Presents The 7th Annual Performance Series of Legends 2014 Featuring Sting and Very Special Guest Paul Simon The Music Center at Strathmore Wednesday, March 12, 2014 6:00 pm VIP Reception 8:00 pm Performance
Join us for an evening of great music with Sting and Very Special Guest Paul Simon at the Music Center at Strathmore for a concert benefiting the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as we celebrate 40 Years of Being the Difference! Ellington s talented & award winning student artists will be sharing the stage with these musical icons for an epic performance you should not miss! THE PERFORMANCE SERIES OF LEGENDS The Performance Series of Legends is Ellington s signature fundraising event, which began in 2008 and has since become a staple event in the Washington, DC area. Annually held at the Kennedy Center, this year s benefit concert will take place at the Music Center at Strathmore in Rockville, MD. Past performers have included greats like Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Smokey Robinson and Patti LaBelle; as well as Ellington alumni--opera singer Denyce Graves and comedian Dave Chappelle. These legendary performers have not only raised millions of dollars for the school through ticket sales and sponsorships, but they have given their time, talent and knowledge with students in master classes, performances and invaluable experiences. With the 7 th Annual Performance Series of Legends, we hope to continue to gain national and international recognition for the school, raise even more funds to support the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and most importantly forge close partnerships with companies and individuals committed to the arts, young people and arts education. We invite you to join us to invest in successfully educating young people for the 21 st century in and through the arts. THE DUKE ELLINGTON SCHOOL OF THE ARTS The Duke Ellington School of the Arts is the only DC public school (DCPS) that provides professional arts training and college preparation to over 500 talented high school students (grades 9-12) from every Ward in the city, 40% from the most underserved Wards 7 and 8. Since its inception in 1974, Ellington has upheld its mission of providing an exemplary arts and academic education to talented youth who may not otherwise have that opportunity. In addition to taking a full academic course-load, each student majors in one of eight arts disciplines: Dance, Literary Media & Communications, Museum Studies, Instrumental or Vocal Music, Theatre, Technical Design & Production, and Visual Arts. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts Project is an independently operated public school in partnership with the D.C. Public Schools, George Washington University, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Ellington Fund. Ellington's success rate is exceptional. In 2013, Ellington graduated 99% of its students on time, and 95% of those students went on to higher education--many as first-generation college students. As a result, Ellington has the highest graduation rate in DCPS, whose graduation rate averages 56%. In 2012, Ellington was named an exemplary school by the Arts Schools Network (ASN), which is dedicated to serving arts school leaders and is widely considered to be the resource for arts schools and best practice models in arts education. Most recently, US News & World Report has nominated Ellington in its list of Best High Schools 2013.
WHY BECOME A SPONSOR? What do Safran USA, Feld Entertainment, BET, FedEx, Renaissance Hotels, T-Mobile, The Kennedy Center, The George Washington University and law firms like Morgan Lewis, Dickstein Shapiro and Sullivan & Cromwell all have in common? The Duke Ellington School of the Arts! They are all leading supporters of Duke Ellington who annually sponsor the Performance Series of Legends and remain dedicated to investing in DC s youth. What better way that to give back to your community than through nurturing youth that will shape our future? The continued success of our students has led to a growing national reputation for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Our students and alumni are routinely chosen to perform in local, national and international venues, including repeated appearances at the White House. We are proud of our successes for 40 years. Ellington alumni are now Grammy and Tony-award winners, Emmy-nominated actors and arts administrators for leading arts institutions around the nation. So when you partner with Ellington, you are building your brand with a true Washington institution that cultivates young people that become leading scholars, artists and citizens of our community and the world. SPONSORSHIP BENEFITS AND OPPORTUNITIES We would like for you to be a part of our success! Sponsoring the 7 th Annual Performance Series of Legends is a unique opportunity for your organization to align with one of the leading arts schools in the nation. As a sponsor, your organization will: Have an opportunity to meet Sting at a private VIP reception. Gain exposure through several marketing and promotional channels leading up to the benefit concert. Achieve enhanced visibility in the community. Become a partner of a leading arts school with proven academic and artistic success. BENEFIT COMMITTEE HONORARY CHAIR Maryland Governor Martin O Malley CHAIRS Peggy Cooper Cafritz Robert D. Horvath, Jr. MEMBERS Charles Barber Paul Boudrye Sherri Blount Dennis Cotter Tedd Davis Ari Fitzgerald Virginia McGehee Friend Nancy Folger Marilyn Funderburk Daryl Libow Linda Lipsett Nancy Racette Alex G. Romain Torrey Shallcross Tom Sugrue Liv Violette Heidi Webb Annie Whatley
An Evening with Sting and Very Special Guest Paul Simon Benefiting the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Wednesday, March 12, 2014 The Music Center at Strathmore PRESENTING SPONSOR $100,000 Exclusive opportunity with appearance and verbal recognition from the main stage, and speaking opportunity at the VIP Reception Main stage appearance and recognition as Presenting Sponsor during the program Named sponsor of VIP Reception Speaking opportunity at pre-performance VIP reception Performance by Ellington students at local corporate function of your choice (mutually agreed upon date) 25 prime orchestra seats 25 tickets to the VIP Reception Corporate visibility at VIP Reception with opportunity to provide promotional gifts to VIP guests Logo and name in email blasts sent to Legends invitees prior to event Logo placement on all event signage PLATINUM SPONSOR $75,000 Verbal recognition from the main stage and speaking opportunity at the VIP Reception Main stage recognition during the program Speaking opportunity at pre-performance VIP reception 20 prime orchestra seats 20 tickets to the VIP Reception Corporate visibility at VIP Reception with opportunity to provide promotional gifts to VIP guests Logo and name in email blasts sent to Legends invitees prior to event Logo placement on all event signage
GOLD SPONSOR $50,000 Verbal recognition from the main stage and recognition on featured signage at the VIP Reception Main stage recognition during the program 16 prime orchestra seats 16 tickets to the VIP Reception Corporate name visibility with opportunity to provide promotional gifts for VIP Reception guests PREMIER SPONSOR $25,000 12 prime orchestra seats 12 tickets to the VIP Reception Corporate name visibility with opportunity to provide promotional gifts for VIP Reception guests SIGNATURE SPONSOR $10,000 8 prime orchestra seats 8 tickets to the VIP Reception One half-page color advertisement featured in the souvenir program Corporate name visibility with opportunity to provide promotional gifts for VIP Reception guests
ENCORE SPONSOR $5,000 4 prime orchestra seats 4 tickets to the VIP Reception 1 prime orchestra seat 1 ticket to the VIP Reception VIP TICKET $1,000
An Evening with Sting and Very Special Guest Paul Simon Benefiting the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Wednesday, March 12, 2014 The Music Center at Strathmore Sponsorship Agreement Form To confirm your support, please complete the information below and fax it to (202) 333-7930, e-mail it to info@ellingtonarts.org, or mail it to the address below. (Must RSVP by February 28, 2014 to guarantee listing in publications.) Contact Name: Company/Organization: Street Address: City, State, Zip: Telephone: Fax: E-Mail: Please List in Printed Materials as: I/we agree to sponsor An Evening with Sting and Very Special Guest Paul Simon at the following level: Presenting Sponsor $100,000 Platinum Sponsor $75,000 Gold Sponsor $50,000 Premier Sponsor $25,000 Signature Sponsor $10,000 Encore Sponsor $5,000 # VIP Ticket(s) $1,000 each I/we are unable to attend but would like to make a contribution of $ Signature: Date: Company or Individual Title: Method of Payment: Please provide full payment with the completed Sponsorship Agreement form or mail to the address below. Any sponsorship not paid upon submission of agreement will be invoiced for the amount of the selected level of sponsorship. Final payments must be made by COB on March 5 th to guarantee tickets. Payment by Credit Card: Payment by Check: American Express Make checks payable to The Ellington Fund MasterCard 3500 R Street, NW Visa Washington, DC 20007 Cardholder s Name: Card Number: Expiration Date: Security Code: Cardholder s Signature: For more information please contact: Grace Hong, Chief Development Officer (202) 333-1235 or ghong@ellingtonarts.org