The Celebrate Colburn Gala took place on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 in Los Angeles. The evening raised more than $1.7 million for Colburn School programs honoring renowned conductor Valery Gergiev, philanthropist Elizabeth Segerstrom, and acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota with the Richard D. Colburn award for their exemplary achievements and contributions to classical music and the performing arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world.
The Gala Co-Chairs were Carol Colburn Grigor and Murray Grigor Eva, and Marc Stern.
The evening included a concert by the Colburn Orchestra conducted by Maestro Gergiev at Walt Disney Concert Hall, followed by a special dinner under the stars on Grand Avenue, in celebration of the Colburn School’s 20th anniversary at its downtown location. Performers included the Colburn Orchestra, pianist Dominic Cheli and singers from the Atkins Young Artists Program Fellowship.
In addition to the evening’s honorees, 525 guests attended including Frank Gehry, Benjamin Millepied, Nigel Lythgoe, Jacqueline Bisset, Deborah Voigt, Malissa Shriver, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Taylor Hackford, andRandal Kleiser. Colburn School leadership attendees included Sel Kardan, President and CEO of the Colburn School; Andrew Millstein, Walt Disney Animation Studios President and Chairman of Colburn School’s Board of Directors.
The Colburn School provides young people who possess a passion for music, dance, and drama access to quality instruction so they may further explore their interests and continue developing their talents. The renowned faculty, including professional performers from nationally and internationally acclaimed companies, guide students through classes appropriate and catered to students age and skill level. Colburn’s goal is to accommodate students in developing a lifelong appreciation for the performing arts whenever possible without the constraints of financial concerns. The school awards $500,000 need-based scholarships to the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts every year.
It was a beautiful evening as the Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) held its gala benefit celebrating 50 years of rewriting the future through trailblazing research towards curing Huntington’s disease and related disorders at the Harvard Club on October 22. The night kicked off with a symposium highlighting some of the latest research developments.
Guests continued on to dinner where the Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science was awarded to C. Frank Bennett, senior vice president of research at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. He was honored for his pioneering work that has transformed the landscape for Huntington’s disease research and patients. The award was created in honor of Frank Gehry’s daughter, the late Leslie Gehry Brenner who died of uterine cancer 2008. It reflects her many talents and gifts – originality, spontaneity, precision and rigor – all critical attributes in a scientist. It was the highlight of the evening and a poignant moment when Frank Gehry presented the award to the honoree.
After dinner, a musical interlude was provided by folk-rock musicians Kate and Justin Miner. The Hereditary Disease Foundation, established in 1968, facilitates collaborative and innovative scientific research to further the understanding of Huntington’s disease, a genetic disorder that strikes in early-to-mid-adulthood, destroying brain cells, and bringing on severe and progressive declines in personality, cognitive ability and mobility.
On Tuesday, November 6th at Gabriel’s restaurant, Culture For One held its 2018 Annual Fall Lunch, which raises awareness about the needs of childen in foster care and funds Culture For One’s mission and progams which transform the lives of children in foster care through the power of the arts.
100 guests heard first-hand accounts of the Culture For One experience from Kathleen Cooney Clarke, Executive Director; Linn Tanzman, Founder; Donnell E. Smith, CFO Volunteer; and Khadija Adula, Culture For One program alumni.
Host comittee members and sponsors included Harold Koda and Alan Kornberg, Lenore Cohen, Lizzy Markus, Penny Grant, Kathleen Cooney Clarke, Eileen Schien and Jeffery Sobel.
Culture For One is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered NYC who’s mission to transform the lives of NYC children in foster care through the power of the arts. CFO provides free high-quality opportunities to inspire their creativity, stimulate their intellect, and introduce them to broader possibilities for their future. Through cultural excursions, creative workshops, arts scholarships, and mentoring, CFO nurtures big dreams and encourages higher education and career planning. Exposure to the arts and positive role models help these most vulnerable youth build confidence, life skills, and new interests, as well as improve their academic performance. CFO’s programs deliver sources of motivation that all young people need to thrive. CFO is the only organization in NYC dedicated to promoting the social, emotional and interest development of youth in foster care through the arts.
Helping to advance revolutionary research in prostate cancer and delivery of precision treatments to U.S. Veterans, the John and Daria Barry Foundation recently donated $2.5 million to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) to establish the John and Daria Barry Precision Oncology Center of Excellence at the Manhattan Campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System (VANYHHS).
The Barry Center of Excellence will address the clinical needs of Veterans currently battling prostate cancer in the New York metropolitan area and beyond and will also serve as a precision oncology hub in the PCF’s preeminent network of centers executing the ambitious mission of improving the care of U.S. Veterans with prostate cancer. Due to the cancer-causing mutations in prostate cancer that may be found in different types of cancer, this investment will have implications for many other forms of life-threatening cancer.
Notable attendees included: Dr. Jonathan Simons, John F. Barry III, Daria Barry, Deborah Scher, Rebecca Levine, Martina Parauda, Dr. Stacy Loeb, Daniel Becker, David Wise, James Barry, Matt Barry, Morgan Barry, Elizabeth Barry Swanson, Patrick C. Malloy, Cynthia Caroselli and Sergeant Constance Campbell.
The VALOR Dedication Ceremony opened with the National Anthem performed by Sergeant Constance Campbell to honor the military veterans in attendance. Senior Director Rebecca Levine of PCF’s Veteran’s Health Initiative and event host Director Martina Parauda of the VANYHHS, graciously acknowledged the U.S. veterans for their years in service, and furthermore, the tireless commitment from the healthcare and social service professionals caring for the men and women who have served our country. A presentation highlighting the future of the PCF and VANYHHS partnership, thanks to Barry Foundation’s donation, led to a passionate speech by President and CEO Dr. Jonathan Simons of the Prostate Cancer Foundation who shared the importance of advancing research to fight the harrowing disease.
The Barry Center of Excellence will expand access to precision medicine at the Manhattan VA. The goal of a precision medicine approach is to tailor treatments to each patient’s cancer based on their unique biology. State-of-the-art molecular testing will allow doctors to match patients to treatments based on a genetic understanding of their disease. The precisely targeted treatment reduces toxicities of one-size-fits-all treatments that are unlikely to be effective. Genetic counseling and cutting-edge clinical trials are among the best-in-class care options that the Barry Foundation will make possible for Veterans.
Leading one of the world’s top philanthropic organizations funding and accelerating prostate cancer research, the Prostate Cancer Foundation has, to date, raised more than $765 million.
Photographs by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging (Colburn); Patrick McMullan (PCF)
