Josh Groban Hosts Fourth Annual Find Your Light Gala To Raise Money For Arts Education

This past weekend, multi-platinum award-winning singer, songwriter, global superstar and philanthropist, Josh Groban hosted his fourth annual Find Your Light Gala at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, CA where stars joined together for a night of cocktails, dinner, auction, and performances by top musical artists. The event raised over $1.4 Million dollars to help provide arts education to children around the country.

The event featured performances from Sarah McLachlan, Ben Folds and Groban himself who was joined by children from locally supported programs such as the Young Musicians' Choral Orchestra, Oaktown Jazz Workshop and more. This year, the Find Your Light Award was presented to legendary musician Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, for their lifetime of advocacy and philanthropy for arts education through Exploring the Arts.

"Almost 15 years ago, when my amazing fans presented me with a check and said 'this is for your foundation when you start one.' I never could have expected that eventually it would turn into the Find Your Light foundation or that we would put on galas that would help so many people," says Groban. "Through the sheer willpower, passion, and philanthropic generosity of my fans, family and friends in this industry, we have done just that. This year we broke our previous records and made over a million dollars, all going to the kids to ensure as many young students get the gift of the life changing benefits of an arts education. I'm filled with gratitude and can't wait to continue growing year by year to help more and more students."

This week, Groban will attend this years Town & Country Philanthropy Summit, in New York City, to speak on the "Arts Education in the Age of Incivility" panel alongside Adam Driver and Oskar Esutis. He will also perform on the TODAY Show this Friday, May 10th.

Possessing one of the most outstanding and instantly recognizable voices in music, GRAMMY Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and actor Josh Groban has entertained fans across the globe with his multi-platinum albums and DVDs (over 35 million sold worldwide), electrifying live performances, and comedic film and television appearances. The 37-year-old Los Angeles native stands out as "the only artist who has had two albums appear on the Top 20 Best-Selling Albums list of the past decade," according to Billboard. He has appeared feature films such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Hollars, Coffee Town, and Muppets Most Wanted, as well as on NBC's The Office, FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and CBS' The Crazy Ones. His discography encompasses eight studio albums, including his 2001 self-titled 5x-platinum debut, 2003's 6x-platinum Closer, 2006's double-platinum Awake, 2007's 6x platinum Grammy-nominated Noel, 2010's gold-certified Illuminations, 2013's gold-certified All That Echoes, 2015's worldwide million selling Stages, and most recently 2018's Bridges. In 2017, he concluded his Broadway run in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, which Time Out New York called, "one of the best musicals of the decade". He also released his first coffee table book, Stage to Stage: My Journey to Broadway, chronicling the past two years of his life on Broadway.

2018 marked yet another watershed year for Groban extending his influence across music, film, television, and Broadway yet again. He co-hosted the Tony Awards to widespread enthusiasm worldwide after garnering his first nomination in 2017. He starred in the NETFLIX series, The Good Cop, that made its debut on the streaming platform September 21. On the same day, he unveiled his eighth full-length studio offering, Bridges [Reprise Records]. In addition to duets with Andrea Bocelli, Sarah McLachlan, and Jennifer Nettles, it boasts nine tracks co-written by the superstar. He launched his North American Bridges headline tour in support of the album during the fall of 2018 and continues into the summer of 2019. He maintains his position as the consummate American showman in 2019 and beyond.

Groban remains an active arts education philanthropist and advocate as a member of Americans for the Arts Artists Committee and Groban's Find Your Light Foundation helps enrich the lives of young people through arts, education, and cultural awareness.

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