit www.asolo. org for more information. Jan 18. The Flying Karamazov Brothers. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trl. $30$40, 8pm. The latest show from this amazing quartet of comedians, musicians and jugglers is “LIFE: A Guide for the Perplexed,” a Monty Pythonesque evening of entertainment guaranteed to thrill, delight, and even bring a tear to the eye. A $3 ticket surcharge will be applied to the performance ticket price. Call 941.955.7676 or visit www.vanwezel.org for more information. Jan 21. Joffrey Ballet: Cool Vibrations. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trl. $50-$55, 8pm. Three exciting works set to contemporary music: Deuce Coupe, Motown Suite and Sometimes It Snows in April. A $3 ticket surcharge will be applied to the performance ticket price. Call 941.955.7676 or visit www.vanwezel.org for more information. Jan 23. Joseph Heller’s Catch22. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trl. $40, Student/Teacher Rush $13 with valid ID; 8pm. The Aquila Theatre Company presents Joseph Heller’s own stage adaptation of his classic novel, centering on World War II bombardier Yossarian, who’s caught in a world of bureaucratic absurdity and irrational madness. A $3 ticket surcharge will be applied to the performance ticket price. Call 941.955.7676 or visit www.vanwezel.org for more information. Jan 25-27. Façade, Las Hermanas and Scottish Dances. Sarasota Ballet of Florida. FSU Center for Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trl. 2pm matinee, 8pm. The third program of the Sarasota Ballet features three ballets by three renowned choreographers. Sir Frederick Ashton’s Façade, a sophisticated and witty capturing of the 1920s. Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Las Hermanas is based on http://www.asolo.org http://www.asolo.org http://www.vanwezel.org http://www.vanwezel.org http://www.vanwezel.org http://www.vanwezel.org http://www.vwfoundation.org http://www.vanwezel.org
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