Cobb Reporter

ArtsBridge Foundation to Host Annual Overture Gala

ATLANTA, July 8, 2024 – ArtsBridge Foundation is set to bring a night of jazz, arts, and entertainment to Atlanta during the 2024 Overture Gala– “A Night at the Cabaret” on August 3, 2024, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. This event will unite the community in support of the Foundation’s arts education and financial aid subsidy programs. The event is co-chaired by Kathy McLean, founder and CEO of Welborn McLean Group, and Roderick McLean, vice president and general manager of the Air Mobility & Maritime Missions Line of Business and site manager of the Marietta facility at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. The evening’s Master of Ceremonies is Allen Devlin, award-winning anchor of Atlanta News First.

The Gala’s Principal Sponsor is the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Engineering, with Modern Luxury magazine serving as Media Sponsor. The Host Committee includes Darryl Armstrong from Atlanta Brand Central; Stacey Chapman from CROFT & Associates; Erin & Charlie Chesnutt (Ret.) from Genuine Parts Company; Lynn & Doug Flanders from Ocean Center-Daytona Beach; Fran & Bruce Friedrich from Renasant Bank; Courtney May from Empire Distributors; and Gail & Napoleon Rutledge Jr. from McKesson.

The Overture Gala will feature a cocktail hour in a sophisticated lounge where guests can enjoy performances by Georgia student jazz artists. This will be followed by a gourmet three-course dinner and a live auction offering packages for trips to Tuscany, South Africa, and more. During dinner, performances from the 2024 Lead Actress and Lead Actor nominees of the six-time Southeast Emmy® Award-winning Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards program will be showcased. The After-Party will feature music by the Eric Thomas Project.

“We are very excited to bring our community a night where supporting and celebrating art is both the means of entertainment and the goal of our event,” says Jennifer D. Dobbs, executive director for ArtsBridge Foundation. She adds that "as the event theme ‘Blue Rhapsody’ suggests," it will be an immersive experience transporting guests back in time through melodic jazz sounds in a cabaret-style theatre-in-the-round space.

Focused on enriching the lives of Georgia Pre-K to 12th-grade students through transformative arts education experiences, ArtsBridge Foundation’s arts education and subsidy programs are closely tied to classroom curriculum and the Georgia Standards of Excellence. These programs engage, motivate, and elevate all Georgia's Pre-K-12 students. The 2024 Overture Gala – “A Night at the Cabaret” – is one of the Foundation’s main fundraising events directly helping fund these programs.

Individuals and organizations interested in supporting the 2024 Overture Gala and ArtsBridge Foundation’s mission can participate by becoming event sponsors, making charitable donations or purchasing individual event tickets. Special reduced ticket pricing is available for parents, students, and alumni of the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards program.

For more information, please visit ArtsBridgeGA.org.

About ArtsBridge Foundation

ArtsBridge Foundation provides high-quality arts education and community programs that engage, motivate, inspire, and elevate future generations of artists and arts supporters. Offering opportunities to Pre-K-12 students through various programs at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre—including field trips, professional development sessions—and hosting annual events like the six-time Southeast Emmy® Award-winning Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards (GHSMTA). Since its inception in 2007, ArtsBridge has served nearly 425,000 students and educators across 70 counties in Georgia as well as students from five bordering states. As a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3), further details about their work can be found at ArtsBridgeGA.org.