Next Friday evening, October 7, the Musical Arts Institute along with the Board of Directors will host their 4th Annual Gala Benefit Dinner and Concert at the beautiful Tinley Park Convention Center in Tinley Park, Ill. Beginning at 6:00 p.m. the Dinner and Awards ceremony will feature wonderful entertainment highlighting the talents of the gifted students while honoring three distinguished community leaders; Rev. Otis Moss, Emmett Vaugh and Harold (Chip) Johnson.
It will be an evening of elegant soul, jazz, R&B, and Gospel music featuring Grammy Award winning vocalist and pianist, Kevin Whalum. The Musical Arts Institute was elated when Whalum consented to be the headliner for the 4th Annual Gala Benefit Dinner and Concert. Tickets are $125 each with table sponsorship available to this semi-formal event.
Without question he is one of the national treasures and a bridge between all forms of jazz and R&B music with three solo albums. His performances electrify the audience with both his technical ability and his heartfelt musical passages.
In addition to a fabulous three-course dinner, the evening will feature the sounds of legendary performer Michael Manson, as host for the evening, along with co-host Lana Manson. Guests will also be treated to a special performance by the gifted students of the Musical Arts Institute.
The theme “Igniting the Flames of Excellence” was appropriately chosen for this year’s event as the talents presented by the students will remind attendees of the importance of supporting Musical Arts Education in underserved communities and the power therein.
The Musical Arts Institute is transforming lives through music every day because it offers opportunities when compared to the thousands of Chicago area children without access to musical education. Since it was established in 2010, the Musical Arts Institute continues to provide high-quality music education through various programs. They understand and promote music because they know it changes lives by empowering the children, families and communities in which they live.
Its Founder and Executive Director is bassist, music educator, and host of this year’s event, Michael Manson. Having enjoyed 35 years of career success with artists such as George Duke, Al Jareau, Kirk Whalum, and many others, Manson felt a need to give back to his Chicago home, where role models were not accessible for many of our youth.
Working together with Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Lana Manson, the couple has organized an amazing team of professional musicians/educators to provide outstanding music instruction in Chicago’s underserved areas regardless of a child’s ability to pay.
Both Mike and Lana are graduates of Northwestern University (Bienen School of Music) and have a cumulative total of more than 30 years of experience in Music Education. The team established the school’s home office on March 20, 2010 at 9244 South Lafayette in Chicago, Illinois. Noting that students within CPS and other highly populated African American communities lacked access to the advanced music instruction, the founders sought to establish an organization to equip students to compete for college scholarships and/or students for sustainable professional careers in music. The Musical Arts Institute is a 501c3 non-profit organization and has been honored as one of Illinois’ top rated nonprofits for three consecutive years.
For more information, contact the Musical Arts Insititute 2016 Gala Chairperson Adrienne M. Jones at (312) 342-4275 or by email at [email protected].
