Riverside Arts Academy will hold its annual fundraising gala, “City of Love: Past, Present, Future,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside.
This year’s gala will celebrate the 10 years Riverside Arts Academy has served children in Riverside and will feature musical performances directed by Nové Deypalan, Riverside Arts Academy’s music director, and performances by many of the organization’s community collaborators, including pianist Alpin Hong, who was Riverside Arts Academy’s first music director.
Other performers will include pianist Elvin Rodriguez, professor of music and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at La Sierra University; vocalist Raejin Lee, associate professor and director of vocal studies at La Sierra University; and vocalist Traivon Williams, adjunct professor at California Baptist University and a choir instructor for Riverside Arts Academy.
Riverside Arts Academy began in December 2012 through Riverside’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, according to a news release. In 2013, a community board was formed and Riverside Arts Academy became a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide no-cost or low-cost music and arts instruction.
Since then, the Riverside Arts Academy program has continued to grow, offering classes including band, strings and choir programs; a drums and percussion group; Riverside Children’s Choir; Riverside Youth Orchestra; Mariachi Juvenil de Riverside; and a digital music production class.
“We have grown and adapted as the needs of our kids have changed,” Collette Lee, president of the Riverside Arts Academy board, said in the news release. “We focus on music training, youth mentorship, video training for transitional kindergarten through third-grade teachers to assist them in the classroom, and cultural music through mariachi.”
Tickets for the City of Love gala, which will include live and silent auctions, are $15-$125. For tickets, go to riversideartsacademy.com. For information on donating auction items, email info@riversideartsacademy.com or call 951-266-5540.
