UM FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENTS WINTER WONDERFUL!

jon secadaFROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC PRESENTS WINTER WONDERFUL! A BENEFIT EVENT FOR FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS
Jon Secada To Perform and Receive the Inaugural Frost Achievement Award Marta S. Weeks To Receive Frost Legacy Award
 
CORAL GABLES, FL (October 22, 2009) – The University of Miami Frost School of Music holiday dinner, Winter Wonderful, will take place on Sunday, December 6, 2009 at the newly renovated Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach.  The goal of Winter Wonderful is to raise $100,000 for the Frost School of Music undergraduate scholarship fund.  Highlights of the evening will include a sumptuous three-course dinner and joyous holiday performances featuring Grammy-award winning vocalist and Frost alumnus Jon Secada as well as the nearly 200-member Frost Choral Union and a special Holiday Orchestra.  Repertoire will include carols from traditions from around the globe.  The Frost School will present Jon Secada with the inaugural Frost Achievement Award, an award that honors a performer who has made a lasting imprint on music and culture.  The Frost School will present UM trustee Marta S. Weeks with the Frost Legacy Award, an award given to one who has elevated the arts through personal devotion and philanthropy.

The evening will begin with a VIP cocktail reception inside the “LIV” Nightclub at 6:30 pm.  The dinner and performance portion of the evening will begin at 7:30 pm in the spectacular Fontaine Ballroom.  The “After-Dance” will begin at 10:00 pm in the Lounge.

Dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg said, “Winter Wonderful is undoubtedly the most beautiful and enchanting holiday event in South Florida. I hear all the time from attendees who tell me they never want to miss this evening.  It is truly a night of goose bumps and beauty, as the warmth of the season fills the room, expressed as only music can express it.  This year, we are thrilled to honor Jon Secada and Marta Weeks for their indelible contributions to our world.”

The Frost Choral Union, approximately 200 members strong, will perform as a unified choir and also as members of smaller ensembles including the Frost University Chorale (the premiere ensemble), Chamber Singers, Collegium Musicum, Women’s Chamber Ensemble, Women’s Chamber Chorale, and Malestrom. Joshua Habermann and Donald Oglesby will lead the choirs with additional assistance from choral conducting graduate teaching assistants.  Director of Choral Studies Joshua Habermann said, “We are pleased to showcase the Frost Choral Union at Winter Wonderful and support the cause of raising funds for undergraduate scholarships for students at the Frost School of Music.”
 
Jon Secada is a multi-Grammy winning vocalist, inspiring performer, songwriter, producer, and the engaging host of Latin American Idol.  He graduated from the Frost School in 1983, and recently released a new CD titled “Expressions” that explores his jazz roots.
Reverend Marta S. Weeks is near and dear to the Frost School of Music.  She is a multi-faceted philanthropist and inspiring community leader.  Reverend Weeks and her late husband, L. Austin Weeks, have provided significant philanthropic support for the University of Miami in many areas, including naming gifts for the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center, the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, and many scholarships for music majors.  Reverend Weeks served as Chairman of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, the first woman to hold this post, from 2007-2009.
Patti and Allan Herbert are the Winter Wonderful dinner chairs.  They have received numerous honors for their philanthropic work as UM Alumni. Mrs. Herbert said, “Allan and I are honored to serve as dinner chairs for Winter Wonderful.  We are excited to partner with the Frost School to help raise money for undergraduate scholarships through Winter Wonderful. We are enthusiastic about Dean Berg’s vision for the Frost School of Music, knowing that an exciting future lies ahead.”

The Fontainebleau Hotel is located at 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.  Winter Wonderful is a Black Tie event.  To order tickets, please call 305 284-6486.

The Frost School of Music, one of two schools created in 1926 when the University of Miami was founded, is one of the largest and best music schools located in a private university in the U.S., and one of the most comprehensive in all of higher education. The naming gift from Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost was one of the historic highlights in the life of the School. Building on its foundation as a Conservatory of Music, the Frost School has pioneered new curricula and was the first in the nation to offer professionally accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Business and Music Engineering Technology. The Frost School was also among the first to offer degrees in Studio Music and Jazz, Music Therapy, and Accompanying and Chamber Music. In addition, the Frost School was the first in a major university to develop a student-run label, ‘Cane Records, and a publishing company, Category Five. The School’s innovative programs, combined with its traditional areas of concentration, offer its students one of the widest choices of career programs of any music school in the nation. The Frost School continues to lead, having recently established a new songwriting degree; the “Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program.” Also, the world-renowned Henry Mancini Institute has relocated from Los Angeles to the Frost School.
 
The University of Miami’s mission is to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of our diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world. www.miami.edu.

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