Entertainment for Every Taste at the 2011 Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards on March 12
Posted January 28th, 2011 – Press Releases
Co-hosted by Joan Collins and George Hamilton
You might agree that being entertained by a couple of beautiful Broadway stars, like Audra McDonald and Lorna Luft, followed by the handsome Argentinean tenor Iván Gancédo, is a pretty good way to spend an evening. But just to make sure that attendees are having a thoroughly good time at the 17th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards at the Palm Springs Convention Center on March 12, the 2011 gala committee has decided to plus-it-up a bit.
This year’s finale will be a performance by the original Broadway cast of the musical “RENT,” the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. One of the longest-running shows on Broadway, winning a Tony for Best Musical, among other awards, the success of “RENT” led to several national tours, numerous foreign productions, and a major motion picture.
No stranger to the Tony herself, Audra McDonald earned an unprecedented three Tony Awards before turning 30 – for “Carousel,” “Master Class,” and “Ragtime” – and added a fourth since then for “A Raisin in the Sun.” Her soprano voice, classically-trained at The Julliard School, uniquely blends with an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling. No wonder that her theatrical work seems to combine effortlessly with her major career as a concert and recording artist who appears regularly on the great stages of the world. As if she’s not busy enough, Ms. McDonald is an Emmy-nominated TV actress whose career includes a current role as Dr. Naomi Bennett in the fourth season of the ABC-TV hit series “Private Practice.”
Lorna Luft’s career has encompassed virtually every arena of entertainment, as a celebrated live performer, stage-film-TV actress, best-selling author, recording artist, and Emmy-nominated producer. Her exuberant concert engagements have introduced her to the world’s most prestigious venues including triumphant performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, the London Palladium, and Prince Edward Theatre. She’s had the honor of performing in tribute concerts honoring Sammy Davis, Jr. and Ira Gershwin, both held at London’s Royal Albert Hall and for President Bush at the Kennedy Center for the Inaugural Anniversary Gala. One of her most ambitious projects to date is the highly acclaimed multi-media production “Songs My Mother Taught Me – A Celebration of the Music of Judy Garland,” melding one of the world’s most familiar songbooks with personal memories of a loving daughter.
Iván Gancédo also understands the importance of honoring his family, which led him to follow in a four-generation tradition and become an attorney in his native Argentina. But when he attended a performance of “La Bohème” at one of the world’s great opera palaces, Argentina’s Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, his passion would not be denied. He studied vocal technique in Buenos Aires where, through his acting and repertoire training, Russian pianist Rozita Zozoulia imparted to Iván the secrets of how to enthrall an audience. “He manages to enchant the audience,” observed music critic Oscar Thompson, “not just by his voice of exceptional range, but by the way he knows how to capture the audience with his expression.”
Around the time the Gancédo family firm was founded, “La Bohème” composer Giacomo Puccini was at the height of his productivity. Little did Puccini know that one day the luscious splendor of his creation’s world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modern-day New York City in the age-defining “RENT,” which aimed to “bring musical theater to the MTV generation.” When the cast of the original Broadway production steps on the stage at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, audience members will experience the struggles and successes of those with HIV and AIDS, as well as those who love them.
As the “AIDS is not over” public service announcements featuring community leaders, donors, volunteers, and clients who support Desert AIDS Project continue to play on local TV and radio, you are invited to join D.A.P. as they look back over yet another year of their own struggles and successes at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards.
Come help them honor the contributions of honorees including Dr. Luc Montagnier, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine, as well as Dionne Warwick, Pauley Perrette, and local award winners Tammy Fox and Patrick Jordan. Tickets and sponsorships are available by calling 760-323-2118, ext 266 or visiting desertaidsproject.org/stevechase.
Desert AIDS Project is the organization in our community where people living with HIV and AIDS can receive comprehensive support, including medical care, case management, and social services. D.A.P. also offers free and confidential HIV testing at a number of locations throughout the communities it serves. To learn more about Desert AIDS Project, please call 760-323-2118 or find them on Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube.
