Boston jazz saxophone prodigy Grace Kelly will perform at the Asian American Civic Association’s 45th Annual Gala at the Park Plaza Hotel.
“We are thrilled to welcome Grace Kelly to perform at this year’s gala event,” said Mary Chin, president of the AACA, in a statement released by the non-profit organization, which provides services to immigrants and the economically disadvantaged.
“She possesses an incredible amount of talent and continues to amaze audiences all around the world,” Chin said. “We’re sure it’s going to be a performance to remember.”
The May 18 event, titled Their Courage to be New, is co-chaired by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and First Lady Diane Patrick. It will celebrate the achievements of immigrants in Greater Boston and will include an award ceremony, a formal dinner, silent and live auctions, and a Dragon Dance performed by the Wah Lum Kung Fu Athletic Association.
At 19, Kelly has already released seven albums and been voted Best Jazz Act in Boston in the Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll for four consecutive years. Kelly received the ASCAP Foundation’s Young Jazz Composers Award in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011, and won the Jazz Artist of the Year award at the Boston Music Awards in 2008 and 2010.
Kelly has performed with famous musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., Hank Jones, and the Boston Pops. She also was invited to perform in an ensemble at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Celebration.
Proceeds from the gala will support the continued expansion of the organization’s workforce development programs, English classes, and social services, including the operation of the bilingual English/Chinese newspaper Sampan, and Buds Blossoms Early Education and Care Center, the first Chinese Mandarin-immersion childcare center in Greater Boston.
To purchase tickets or become a corporate sponsor of the gala, contact Georgiana Tam at 617-426-9492, extension 203, or gtam@aaca-boston.org.
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