Herb Alpert & Lani Hall will perform a benefit concert in honor of P.S. ARTS on September the 10th at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica.
In celebration of P.S. ARTS’ 25th anniversary, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall will perform their eclectic blend of jazz, world, and American pop standards during an hour-long concert to benefit P.S. ARTS, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to improving children’s lives through arts education. A courtyard reception with light refreshments will follow the concert.
SANTA MONICA, CA (PRWEB)
In 1991, Dr. Paul Cummins, visionary educator, author, and founder of Crossroads School for the Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, was on his way to the kitchen during a potluck dinner and literally bumped into a man that he had never met but looked quite familiar — famed musician Herb Alpert. They began a conversation, which has become P.S. ARTS folklore: Paul decried the lack of arts education at local schools he had recently visited. Herb’s response was, “You mean the arts are just gone from these public schools? What if I gave you a grant?” And thus, the program that would eventually be known as P.S. ARTS was piloted at Broadway Elementary School.
Over the last two and a half decades, P.S. ARTS has grown from a grassroots organization serving 250 students to a nationally recognized and award-winning nonprofit serving 25,000 students every week in Los Angeles County and California’s Central Valley. The Herb Alpert Foundation continues to be a sustaining partner of P.S. ARTS’ programs.
About P.S. ARTS
P.S. ARTS’ mission is to improve the lives of children by providing arts education to underserved public schools and communities. It is the only organization in Southern and Central California that provides yearlong arts education in dance, music, theater, and visual arts to every child in a school during the regular school day. P.S. ARTS serves 25,000 students each week in 57 public schools and 13 partner school districts. This school year marks P.S. ARTS’ 25th Anniversary. Learn more at http://www.psarts.org
About Herb Alpert and Lani Hall
Creator and innovator, musician and producer, artist, and philanthropist, Herb Alpert is a man with a profound passion. A legendary trumpet player, Alpert’s extraordinary musicianship has earned him five #1 hits, nine GRAMMY® Awards, fifteen Gold albums, and fourteen Platinum albums; he has sold over 72 million records. Born in Los Angeles, the future trumpeter came of age in a house filled with music. At the age of eight, he was drawn to the trumpet in a music appreciation class in his elementary school.
“I was very fortunate that I had that exposure to music and was encouraged to stick with it. Years ago, when the arts programs were cut out of our public schools, so many kids stopped having that kind of opportunity.”
With his desire to bring the arts back to young people, the Herb Alpert Foundation is helping to change the educational environment. The Herb Alpert Foundation supports a number of educational, arts, and compassion-oriented programs dedicated to serving young people by helping them reach their potential and lead productive, fulfilling lives and supporting their unique creative energies and special talents.
Grammy Award-winning vocalist and producer, Lani Hall started her singing career in 1966 as the lead singer of Sergio Mendes’s break through group, Brasil ’66. She left behind her city roots in Chicago and, for 5 years, performed throughout the world. While Lani’s singing career took her on the road, she also focused on her writing — committing to the page her personal impressions of the world around her. Sergio Mendes further expanded her writing career by asking Lani to write the English lyrics for many of the band’s Brazilian songs.
About the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School
Completed in February 2013, the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater located in The Herb Alpert Educational Village at, 3131 Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica, is a state-of-the-art, 341-seat professional performance space with acoustics designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, acoustician for The Music Center’s Disney Hall. The Moss serves as the home for New Roads School’s vibrant performing arts programs and as a resource to the entire community. Learn more at mosstheater.com and newroads.org