Adopt The Arts is hosting a live benefit concert and event to help “save the arts” in Los Angeles elementary schools. Music luminaries will perform with and honor 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick) for their contributions to American art and culture.
Confirmed artists include Matt Sorum (Velvet Revolver, Guns ‘n Roses), Gilby Clark (Guns ‘n Roses), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Billy Duffy (The Cult), Dean Deleo & Robert Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Franky Perez (Apocalyptica), Paul III (Disreputable Few and Courtney Love), Damon Fox (Big Elf and The Cult), Steve Lukather (Toto) and DJ Morty Coyle. Comedian Hal Sparks will also be a part of the night’s festivities, which also includes a live auction.
The event will take place on Thursday, May 12, at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. The red carpet starts at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at axs.com
Adopt The Arts is a Los Angeles-based charity, co-founded by musician Matt Sorum and activist Abby Berman, that works to preserve arts programs in U.S. public schools. Actress Jane Lynch is an active supporter and one of the founding board members. To raise awareness, Adopt The Arts honors individuals who’ve had a long-lasting impact on music culture and who inspire young musicians to follow in their footsteps.
According to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), there are not enough teachers, equipment or instruments for every child to receive an arts education. As in many school districts around the country, LAUSD has been eroding its commitment to arts education, reducing the budget incrementally. The LAUSD district also estimates that 80% of its student body is living at or below the poverty line, which means the vast majority of these elementary school children will not have access to the arts outside of school.
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“Adopt the Arts was born out of the frustration for my own children losing education in the arts,” explains Adopt The Arts co-founder Berman. “When the system is failing, we have to take action. With influential people like my co-founder Matt Sorum adopting schools, we can preserve this valuable component to childhood development, which is also known to boost test scores. Because Federal and State funding is falling short, the responsibility is upon us as concerned parents and citizens to ensure we’re raising a new generation of healthy and well-rounded individuals.”
Adopt The Arts Chair and co-founder Sorum adds, “We’re starting in our own backyard here in Los Angeles, and we’ll continue to adopt schools across the nation. We believe that art is a universal and necessary language that unites us all, regardless of our backgrounds.”
Ticket prices for the event are below and all tax-deductible donations benefit Adopt the Arts:
1) General Admission (Standing): $40
2) General Admission (Stadium Seating): $75
3) VIP Tickets: $275 | VIP Table for 10: $2,500
4) Meet and Greet VIP Tickets: $500
5) Meet and Greet VIP Table for 10: $4,500
Proceeds from the event will be donated to Adopt the Arts.
For more information, visit adoptthearts.org.
