By Mabel Pais

Even before the Arts Center opened its doors, the ‘Spotlight Gala’ has been a way for us to celebrate the arts, and gather together the community that has made NJPAC a vital and effective anchor cultural institution.”  –John Schreiber, President-CEO, NJPAC

Tony Winner Brian Stokes Mitchell stars in Women@NJPAC’s

Salute to the Great American Songbook

Spotlight Gala Broadcast on NJTV – October 3, 2020 at 7 p.m.

Women @ NJPAC celebrate their 26th Annual Spotlight Gala on October 3 at 7 p.m. This is the first virtual celebration.

Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway’s favorite leading man, will headline an inspiring celebration of American song at NJPAC’s annual Spotlight Gala @ Home on October 3. The concert portion of the evening, American Songbook at NJPAC will be broadcast on NJTV and njtvonline.org at 7PM EST.

Thereafter, the celebration will be capped at 8PM by a live dance party on NJPAC’s Instagram Live account (@njpac). All are invited to tune in to participate in this salute to the life-affirming power of the performing arts, and to help NJPAC continue its work in arts education and community engagement — programming that the Arts Center has provided online throughout the pandemic.

NJPAC’s Founder, Governor Tom Kean, and New Jersey’s current Governor and First Lady, Phil Murphy and Tammy Snyder Murphy, will be honored with the Arts Center’s Founders Award during the event.

“This year, for the first time, we can’t bring the family of Arts Center friends and supporters together on our campus. But we were determined that even the pandemic wouldn’t stop us from hosting ‘the party of the year’ and toasting the friends, allies and supporters that have kept NJPAC a vibrant home for performances, community engagement and arts education in New Jersey,” says John Schreiber, President & CEO of NJPAC.

This annual spectacular is organized by Women@NJPAC, the Arts Center’s longtime advocacy organization. (formerly ‘The Women’s Association of NJPAC’).

In addition to Mitchell, the televised concert will feature a slate of stellar performers including Billy Porter, Christine Ebersole, Jessie Mueller, Valerie Simpson, Jarrod Spector and Joshua Bell, all performing classics compiled from NJTV’s American Songbook at NJPAC.

After the broadcast concert, Arts Center fans are invited to join an Instagram after-party hosted by DJ KISS and DJ M.O.S., deejays to the stars best known for spinning tunes for the Academy Awards’ red carpet and Governor’s Ball. Surprise special guest appearances will keep the party lively.

About the Women@NJPAC

Women@NJPAC is celebrating 26 years and over $54 million raised to support NJPAC and its programs that enrich the lives of our current and future generations of cultural citizens.

Established in 1994, and originally known as “The Women’s Board of NJPAC” and later “the Women’s Association (WA) of NJPAC,” the organization began with only nine members. These “founding mothers” not only helped raise the funding necessary to open the Arts Center in October of 1997, they also grew their small band into a powerhouse of fundraising and “friend-raising” that today proudly numbers over 2,000 members.

For years, the WA has worked with the Arts Center to fulfill its mission to innovate, educate, collaborate, and advocate.

In addition, over the past 26 years, the Women@NJPAC has become an organization that not only supports the work of the Arts Center, but serves as a networking venue par excellence for New Jersey women, and a funder with a particular focus on issues impacting women and girls.

Women@NJPAC annually hosts multiple events on and off the Arts Center campus, including ‘A Gathering of Givers’, an annual convening of women active in philanthropy, held on International Women’s Day.

Past Guests have included First Lady Murphy and Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, which provides micro-loans and financial training to women entrepreneurs who live below the federal poverty line. This event each year welcomes hundreds of women to explore ways in which they can pool resources and create significant change through giving, organizing, and activating personal and professional networks. For more information, visit njpac.org/support/women-at-NJPAC.

About NJPAC

To learn about NJPAC, visit njpac.org or call 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722)

Get Social! Follow NJPAC Online:

Twitter:     @NJPAC

Hashtag:    #NJPAC

Facebook:   facebook.com/NJPAC

YouTube:    NJPACtv

WIPA COMMENCES SALON SERIES

Starts October 4 at 7 p.m. Livestream

Free of Charge

The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) kicks off the virtual Salon Series on Sunday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. on WhartonArts.tv. Replacing cabaret-style seating on stage alongside the performers in Wharton’s black box theatre, the intimate concert series continues via livestream free of charge.

Audience members are invited to watch from the comfort of home and share on social media the wine and cheese pairings of their choice while viewing. For full concert details, visit WhartonArts.org.

The Sunday evening series opens with pianist, composer, and arranger Matt King performing selections from the Great American Songbook, jazz classics, and original compositions. A former Composition Fellowship recipient from the NJ State Council on the Arts, King has garnered awards as a semi-finalist at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition (2000). He toured extensively with the iconic group Blood, Sweat & Tears and served as music director for jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb. He has performed with symphony orchestras across the United States and appeared on ‘The Today Show’ and ‘Good Morning America’. He can be heard at Holland’s renowned North Sea Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Cape Town Jazz Festival.

About WIPA

The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts’ (WIPA) mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a wide range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, where striving for personal excellence inspires and connects those WIPA teaches to the communities we serve.

Wharton is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving over 1,200 students through a range of classes and ensembles including the 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve 500 students in grades 3 – 12 by audition. To learn more, visit whartonarts.org

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)