Frost School of Music Winter Wonderful Gala
Raises over $100,000 for music mentoring program
the University of Miami Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music presented its annual holiday gala, Winter Wonderful in Downtown Miami at the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel. The festive candlelight dinner featured holiday music performed by over 200 talented student choir and instrumental musicians from the Frost School of Music who are pursuing their dream of a life, and career, in music. With more than 325 guests and all the tables sold in advance, the Frost School of Music surpassed its $100,000 goal to raise funds for music mentoring scholarships and towards its $40 million Momentum2 campaign goal.
In attendance were Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost, naming benefactors of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, as well as numerous current and past University of Miami Board of Trustees including Jon Batchelor, Dr. Phillip Frost, The Honorable Charles Cobb, former US Ambassador to Iceland, Dr. Phillip George, Manny Kadre, Judi Prokop Newman, Roe Stamps, Ron Stone, Tom Wood, Marta Weeks-Wulf, and two past Trustees Dean Colson and Dr. Roger Medel. Also attending were University of Miami President, Dr. Donna E. Shalala, President Emeritus Tad Foote, Executive Vice President and Provost Tom LeBlanc, Chief Operating Officer and VP for Medical Administration, Jack Lord, and Senior Vice President of University Advancement, Sergio Gonzalez. Among the multitude enjoying the holiday festivities were numerous leadership donors to the Frost School of Music and dignitaries The Honorable Sue Cobb, former US Ambassador to Jamaica, and The Honorable James Cason, Mayor of Coral Gables.
During the holiday gala, Frost School of Music Dean Shelton Berg presented the 2012 Frost Legacy Award to Michael and Lynda Gordon, in honor of their inspiring support of the Frost School’s MusicReach mentoring program and other institutions of excellence throughout our community. Dr. and Mrs. Gordon are longtime Miami residents who are actively involved in charitable work for children, cancer, religious causes, animal rights and multiple areas within the University of Miami, including the Frost School of Music.
Dr. Michael Gordon is an avid music lover; and in the 1920s his mother sang and danced on Broadway for Florenz Ziegfeld. A cardiologist, he received his B.S., M.S. and M.D. degrees from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He carried out his residency at the Mayo Clinic while a Research Fellow of the NIH, and received his Cardiology training at Georgetown University.
In 1966, Dr. Gordon joined the University of Miami School of Medicine where he is now the Director of the Michael S. Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education and Associate Dean. He pioneered the application of technology to medical education and developed systems used for training at over 1800 medical centers and agencies worldwide, including “Harvey,” the Cardiopulmonary Patient Simulator that can simulate essentially any cardiac disease at the touch of a button.
Lynda Sosso Gordon grew up in Pittsburgh and attended the University of Memphis. After a career in the cosmetics and fashion industry, she became an event planner and met Michael while working with the Winterfest Boat Parade. The Gordons describe the Frost School of Music and Dean Berg as “absolutely extraordinary” and feel privileged to support the MusicReach mentoring program.
Highlights of the Winter Wonderful evening included a sparkling cocktail reception, a sumptuous three-course holiday dinner and joyous musical performances by youthful voices of the Frost Chorale, Symphonic Choir, Cantilena Women’s Choir and Maelstrom Men’s Choir and instrumentalists in the Frost Holiday Orchestra, featuring holiday carols from around the globe. The event’s music director was Dr. Karen Kennedy, program director for Choral Studies at the Frost School of Music.
