The Women’s Auxiliary of the Music Academy of the West will present its second annual Music in the Gardens benefit, 3-6 p.m. Oct. 13, at the Music Academy, 1070 Fairway Road.

The fundraiser, themed American Rhythms, will feature an eclectic program including vintage jazz and swing by the Amanda Castro Jazz Band; rocking dance music by The Roaries; bluegrass by Peter Feldmann and the Very Lonesome Boys; blues by Kelly’s Lot; and New Orleans jazz by Ulysses Jasz.

Patrons will stroll the campus gardens to enjoy the various performances while sampling Americana cuisine and wines, prepared on-site within five gardens by chefs from Rincon Events.

Menu highlights include Snake River Farm wagyu beef sliders, pulled-pork po boys with watermelon slaw; Cajun shrimp, Dixie black eyed-pea caviar; okra and green tomato fritters; fried chicken on biscuits; watermelon mint juleps; and s’mores.

Music in the Gardens proceeds will support scholarships for Music Academy fellows as well as benefit the Music Academy’s Community Access Program, which provides subsidized $10 tickets and 7-17s free tickets to all Music Academy events.

To further bolster support of these Music Academy endeavors, the event will include an online silent auction, on-site auction, and wine grab.

Women’s Auxiliary members spearheading this year’s event include event co-chairs Nancy Schultz, Christina Leveque, and Debra Cochrane-Vercammen; music co-chairs Nan Holt and KC O’Donnell; catering chair Judy Astbury; marketing co-chairs Claire Johnson and Patti Cerf; and auction captains Judy Weisman, Kaye Willette, Ann Sarkis, Sandra Walther, Jane Giles, Patty Jacquemin, Heather Abed, Kathie Organ, Kay Lemke, Carole Halsted, Minnie Pompe Van Meerdervoort, Virginia Farthing and Carmen Young.

The event is supported by corporate sponsors Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, LLP, Chaucer’s Bookstore and Goldman Sachs & Co. along with individual donors Pat Yzurdiaga, Meg Di Napoli, Mary Lynn and Warren Staley, and Priscilla Gaines.

Tickets are $125 per person, which includes music, food and wine. They are available at musicacademy.org/gardens or by contacting the Music Academy Carsey Ticket Office, 805-969-8787.

The Women’s Auxiliary of the Music Academy of the West’s fundraising efforts generate net proceeds exceeding $200,000 annually to help support programs at the academy, including scholarships that enable 140 fellows from around the world to study in Santa Barbara each summer.

For more about the Music Academy of the West, visit musicacademy.org.

— Kate Oberjat for Music Academy of the West.