Gala 2026

Standing Ovations
- A Gala To Remember!

The 2026 Growing Through Music Gala took place on Friday, May 1 as a festive celebration of the school’s 45 years of existence. This sold-out event featured live student performances, video footage from ChiME partner schools, and meaningful messages that highlighted ChiME’s continued commitment to expanding access to music programs for everyone and using music to help all students develop life skills. We heard remarks from the founder of the school, Peggy Wise, who continues to be a mentor to ChiME staff and Board members. The Board of Directors also honored long-time benefactor and Emeritus Board member Sylvia Pozarnsky with the Growing Through Music Award for her 38 years of service and support. Sylvia’s inspiring remarks about how music shaped her life resonated with everyone in the audience and drew a thunderous, warm applause.

Music played center-stage for all the festivities. Cocktail hour was filled with performances by ChiME’s solo guitar and violin students from ChiME’s private lesson program as well as the violin duo of teaching artists Karen Szczech and Janice Lee. We then heard a sequence of welcome songs by first and sixth grade students from ChiME’s partner, LEARN Excel Charter School and members of ChiME’s Spring Buddy Band. Later in the program, guests enjoyed a video featuring a medley of songs about ChiME core values performed by students across our partner schools in their classrooms. Performances culminated in an electrifying rendition of Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd) by our private lesson program alumni James Heitz and Shaan Smith on guitar, supported by ChiME staff on vocals and a rhythm section.

Because of the unmatched generosity of all our sponsors, donors, and Gala guests, the evening was a smashing fundraising success: we raised more than $250,000 to help ChiME continue and expand its programs! We are absolutely stunned by this record-breaking amount and grateful beyond measure to all ChiME supporters for their generosity and faith in our work. Thanks to you, we can continue to make a positive impact on those we serve and we can expand our services so that more schools, classrooms, and children can participate in our life-changing music programs, regardless of their ability to pay or their accommodation needs. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all those who came to the Gala, participated in the auction and raffle, and donated generously to ChiME. We can’t do this work without your support and we are blessed to have you in our ChiME Family!

THANK YOU!!!