Annual Gala of Dreams

2016 Gala of Dreams

The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts’ thirteenth annual Gala of Dreams was held on Saturday, June 4th at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

The evening was filled with much excitement as guests enjoyed a jam-packed line-up of entertainment, surprises, dinner, and dancing to one of the best dance bands in the region, the Charter Arts Dance Band, made up of students, which absolutely rocked the house!

The evening was masterfully guided by Master of Ceremonies and Charter Arts’ Director of Literary Arts, Paul Walsh.

Special guests included Gala Honorary Chair and President of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Tony Iannelli, and actor Daniel Roebuck, a native of Bethlehem who has amassed an incredible career that includes starring roles in many films and television series, including: Matlock, The West Wing, NYPD Blue, and The Fugitive, just to name a few.

Guests arrived and were greeted by students donned in various costumes, representing the school’s various artistic majors, and escorted to the Musikfest Café lobby, where the sounds of the award-winning Charter Arts Touring Choir filled the staircase.   Guests could then enjoy time outside on the Sands Deck and take their chances on some fun raffles and games.  As they walked into the elegantly adorned ballroom, created by designer Dave Reppert of Wishes by Boscov’s, guests were enveloped by the sultry jazz sounds of the Charter Arts Advanced Jazz Ensemble performing on the Musikfest Café stage.

Once guests took their seats, the night kicked off with a powerful opening performance of Proud Mary that completely blew everyone away!  With lead vocals by Kristina D’Amico and Genesis Collado, impressive back up vocals that included Mr. Brown, and a stunning performance by the band, the room was electrified.

Amidst the thunderous applause from the opening performance, Charter Arts’ Executive Director, Diane LaBelle, and Gala Honorary Chair, Tony Iannelli, took to the stage for the official welcome.  They highlighted some of the outstanding accolades that Charter Arts has earned this year, including the distinction as a Title I High Achievement School, placing it in the top 5% of schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Master of Ceremonies, Paul Walsh, then thanked the evening’s sponsors through a fun sponsor video, which highlighted the incredible impact that sponsorship has on the young men and women who attend one of the most respected high schools for the arts in the nation.  This year’s lead sponsors were PNC Bank and Fitzpatrick, Lentz & Bubba.  ‘Table Sponsors’ and ‘Supporting Cast Sponsors’ included:  Cornerstone Consulting, Magellan Financial, Herron Funeral Home, HMK Insurance, Highpoint Solutions, The Equinox Agency, The Lawrence Family, John R. Hratko, M.D., Jefferson-Werner, and Vermillion Dental.

Dinner music was more subdued but equally impressive, with piano performances and the soothing sound of a chamber strings ensemble.  The mood then took a swift swing, as a boisterous percussion performance brought guests’ attention back to the main stage.

Diane LaBelle introduced a compilation video that included footage from some of the school’s ninety performances produced over the past school year. Charter Arts’ artistic directors and administrators were then invited to the stage for recognition.  A big ‘thank-you’ also went out to Charter Arts’ department chairs, faculty and staff.

The live auction kicked off with the fun auctioneer team of Tony Iannelli, and Charter Arts Foundation Board Members, Scott Hawk and Pat D’Amico.  Of course, the Golden Ticket winner was pulled first, and that winner could select any of the live auction items as his/her prize.  Congratulations to the winner, who offered one of the most memorable moments of the night as he ran to the stage in full ‘Price is Right’ contestant form, and then chose a week-long trip to the Outer Banks in South Carolina. Well worth the $25 golden ticket purchase price.  The live auction went on to raise close to $20,000.   Along with the online silent auction and golden ticket raffle, the event raised over $70,000.

Guests danced the rest of the night away to the sounds of the Charter Arts Gala Dance Band, directed by Greg Eicher.

Charter Arts thanks everyone who came out to support this year’s gala.  The funds raised at this event each year are vital to the school.  As a tuition-free public charter school, Charter Arts receives 75% of the funding for its students, therefore, events like these are needed to bridge the gap each year.  The Charter Arts Foundation also raised funds to help complete the remaining portion of the capital campaign that was part of the fundraising for its new facility in South Bethlehem, which opened in August 2015.