Castle Opens for Music Benefit Gala
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2009) - You’ve seen it out Versailles Road for decades and wondered what was behind those mysterious castle walls. Now is your chance to find out. CastlePost will be the setting for the Fifth Annual Moonlight Gala fundraiser presented by the Friends of the University of Kentucky School of Music, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2.
While the CastlePost itself promises to be a major draw, there is no shortage of star power scheduled for the evening of food, wine and dancing. The honored guests for the evening include UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. and Patsy Todd, UK Basketball Coach John Calipari, and legendary former UK Basketball Coach Joe B. Hall.
The black-tie-optional gala celebrates the award winning tradition of the UK School of Music. Student and faculty music groups will be playing in different spaces throughout this amazing venue, culminating in an evening of dancing to the music of Miles Osland leading the UK Jazz Ensemble. Individual tickets for the event are $150. For information, call (859) 257-4900 or visit www.uky.edu/FineArts/Music/Moonlight.
Located near Keeneland and the Blue Grass Airport, CastlePost features 16 stately guest rooms, an elegant ballroom, billiard room, tennis court, basketball court, swimming pool and its own executive chef, with the stated aim of being Kentucky's premier luxury tourist inn.
The Friends of the UK School of Music is a community based volunteer organization whose goal is to support the students, faculty, and programs of the school. The annual Moonlight galas have been held at some of the most interesting and beautiful venues in the Bluegrass.
UK Athletics has a growing relationship with the UK School of Music, which trains and manages the UK Wildcat Marching Band, Drumline, Color Guard and Pep Band.
In April of this year, UK Football Coach Rich Brooks took the baton from UK Symphony Orchestra Director John Nardolillo to conduct a rousing rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever” in the School of Music’s annual Scholarship Benefit Gala. Coach Brooks also was the featured subject of a limited edition of Wildcat blue Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles, the proceeds from which are expected to generate more than $1 million in additional funding to help the School of Music’s outreach program to bring the UK Symphony Orchestra and students from the school into public schools and communities throughout Kentucky.
The additional support of Coach Calipari and Coach Hall brings even more visibility to the positive impact of the UK School of Music on the cultural life of the university, the community and the world, through its outstanding training of future professional musicians and educators.