Celebrate the Journey to Artistic Excellence 29TH ANNUAL GRAND FINALE PERFORMANCE May 23, 2017 | #spotlight17 WELCOME TO THE MUSIC CENTER —L.A.’s Performing Arts Destination Nicole Ishimaru, Spotlight alumnae The Music Center, L.A.’s performing arts destination, with and reflects the community, activating spaces is one of the largest and most highly regarded and places beyond its theatres, such as Grand Park performing arts centers in the country. and The Music Center Plaza. With The Music Center On Location, the non-profit performing arts organization Its 22-acre campus includes four spectacular brings events and activities to locations outside of venues—Ahmanson Theatre, Dorothy Chandler its Downtown Los Angeles campus. In addition, The Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Music Center provides lifelong learning opportunities Concert Hall. Celebrated for its illustrious dance that benefit students in grades K-12 in addition to their programming, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance teachers, both in schools throughout the County of at The Music Center, and home to four world-class Los Angeles and at The Music Center, cultivating the resident companies—Center Theatre Group, LA next generation of artists and arts leaders. Opera, LA Phil and Los Angeles Master Chorale —The Music Center is a destination where audiences The Music Center is truly a performing arts center find inspiration in the very best of live performance. for the 21st century, continually pushing the boundaries Breaking the mold of a traditional performing to further inspire and contribute to the artistic voice arts center, The Music Center provides access and of Los Angeles. imaginative public programming that resonates BOARD CHAIR, THE MUSIC CENTER SPOTLIGHT ADVISORY LISA SPECHT COMMITTEE SPOTLIGHT ADVISORY COMMITTEE PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE MUSIC CENTER CO-CHAIRS RACHEL S. MOORE ROSEMARY RINGWALD TIMOTHY S. WAHL PRODUCER PATRON DINNER CHAIRS JERI GAILE PAMELA AND DENNIS BECK PRODUCER PRESIDENT, THE MUSIC CENTER LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MICHAEL SOLOMON ARTHUR D. KRAUS WITH CHAIR, THE MUSIC CENTER LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MASTER OF CEREMONIES RICHARD B. JONES BARRETT FOA FOUNDING CHAIRMAN, SPOTLIGHT FREDRIC M. ROBERTS AND CREATOR, SPOTLIGHT MUSICAL DIRECTOR, WALTER GRAUMAN SPOTLIGHT ORCHESTRA JAMEY TATE BARRETT FOA is best known as tech geek Eric Beale on the hit CBS crime drama/comedy NCIS: Los Angeles. Foa and the show celebrate their ninth season and 200th episode this fall. Foa has also appeared on TV hits such as Entourage and The Closer opposite Kyra Sedgwick. On Broadway, Foa starred as the leads in Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and the original Broadway cast of Mamma Mia!. Off-Broadway, he starred in the one-man comedy, Buyer & Cellar (playing six characters including Barbra Streisand) and as Jesus in the 20th anniversary cast of Godspell. He has played leading roles at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The York and John Houseman Theater, as well as at such prestigious regional venues as Hartford Stage and The Shakespeare Theatre, D.C. Born and raised in New York City, Foa graduated from The Dalton School in Manhattan, studied at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from The University of Michigan. Follow him on Instagram/Twitter @BarrettFoa. Scenes from the Spotlight journey: master classes, auditions, workshops and performances. 2017 SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM SPONSORS THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS Principal Benefactors Helen and Peter Bing Program Sponsor The Music Center Leadership Council Workforce Development Classical Instrumental Sponsor Edgerton Foundation Non-Classical Voice Sponsor Frank Sherwood Performing Arts Fund General Program Support Sponsors Adams-Mastrovich Family Foundation Dorothy B. Chandler Program Fund, Ballet Anita Mann Kohl and Allen D Kohl Terri and Jerry Kohl Lee Graff Foundation, Audition Sponsor General Program Support General Program Support Jazz Instrumental Support Patron Reception Sponsor Additional support for this program provided, in part, by the Glorya Kaufman Dance Foundation Ambassadors Dona Kendall and Rini and Arthur Kraus Beth and Leslie Michelson Anonymous Dr. Susan Kendall Marlene and William Louchheim Karen Kay Platt and Gay and Harry Abrams / Cathy and Mark Louchheim Diane Medina Lawrence B. Platt Abrams Artists Agency Munger, Tolles, & Olson LLP The Morrison & Foerster Lois Rosen Pamela and Dennis Beck Shelby Notkin Foundation Thomas L. Safran Estate of Chantal Burnison Anne and Arnold Porath Eva and Marc Stern Joan and Arnold Seidel Carsey Family Foundation Rosemary Ringwald Sue Tsao Wendy and Jay Wintrob The Dorothy & Sherill C. Fredric M. Roberts Hope Warner Adrienne and Robert Zarnegin Marie Song Corwin Fund Lead Patrons Patrons Classical Instrumental Leslie Vermut and Dean Ambrose Howard Banchik Helen Funai Erickson Thomas Weinberger Joan and Allan Burns Sue and James Femino In Memory of Maria Alyce and Warren Williamson Nadine and Harold Davidson Mary Ann Hunt-Jacobsen and Fritz Altmann Premier Patrons Dee Dee Dorskind and Alan Oppenheimer Classical Voice The Capital Group Companies Bradley Tabach-Bank Rodriguez, Horii, Choi I.N. and Susanna H. Van Nuys The Colburn Foundation Robin and Michael Dreyer & Cafferata LLP Foundation Bobbi and Henry Fields / Jane Jelenko Ann and Robert Ronus James B. Pendleton Foundation Morrison & Foerster LLP Anita and Fred Kemmerling Susan and Joshua Wieder Non-classical Dance Gladys Turk Foundation Marla and Cary Lefton Randi and Richard Jones Hollywood Foreign Press Nancy and Patrick McCabe In Kind Support Association Special thanks to Judith and Thomas Beckmen, Julia Strickland and Timothy Wahl, and Alyce and Warren Williamson for generously hosting Spotlight donor events. as of May 8, 2017 SPOTLIGHT PROCESS THE MUSIC CENTER’S SPOTLIGHT PROGRAM: A SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING The mission of The Music Center’s Spotlight program (Spotlight) is to provide a supportive environment in which high school students can develop the skills needed to pursue their dreams, with an emphasis on self-esteem, preparation and perseverance. Spotlight is a key part of The Music Center’s commitment to promoting artistic excellence and advancing quality arts education. Whether or not these students pursue a career in the arts, the Spotlight program empowers them with the confidence and presentation skills to pursue their dreams in any field. Tonight’s performance is the culmination of an intensive, year-long educational process that includes the following components: EXTENSIVE REGIONAL OUTREACH PRELIMINARY REGIONAL AUDITIONS Each summer, Spotlight announcements are sent The Spotlight performance categories are acting, ballet, to all Southern California public and private high non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, schools, private arts instructors and community arts classical instrumental and jazz instrumental. Students organizations. This year, approximately 2,000 students submit audition videos and advance to live auditions participated in the scholarship competition, master based on the recommendations of distinguished classes and college and career presentations at their panels of judges. Each student who auditions receives schools and at The Music Center. a personal letter with detailed feedback from the judges, identifying strengths and suggesting areas for SPOTLIGHT ACADEMY improvement. Cash scholarships called Promise Awards Each fall, The Music Center presents the “Spotlight are provided to five students in each category who do Academy” where more than 500 students, parents and not advance to the semifinals. teachers attend a day of free workshops and seminars. The Spotlight Academy offers them the chance to SEMIFINAL MASTER CLASSES network and learn more about what it takes to pursue After the preliminary auditions, the judges narrow college and careers in the arts. the field to 16 Semifinalists in each category. These students are invited to special master classes with SPOTLIGHT OFFSTAGE leading professionals who offer insights on performance As part of its commitment to youth and development technique, training and professional life. initiatives, The Music Center presents the Spotlight Speaker Series to selected high schools and SEMIFINAL AUDITIONS organizations. This program helps students explore In the spring, the Semifinalists return to audition college and career pathways, while learning about before another panel of expert judges. Each a broad range of fields, such as arts administration, Semifinalist receives a cash scholarship in recognition careers backstage, operations and programming. of achievement in the program. THE GRAND FINALE PERFORMANCE Spotlight culminates with an evening of performances Master class with Karen Morrow on the stage of The Music Center’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. Fourteen Grand Prize Finalists perform before family, friends and the public. Each Grand Prize Finalist receives a $5,000 scholarship, and Honorable Mentions receive $1,000 scholarships. In celebrating these outstanding young artists, The Music Center also underscores the importance of providing quality arts learning opportunities for all students. BE A PART OF THEIR JOURNEY! musiccenter.org/spotlightsupport Give to the Spotlight program today and receive special benefits. For more information about The Music Center’s Spotlight program, visit musiccenter.org /spotlight or email [email protected]. PROGRAM 29TH ANNUAL SPOTLIGHT Performers listed in AWARDS order of appearance