SBCC Music returns to the Lobero Theatre at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, for a benefit concert presented by the SBCC Foundation and featuring guest Michael McDonald performing alongside SBCC Music students and faculty.
SBCC’s award-winning Lunch Break Jazz Band directed by Jim Mooy will present an set of contemporary big band jazz, and the New World Jazz Ensemble, directed by Tony Ybarra, will play a tribute to Miles Davis.
Musical legend McDonald will perform hits from his career, accompanied by a string ensemble from SBCC Music. SBCC Music alumni Cambria Metzinger and Phoebe Light will also perform.
A limited number of VIP tickets are available that include a reception where attendees will meet McDonald and SBCC musicians.
“The community’s response to last year’s show was overwhelming; many had no idea that SBCC’s Music Program was so extraordinary,” said Geoff Green, CEO of the SBCC Foundation.
“We are excited to be returning to the Lobero and grateful to Michael McDonald and all the performers, who are once again generously donating their time and talents for this special evening,” he said.
Tickets are on sale at the Lobero Theatre online at https://www.lobero.org/events/sbcc-benefit-michael-mcdonald/, priced $55-$75, with VIP tickets available for $150. SBCC students may attend for $25 (one per student with a current SBCC student ID at the box office). The concert will directly benefit SBCC Music.
The SBCC Music program offers a range of performance opportunities and courses of study for all students and the community. SBCC music majors have the opportunity by audition to take private lessons with professionals in their field and participate in recitals and concerts.
The program is open to all instrumentalists/vocalists and prepares students for entry into a four-year music school or preparation for a professional career. Many have established successful careers in music education, technology and performance.
Pop star Katy Perry is a graduate of the SBCC songwriting class, and Grammy award-winning saxophonist Kevin Garren, and multi-platinum producer/songwriter Tim Pagnotta are also SBCC Music alumni.
Visit sbcc.edu/music for more information.
With a career that encompasses five Grammys, numerous chart successes and personal and professional accolades, as well as collaborations with some of the world’s most prominent artists, McDonald remains an enduring force in popular music.
Hailing from St. Louis, McDonald arrived in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, honing his talents as a studio musician before becoming part of Steely Dan.
In the mid-’70s McDonald was invited to join the Doobie Brothers, serving as singer, keyboardist and songwriter on such Top 40 singles as “Takin’ It To The Streets,” “It Keeps You Runnin’,” “Minute By Minute” and “What A Fool Believes.”
Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, McDonald’s solo career took off with a string of hits including “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near),” “Sweet Freedom,” “On My Own” (with Patti LaBelle), and the Grammy-winning James Ingram duet “Yah Mo B There;” plus he co-wrote the Van Halen hit “I’ll Wait.”
James Mooy currently conducts the award-winning SBCC Lunch Break Jazz Ensemble, and the 70-piece Symphony Orchestra at SBCC. Under his leadership, the Lunch Break Jazz Ensemble was one of six finalist bands chosen for the Monterey Next Gen Jazz Festival for three consecutive years.
Mooy is a Music Academy of the West alumnus and has toured the U.S. and Japan as a professional trumpet player.
Ybarra is director of the SBCC New World Jazz Ensemble, and is an active guitarist and recording artist in many styles, recognized as an authority in Flamenco and Latin styles. His music has been featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and can be heard in episodes of the Showtime hit Dexter.
A number of Ybarra’s recordings have been used in movies, TV shows and commercials. He has recorded six albums under his own name and recorded music for the Compass label, which has been featured across the U.S.
He is currently an adjunct professor of music at SBCC (where he is also an alumnus), directs the advanced Jazz Combo, and works with advanced guitar students.
The SBCC Foundation has provided SBCC with private philanthropic support since 1976, serving as the vehicle through which individuals and organizations may invest in the college and its students. For more information, visit http://www.sbccfoundation.org.
— Jennifer LeMay for SBCC Foundation.