The Frost School of Music celebrated its Winter Wonderful fundraising gala this past December 3, regaling 325 supporters at Miami’s JW Marriott Marquis with soaring holiday music from Frost students, and honoring donors Edward P. and Sasha Bass with the Frost Legacy Award.
The annual event benefits the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program, a major Frost community outreach effort that fosters the musical talent and educational prospects of Miami-Dade youth, as well as Frost's music scholarship fund.
MusicReach Director Joseph Burleson said Winter Wonderful was his program’s largest source of funding, and noted that Frost Dean Shelton G. Berg’s enthusiastic support had expanded it from 16 to 1500 elementary to high school students in under-resourced communities each week. They are mentored by Frost students, who learn teaching and community engagement skills by fostering young people’s musical talent and educational ambition. In recent years, all MusicReach’s students have not only finished high school, but 100% have gone on to college; some have received prestigious scholarships, including to the Frost School.
“Arts mentorship is a big component of our program, but it goes far beyond that,” said Burleson. “MusicReach is about creating empowered individuals who bring the rhythm of success into all aspects of their lives… whether through music or whatever they choose to be passionate about. That is a really powerful statement about Frost and its commitment to the community.”
The program was showcased by the MusicReach Mays Jazz Ensemble, from the Arthur & Polly Mays 6-12 Conservatory for the Arts – a South Dade arts magnet created with the help of MusicReach - playing a Dave Brubeck tune.
“MusicReach is nurturing the unique talents of each student and unlocking their full potential,” Mays Principal Dr. Jones-Carey told the audience. “We are cultivating artists who will shape the cultural landscape of tomorrow.”
Music performances created a warm, festive atmosphere. Frost Director of Choral Studies Amanda Quist led a jubilant Frost Choral Union and Holiday Orchestra in gorgeous renditions of holiday songs, from a radiant Joy to the World to a playful Jingle Bells.
University of Miami President Julio Frenk saluted Frost’s importance to the University as both institutions approach their centenary. “Music is in the DNA of the University of Miami,” said Frenk. “We aspire to be a beacon for creativity in Miami and all over the world.”
Adding to the evening was President Julio Frenk’s wife Felicia Knaul, daughter of a Holocaust survivor, who made a moving plea for peace at a time of violence around the world, a wish captured by a choral segment with the Hebrew songs for peace Ose Shalom and Hine Ma Tov.
Dean Berg thanked donors and the Frost community for their dedication to their art form. “Music soothes us in difficult times and elevates us in joyous occasions like this one,” he said. He praised Legacy Award recipients Edward and Sasha Bass, major philanthropists in their native Fort Worth and nationally, who have become significant donors to Frost. “Your generous commitment to finding ways to expand access to the arts is widely felt,” said Dean Berg, thanking them “for all you do for our community and artists everywhere.”
Edward Bass responded with a genial speech describing his lifelong love of music, from a 1962 high school trip to hear Ray Charles to founding Fort Worth’s renowned jazz club Caravan of Dreams (where Dean Berg performed) and the Bass Performance Hall. “That’s my story of how to make beautiful music without musical talent,” Bass said. “What I can do with music is love it and enhance the musical experience. The Frost School is the best, and Sasha and I are so proud to be a part of it.”
Also attending were Gold Sponsor Allan M. Herbert, and Silver Sponsors Miller Family Foundation, Joseph Deitch, Skanska USA, and Betsy Sherman. Other notables included former Florida governor Jeb Bush and his wife Columba Bush and Ambassadors Sue and Chuck Cobb.
The evening closed with glowing performances of Silent Night and O Holy Night, bringing everyone to their feet to applaud the Frost School and the power of music.
If you would like to support the work of Frost School of Music students through MusicReach, please give HERE.
