Overview

Join the Spirit: Sunday, June 12, 2011 – 7:00 pm

KindredSPIRITS’ next World Humanitarian Aid Event will be presented Sunday, June 12, 2011 at Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA’s premier concert venue.

Our 60-Voice Gospel Choir of the combined music ministries from Faithful Central Bible Church with the LA Jewish Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Noreen Green will join with noted vocal artists, Roslyn Kind and Ilan Davidson, along with reknowned artists, David Benoit, piano, and Eric Rigler, Uilleann pipes, in this concert of world music celebrating healing, unity, and peace.

Special guest celebrities will introduce the music and KindredSPIRITS.

Featuring

Venue

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt-Disney-Concert-Hall-2

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, is designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience.

The 2,265-seat auditorium with natural lighting in which the audience surrounds the orchestra was designed to look and feel like a ship’s hull. The Walt Disney Concert Hall is wheelchair accessible and Phonic Ear sound system headsets for the hard of hearing.

From the stainless steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and the Resident Companies that call the Concert Hall home.

Beneficiary

International Medical Corps

Cancer Support Community (CSC)

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization.

Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

Twenty-five years ago, a simple idea drove International Medical Corps first relief mission give local people the tools and knowledge to help themselves and the investment can sustain development beyond an existing crisis. A quarter of a century later, that once-groundbreaking idea of building the capacity of communities to tend to their own health care needs is accepted as a culturally appropriate, economically efficient, and politically stabilizing way to deliver assistance.

It remains the signature component of every International Medical Corps program even in the worlds toughest environments.

International Medical Corps focuses on the delivery of community-based primary health care. They emphasize training and education, and prioritize hiring local staff in fact, 96% of their field-based staff and health professionals are recruited from the local community. This helps to ensure that skills and knowledge are passed on and remain long after programs have ended.

Through the integration of specialties like emergency medicine, women’s health, nutrition services, water and sanitation, and mental health into the primary health care setting,International Medical Corps ensures that those served receive holistic, comprehensive care. The value of International Medical Corps integrated approach to community health and well-being and their emphasis on capacity building through training are critical for the long-term growth of conflict and natural disaster-affected communities and fragile states.

http://internationalmedicalcorps.org/

Honorees

Carlos Santana

Delivered with a level of passion and soul equal to the legendary sonic charge of his guitar, the sound of Carlos Santana is one of the world’s best-known musical signatures. For more than four decades – from Santana’s earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco – Carlos has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural and geographical boundaries.

Long before the category now known as “world music” was named, Santana’s ever-evolving sound has always been ahead of its time in its universal appeal, and today registers as ideally in sync with the 21st century’s pan-cultural landscape. And, with a dedication to humanitarian outreach and social activism that parallels his lifelong relationship with music; Carlos Santana is as much an exemplary world citizen as a global music icon.

The musical career of Santana has been nothing short of remarkable, initially emerging as one of the last major acts of the psychedelic San Francisco music scene of the late 1960s – including an appearance at the iconic Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York – and then forging forward to massive success in the 70s. Carlos Santana’s has remained a vital force within the music industry. His consistent commercial success in a career spans five decades. Santana boasts more than 90 million record sales and in 1998, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 1999 the group made a monumental comeback with album Supernatural, which proved to be their best-selling release of all time. Featuring a plethora of high-profile guests including Wyclef Jean, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill and Dave Matthews, the album won 8 Grammy Awards and a number one hit single with Smooth featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20.

A native of Mexico, Carlos Santana’s love affair with music began at the tender age of five when he picked up the violin. From there, influenced by the likes of blues legends BB King and John Lee Hooker, he turned to the guitar and has since been inspiring audiences the world over.

Carlos has also devoted his life to social activism and humanitarian causes. He has contributed numerous benefits and charitable causes, among them San Francisco Earthquake Relief, Tijuana Orphans, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and education for Latin youth in association with the Hispanic Media & Education Group prompting numerous civic and humanitarian commendations.

In 1998, Carlos Santana and his family started the Milagro Foundation, the culmination of his decades of support for countless charities and non-profit agencies the world over. With more than $4 million in grants to date, Milagro supports organizations promoting the welfare of underserved children in the areas of health, education, and the arts.

Carlos donated more than $2 million dollars in the fight against the AIDS pandemic in South Africa through a partnership with ANSA (Artists for New South Africa). Other organizations championed by Santana include Hispanic Education and Media Group, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Childreach, Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace, American Indian College Fund, Amnesty International, and the Los Angeles-based Museum of Tolerance.

Carlos’ influence and idealism is also felt in the groundbreaking project Architects of a New Dawn (AOND) www.aoand.com, a multi-platform media enterprise and social network designed to empower like-minded people from all walks of life to create positive change in the global community. AOND is architecting a new reality for the planet based on inspiration, creativity, love and forgiveness. Carlos is deeply honored to be named one of 2011’s Kindred SPIRITS Humanitarian Award recipients and wishes everyone “Peace.”

David Koz

Dave Koz, the world-renowned saxophone player, initially picked up the saxophone as a means of gaining entry into his big brother’s band. For the young boy who grew up in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, what began as a ploy became a lifelong obsession. In a career spanning nearly two decades, Dave has established himself as a platinum-selling solo recording artist, humanitarian, music-business entrepreneur, radio host and instrumental music advocate. The recipient of four Grammy nominations, the list of artists Dave has played with bears testament to his talent – Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, U2, Michael McDonald, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis and Rod Stewart among others.

Dave is host of the weekend syndicated radio show, The Dave Koz Radio Show, that features artist interviews and music. The show currently runs in approximately 120 markets and is in its 10th year on the air. He has also recently become the host of Smooth Jazz Network’s afternoon show which is distributed nationally, along with hosting Smooth Air in Japan. In addition, Dave is a co-founder of independent record company Rendezvous Entertainment. Dave just released his 8th studio album At The Movies where he pays homage to classic film music.

In his role as a world-renowned saxophone player and syndicated radio host, Dave has rallied his fans to support Starlight’s programs, including helping to deliver cuddly bears to hospitalized children during the holiday season every year. While on tour, he has often visited hospitalized children and shared his music to lift their spirits. In addition, he and his family were also among the very first PC Pal sponsors – placing three units at Shriners Hospital Los Angeles in his mother’s memory.

In appreciation of Dave Koz’s 20 years of dedication to improving the quality of life of seriously ill children and their families, Starlight presented him with The Jacki Carlish Humanitarian Award at the 2007 A Stellar Night gala.

Performers

2011 Concert Performers

  • Cantor Ilan Davidson

    Cantor Ilan Davidson has been pleasing audiences with his singing since before he could read. At age five, he began singing with his Cantor, Philip Moddel, and hasn’t shut up since. At ten, he made his Operatic debut with the Fullerton Civic Light Opera’s production of Bizet’s Carmen, as a street urchin. Since then, he has performed roles in and scenes from Die Zauberflote, Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, L’Elisir D’amore, Les Pecheurs du Perles, and Manon, to name a few.

    Besides his Operatic experience, Cantor Davidson also has extensive background, performing and directing theatre. He has performed such roles as Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls and Tony in Westside Story, and has produced many one man musical theatre reviews. Ilan has also been the musical and artistic director for many children’s theatre productions.

    Among his many accomplishments, Cantor Davidson is also known as a contemporary Jewish songwriter and performer, having delighted audiences all over the world, including Israel and Lithuania with the soulful sounds of his music. As the owner of Davidsound Productions, the Cantor has produced many recordings, including his first original album, Stained Glass, in 1995. Most recently, Ilan’s band, The Moody Jews, released In A Hanukkah Mood. The Moody Jews are working on two more recordings in 2009, including Still In A Hanukkah Mood, a CD of new, original Hanukkah melodies.

    After making the choice in 1991 to pursue a career in Jewish Education, Youth Work, and the Cantorate, Cantor Davidson left the stage and in 1995 joined the Temple Beth El family, in San Pedro, where he has brought many new programs and much enthusiasm to the community. In 2007, Cantor Davidson founded KindredSPIRITS, a non-profit humanitarian organization that inspires and educates diverse communities to support its global partners. The inaugural event premiered June 5, 2008 at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Whether it is Hazzanut, Pop, Opera, Musical Theatre, or Folk music, Cantor Ilan Davidson shares his soul and genuine love in every note.

    When asked about his finest accomplishment, Cantor Davidson invariably responds, “After all the great concerts, services, and roles, my finest role in life is that of husband to my beautiful wife, Jodi, and daddy to my gorgeous daughters, Jordan and Zoe.”

  • Faithful Central Bible Church Choir

    With the leadership of Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, Senior Pastor-Teacher, and under the direction of Dr. Diane White, Minister of Music, the Faithful Central Bible Church Choir of Inglewood, CA consists of a combination of voices from four of its unique choirs: Men of Faith, Voices of Faith, One Voice, Sacred Praise Chorale and the Praise Teams.

    Although each choir offers a distinct sound, together they produce a spirit-filled harmony! The Faithful Central Bible Church Choir or “FCBC” Choir (affectionately known) repertoire features traditional and contemporary gospel, as well as African American sacred music such as: spirituals, anthems and hymns. The soulful sound of worship from the FCBC Choir can be heard on their debut CD, “Zion Rejoice”.

    With the aim of spreading the gospel to the nations, God has anointed Faithful Central to minister with Habitat for Humanity, the Israel Christian Nexus, Blue & White on Wilshire, at the Knotts Berry Farm’s Gospel Showcase, the Taste of Soul on Crenshaw, BET’s Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel Show, the Annual Holy Convocation with Bishop Gilbert Patterson, the Black Business Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the West Coast House of Blues “Gospel Brunch” on Sunset Blvd., just to share a few of these opportunities.

  • Dr. Noreen Green

    DR. NOREEN GREEN, LAJS Founder, Artistic Director and Conductor, is also music director at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California, a renowned lecturer on Jewish music, and an accomplished educator. She is known world-wide for her knowledge and skill in presenting music with Jewish themes.

    Green has received public recognition for her outstanding contributions to the multi-cultural musical scene in Los Angeles by Congressman Brad Sherman and by the Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life. She has received the “Jewish Cultural Star” award presented by the National Foundation of Jewish Culture at The Jewish Image Awards, the “Golda Meir Award” from The State of Israel Bonds, the “Hall of Fame Award” from the National Association of Women Business Owners and the “Women of Significance Award” from Adat Ari El Sisterhood. She has been a featured speaker for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Upbeat Live series and conducted at the opening ceremonies of the 2001 Maccabi Games in Philadelphia. Dr. Green has been guest conductor for Jewish Music concerts with the Rubin Academy Orchestra in Tel Aviv, the Johannesburg Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony at the new performing arts center in Herzliyah and the R’aanana Symphonette . Under her baton, LAJS has performed in concert with Hollywood personalities including Billy Crystal, Tovah Feldshuh, Leonard Nimoy, Randy Newman, Theodore Bikel, Laraine Newman, Valerie Harper, Pat Boone, Lainie Kazan, Fyvush Finkel, Dave Koz, Marvin Hamlisch, Roslyn Kind, David Benoit and others.

    During her tenure with the LAJS, Green, along with Education Director Ilizabeth Gilbert, has developed education programs initially funded by the New and Innovate Grants division of the Jewish Community Foundation. Several of these programs have gone on to receive funding from the Righteous Persons Foundation, the Maurice Amado Foundation, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the Leonard and Susan Bay Nimoy Foundation and the Tel Aviv/Los Angeles Partnership. LAJS received a substantial education grant from the National Endowment of the Arts for its Patchwork of Cultures program which uses music to show the cultural bridge between the Sephardic Jewish and Hispanic communities.

    Green received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California and a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting at California State University, Northridge under conductor John Alexander. From 1981 to 1990, she was the conductor of the American Jewish Choral Society. As West Coast Music Director of the David Nowakowsky Foundation from1992 to 1998, Green presented an annual concert series of the Nowakowsky Chorale. She wrote her doctoral treatise on the music of Nowakowsky, and went on to edit many of his works, ten of which have been published by Laurendale.

    From 1986 to 1992, Green was an Assistant Professor at CSUN and in the summer of 1993, she worked with conductor Murry Sidlin at the Aspen Music School. With his support and encouragement, she developed the concept for and founded the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony.

  • Roslyn Kind

    Roslyn Kind is a dynamic, multi-talented entertainer who has forged a successful career in all facets of entertainment from critically acclaimed recordings to sold-out performances on Broadway and in top concert venues and nightclubs the world over.

    A vibrant musical artist, Ms. Kind is familiar to both national and international audiences for her headlining appearances at some of the most prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, The Greek Theater and London’s Cafe Royal. The London Times noted “To say she is superb would be an understatement”. In 2006 she made her long awaited and rapturously received Carnegie Hall debut with her frequent musical collaborator and friend, Michael Feinstein.

    She began her performing career while still in her teens with the release of her first album, Give Me You. A whirlwind of performing activity followed including engagements at the nation’s top nightclubs, acclaim from Time Magazine and three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show leading up to her show-stopping New York debut at the Plaza Hotel’s legendary Persian Room.

    Concurrent with her recording career, Ms. Kind is an accomplished theatrical performer. On Broadway, she starred in the crowd-pleasing musical revue 3 from Brooklyn. Additional theatrical credits include the Off-Broadway production of Show Me Where the Good Times Are, Leader of the Pack and Ferguson the Tailor. She also stopped the show in a critically lauded Los Angeles production of William Finn’s Elegies; The Hollywood Reporter noted, Roslyn Kind sings like a dream.

    Ms. Kind’s extensive list of television credits include the film Switched at Birth, multiple episodes of NBC’s Gimme a Break, Throb starring Jane Leeves and a humorously memorable turn as herself on CBS’s The Nanny. Ms. Kind has appeared on virtually every major talk/variety show including the Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. Among her international television credits are England’s Pebble Mill Show, Canada’s Musique Plus, and For Me Formidable, a Charles Aznavour special for European TV co-starring Dusty Springfield. In motion pictures, Ms. Kind has had starring roles in The Underachievers and I’m Going to Be Famous and just completed working on a Hallmark movie for TV called Ladies of the House starring Donna Mills and Florence Henderson. Roz can also be heard singing Hold On While You Can in the 2008 movie Truloved. She just completed a biography for TV called Unscripted on Vision TV.

    Ms. Kind also takes pride in her work for various animal welfare, Alzheimer’s and AIDS related charitable organizations including HSUS, APLA and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS for which she contributed a song selection to Cabaret Noel, a recent volume in their annual series of holiday CD releases.

    Roslyn’s unique artistry is equally at home on stage, screen and disc. The New York Post summed it up best “She’s so good on so many levels; it’s difficult to categorize her”. This elegant, beautiful, petite, dynamo delight rules the stage with a royal command that demands adoration from every seat in the house. A native of Brooklyn, New York she currently resides in Los Angeles.

  • David Benoit

    Since launching his recording career in 1977, David Benoit’s expansive career as a contemporary jazz pianist has included over 25 solo recordings. His 80s releases This Side Up, Freedom at Midnight and the GRAMMY nominated Every Step of the Way are considered influential genre classics. Among his other Grammy nominations are those for Best Instrumental Composition (for Dad’s Room, from 1999’s Professional Dreamer) and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance (for the GRP All-Star Big Band). His prolific output since 2000 includes several prominent Charlie Brown related projects (including Here’s To You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years and the star-studded 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas) that reflect his lifelong passion for the music of original Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi and solidify Benoit’s role as his musical heir. Benoit has also released the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charting albums Fuzzy Logic, Right Here, Right Now, Full Circle and Heroes, which paid homage to the pianist’s top jazz and pop influences.

    Benoit’s ever expanding slate of orchestral music endeavors include his ongoing role as conductor of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and leading such eminent orchestras as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphonies of London, Nuremberg, San Francisco, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Jose. Concurrent with his burgeoning career as a conductor, he recorded 1996’s American Landscape with The London Symphony Orchestra and 2005’s Orchestral Stories with members of the Asia America Symphony Orchestra and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Orchestral Stories featured his first piano concerto “The Centaur and the Sphinx” and his acclaimed symphonic piece “Kobe”, both of which he has performed in live settings across the country. In 2009, Benoit performed and conducted Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” with the Asia America Symphony Orchestra in a show that included Broadway great Lea Salonga; he later conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the same orchestra in his critically acclaimed debut at Los Angeles’ Disney Hall.

    Benoit’s notable film scores include The Stars Fell on Henrietta, produced by Clint Eastwood and starring Robert Duvall; and The Christmas Tree, produced by Sally Field, voted Best Score of 1996 by Film Score Magazine. Benoit has also been a longtime guest educator with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, winning the organization’s “excellence in music education” award in 2001.

  • Eric Rigler

    In just a decade Eric Rigler has become one of Celtic music’s most sought-after recording session artists, bringing the timeless, haunting sonorities of the uilleann pipes, the Great Highland Bagpipe, the Scottish small-pipes and the Irish whistle to film, television, and recording audiences around the world.

    Though best known for his work with composer James Horner as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra on the Oscar-winning films BRAVEHEART and TITANIC, Eric is featured on the soundtracks of dozens of other motion pictures including SEX & THE CITY 2, CINDERELLA MAN, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, OPEN SEASON, TROY, LADDER 49, MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, THE ROAD TO PERDITION, AUSTIN POWERS: The Spy Who Shagged Me, THE NEGOTIATOR, THE DEVIL’S OWN, THE FUGITIVE, and the IMAX documentary, EVEREST.

    Among his television credits are Jimmy Kimmel Live with The Young Dubliners, the 2006 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for CBS, Crossing Jordan for NBC, The Star Spangled Banner with Faith Hill for NFL Superbowl XXXIV, The 1999 Grammy Awards’ performance of the theme from Titanic with James Horner, twice featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with Josh Groban and Charlotte Church, Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Simpsons for Fox, Battlestar Galactica for Sci Fi, Newsradio for NBC, South Park for Comedy Central, Northern Exposure for CBS and a score of commercials. He is also one of the few non-Scots ever featured on the prestigious BBC Radio Scotland programs Pipeline and Music for the Pipes.

    As a testament to his proficiency and reputation, The Reagan Family and Foundation requested Eric to lead former President Ronald Reagan’s casket with the melody of Amazing Grace to its final resting place on June 11, 2004, witnessed by millions of television viewers around the globe.

    “Over the last decade the generous fruits of Eric Rigler’s multiple musical lives have indeed borne a rich harvest of imaginative creativity, long may it be so.” — Irish Music magazine, February 1999.

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