The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music at the University of Miami will present its annual gala holiday dinner, “Winter Wonderful,” on December 4 to benefit its community music outreach program, the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music.

The festive candlelight dinner is one of Miami’s most popular holiday events and promises to be an unforgettable gala evening. Each year it features a beautiful array of holiday music performed in shimmering and intimate surroundings by hundreds of talented student musicians from the Frost School of Music. The goal of Winter Wonderful is to net $100,000 for music mentoring scholarships at Frost, a goal they often exceed, thanks to the generosity of steadfast and new supporters each year. Individual gala tickets begin at $350; gala tables of 10 begin at $3,500 and go up to $25,000.

Highlights of the Winter Wonderful evening will include a sparkling cocktail reception, a sumptuous three-course holiday dinner and joyous musical performances throughout the evening by youthful voices of from the Frost Chorale Union, Frost Holiday Orchestra, and the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program Mentors and Mentees. The music director is Karen Kennedy, program director for the Choral Studies Program at the Frost School of Music.

“The Winter Wonderful Holiday Dinner is simply the perfect start to the holiday season. It brings good cheer to new and long-time friends of the University of Miami and honors the wonderful patrons of the arts in our community,” said Shelton G. Berg, Dean of the Frost School of Music. “Best of all, the gala proceeds go directly to support music scholarships at the Frost School of Music, to students who participate in our acclaimed, high quality Donna E. Shalala MusicReach. This mentoring program improves the lives of hundreds of at-risk adolescents and teens in our community all year long, helping them to succeed in school and in life.”

During the holiday dinner festivities, Dean Berg will present the 2016 Frost Legacy Award to Dr. Richard and Mrs. Carin Krasno in recognition of their generous support of the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program. Richard and Carin Krasno are enthusiasts of arts and have played an integral role in the growth of the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program. They often enjoy attending events and concerts, and support various musical endeavors students and faculty.

As the former Executive Director of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, Richard Krasno is widely admired for guiding the Trust’s philanthropic activities around the country. With a Ph.D. from Stanford, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education in Washington, DC, President of the Monterey (CA) Institute of International Studies, and chairman of the University of North Carolina Health Care System. Currently, he is Lead Independent Director at Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services in Miami, trustee of the Miami Heart Research Institute and a member of the advisory board of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University.

Carin Krasno brought great leadership and clarity to her role as a charter member of the Friends of PlayMakers Repertory Theatre Advisory Council. While living in Chapel Hill, the couple regularly attended the PlayMakers Ball, Opening Night performances, and held events in their home in support of theatre.

For more information or to order gala tickets or tables online or by telephone, visit www.Winter-Wonderful.com, call 305-284-9766 or email EventsManagement@Miami.edu.

About the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music

Winter Wonderful Holiday Gala The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music at the University of Miami is one of the largest and best music schools located in a private university in the U.S., and one of the most comprehensive and relevant in all of higher education. With over 700 students and 100 faculty members it a top choice for instrumental, keyboard and vocal performance as well as composition, music business, music education, music engineering technology, music therapy, songwriting, jazz, studio music, and more. It is one of two schools created in 1926 when the University of Miami was founded. The naming gift from Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost in 2003 was a historic occasion.

The mission of the Frost School of Music is to foster musical leadership by providing an innovative, relevant, and inspiring education; advance performance, creativity and scholarship; and enrich the world community with meaningful outreach and brilliant cultural offerings.

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, and was among the first to offer degrees in Music Therapy, as well as Studio Music and Jazz. Renowned for its Instrumental Performance programs, it is the home of the Frost Chamber Orchestra, Frost Symphony Orchestra, and Frost Concert Jazz Band and is a leader in vocal training with the Frost Opera Theater, Frost Chorale and other notable choirs.

Frost is the exclusive home of the Frost Experiential Music Curriculum which fully integrates performance, music history, ear training, and composition through chamber music and skills ensembles; the Henry Mancini Institute which provides Frost students with cross-genre performance opportunities in real-world professional settings; the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation’s Ensemble Scholars program which provides free tuition, room and board to 19 academically strong and highly talented undergraduate music students; and the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program which develops the creative skills of talented young artist/songwriters by immersing them in the diverse traditions of American songwriting.

For more information visit www.Music.Miami.edu.

About Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program at the Patricia and Phillip Frost School of Music Mentorship Program

The Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music Mentorship Program uses music as a motivating tool to encourage teens to graduate from high school and continue on to college. Recent research by the Rand Corporation and others suggests that MUSIC is more effective than sports or any other school activity in keeping kids enrolled in school.

The Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music program collaborates with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony and local public school music programs to provide safe and fun music instruction on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus for motivated 7th graders from the Miami-Dade region, pairing them with freshman music majors from the Frost School of Music who mentor them for four years. The MusicReach program has also recently expanded to provide free after school group music lessons at several community centers and schools in Coconut Grove, Little Havana, Overtown, South Miami, and South Dade. The program also assists with music instruction at Mays Conservatory of the Arts in Goulds and South Miami High School.

Learning to play a musical instrument provides three key elements that are essential for successful learning: risk taking/public performance, hands-on learning, and consistent and ongoing mentoring from a caring adult.

Proceeds from Winter Wonderful will help to scholarship NEW mentors and teaching assistants, inspiring and teaching over 600 or more young people toward their pursuit of excellence. The benefits are lifelong, and proven.