Encore Gala Raises Over $1.3 million for BCMP

On Saturday, October 25, 2008, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, more than 800 guests were on hand for Berklee College of Music’s 14th Annual Encore Gala, which raised an unprecedented sum for the Berklee City Music Program (BCMP).
January 1, 2009

The Berklee West African Drum and Dance Ensemble led a procession at the start of the festivities.

Phil Farnsworth

From the left: Javier Rosario, Latoria Boyd, Apollo Payton, and Jessica Johnson of the 13-piece Berklee City Music SYSTEM 5 Ensemble that performed in the City Music room.

Phil Farnsworth

From the left: John Connaughton, Roger Brown, and Steve Barnes. Connaughton and Barnes represent Bain Capital, the principal lead sponsor of the Encore Gala.

Phil Farnsworth

From the left: Bill Holodnak, Roger Brown, Luis Alvarez, and Encore Gala cochair Elliott Hillback.

Phil Farnsworth

Paula Cole ’90 was the featured performer for the Berklee Showcase.

Phil Farnsworth

In the Starlight Finale, Elisabeth Withers ’94 took the spotlight.

Phil Farnsworth

On Saturday, October 25, 2008, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, more than 800 guests were on hand for Berklee College of Music’s 14th Annual Encore Gala, which raised an unprecedented sum for the Berklee City Music Program (BCMP). The program is a strategic initiative to engage musically talented sixth- through 12th-graders in a yearlong music education program.

Despite the economic downturn, this year the event raised more than $1.3 million—a record amount for the Encore Gala. Partygoers dined and danced to the sounds of more than 150 faculty, alumni, and student musicians performing Latin jazz, rock, reggae, big band, world, r&b, bluegrass, hip-hop, and world music. Special-guest performers included two celebrated Berklee alumnae; Grammy Award–winning vocalist Paula Cole ’90 and Tony Award nominee Elisabeth Withers ’94, and Emarcy Records artist, guitarist Julian Lage. The Berklee City Music SYSTEM 5 (or Summer Youth Scholarship for Excellence in Music) Ensemble—featuring program participants from Dorchester, Roxbury, South Boston, Hyde Park, and areas of Boston—also performed.

The live and silent auctions offered great prizes, including special Red Sox ticket packages; trips to the Panama Jazz Festival and the Heineken JazzFest in Puerto Rico, and the annual Grammy and American Music awards broadcasts; an opportunity to attend a scoring session for The Simpsons; and an array of outstanding musical equipment.

The Encore Gala was sponsored by Bain Capital Children’s Charity. The event’s colead sponsors were Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Fidelity Investments, and Subaru of New England. Gala cochairs included Teresa Koster and Berklee trustees Elliott Hillback and Carmichael Roberts.

BCMP is a life-changing experience that has benefited thousands of talented teens and helped them jump-start their education by incorporating the excitement of college during their middle-school and high-school years. Since its inception in 1992, BCMP has provided thousands of inner-city teens with access to a free music education. The program offers high-quality music instruction and mentoring to underserved students from Boston and other Berklee City Music Network sites across the country. BCMP components include a Saturday preparatory program, summer study, and full-tuition scholarships to earn bachelor of music degrees at Berklee. For information on donating to BCMP, visit www.berklee.edu/giving.

This article appeared in our alumni magazine, Berklee Today Winter 2009. Learn more about Berklee Today.
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