HAPCO Gala for the Arts
HAPCO Music Foundation
Admission $100.00
Black Tie Gala for the Arts- Three course meal with a cash bar all night.
“HAPCO is so honored to share the sounds of the Count Basie Orchestra with Florida on their 80th Anniversary Tour. We are looking forward to an evening of incredible music, a lot of dancing – and a glimpse into HAPCO’s plans for 2016. HAPCO is a foundation that focuses upon connecting young people with music and arts programs – this evening, we will be concentrating upon immersing them in the sounds of iconic artists in the world of jazz.”
– Joseph McMullen, HAPCO founder
HAPCO Music Foundation will host a “dinner and a show” jazz music showcase on Saturday, September 19, 2015 from 6-10 pm at Rosen Shingle Creek.
The Count Basie Orchestra – dubbed “the most explosive force in jazz” will headline the evening’s entertainment. Count Basie started his orchestra in 1935; today it is the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards as well as 20 DownBeat and JazzTimes readers and critics polls awards. The Orchestra, under the leadership of Director Scotty Barnhart, is traveling the world in 2015, celebrating its 80th anniversary and continuing the standards of excellence established by Count Basie.
Carmen Bradford will be the guest vocalist for this performance. She was the last band singer hired by Count Basie himself in 1983; she remained with the Orchestra for nine years. In 1992, she began her solo career, continuing to establish herself as one of jazz music’s most diverse and exciting vocal stylists.
Also on stage will be the University of Florida Gator Jazz Band and Lenard Rutledge, the Ocoee High School Marching Band, The Millennium Quartet, Destini Hendricks and The Next Gen Jazztet. There will also be appearances by Florida Highwaymen Painter RL Lewis, Florida Steppers International and artist Nana Kwaku Sakyi. The “dinner and a show” gala will be hosted by Sterling Stevenson and will showcase HAPCO’s 2015 Season milestones. Youth program beneficiaries will also be spotlighted.
Reception
MUSIC:
- Millineum Quartet and former HAPCO Scholarship recipient Cameren Anai Williams
- Ocoee High School Jazz Students, The Next Gen Jazztet, featuring Michenelle Louis Charles, Jordan Lewis, MacArthur Borgella, Cj Daniels, and former HAPCO Student of the Quarter Andrew Kennedy
ART:
- Florida Highwaymen Artist, R. L. Lewis – live demonstrations
- Fine Artist and Realist Painter, Nana Kwaku Sakyi – live demonstrations
- Millineum Quartet and former HAPCO Scholarship recipient Cameren Anai Williams
Gala
- Dance Sensation, Destini Hendricks – 2015 Teen Miss World Dance
- Florida Steppers International
- University of Florida JAZZ BIG BAND w/ Lenard Rutledge
- Legendary Count Basie Orchestra