The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook Hosts Gala in March

The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook is hosting its 2024 Benefactors Gala at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, March 24, at 6 pm. The highlight of this festive event will be a special musical tribute to international superstar Celine Dion, this year’s recipient of the Society’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

In addition to cocktails and dinners, the event will include musical performances from additional SPGAS award recipients, including:

Legend Award - Jenene Caramielo
Legend Award - Peter Cincotti
Young Artists - Maddie Begin & Hadiya Stewart 

Next month’s gala and honorees were announced today by The Society’s Founder Dick Robinson and Gala Chairman Bob Merrill. Tickets for this exclusive event are $1,000 each, with tables going for $10,000. Tickets can be purchased online at https://preserveourgas.org/gala/; or by phone (561.469.6703) or email (missy@spgas.org).

The musical tribute to Celine Dion will be beautifully performed by Legend Award recipient Jenene Caramielo, who has sold out cabaret performances from Palm Beach’s Royal Room to Feinstein’s 54 Below in NYC, and headlined on luxury cruise lines Regent, Oceania, and Crystal. A true crossover entertainer adept at belting out songs from Broadway to Whitney Houston, she has shared the stage with Chicago, opened for The Beach Boys, and sang the national anthem before Major League Baseball games. Broadway World has hailed her “thrilling voice” and “elite level” performance style.

Also performing at the gala will be Legend Award recipient Peter Cincotti, who has been wowing audiences around the world since he was 18. The singer-pianist-songwriter has headlined at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Café Carlyle to L’Olympia in Paris. Blending influences ranging from Nat King Cole, Billy Joel, and Lady Gaga, to John Lennon, Bill Evans, and Coldplay, Cincotti connects generations of pianists with his daring arrangements and sultry vocals. He released his sixth album Killer on the Keys last fall.

This year’s Young Artists are:

+ Actress and vocalist Maddie Begin, who is a senior at The King’s Academy’s Smith Family Conservatory. Her recordings of Sway and A Song for You can be heard on Apple Music and YouTube.

+ Instrumentalist Hadiya Stewart is a junior at The King’s Academy and is one of this area’s top emerging bass players. She has earned a spot in the Florida All-State Orchestra for the past four years, played with celebrated conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and performed with the Annie Matot Jazz Quintet.

Dick Robinson, Founder of The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook, is also the Founder of Palm Beach County’s Legends Radio—playing the music of the Great American Songbook and heard internationally at:https://legendsradio.com/.  SPGAS is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the music, character, and history of the Great American Songbook. “That this timeless and enduring music of our country, with its rich history, will continue to be accessible and enjoyed by the generations of both today and tomorrow”—according to the nonprofit organization’s vision. For more information, please visit https://preserveourgas.org/.

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