Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts Debuts its Newest Collection of Gems for 2015 – 2016

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) introduced their new Provisional Members at the first General Meeting of the year held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Collectively known as The Gems, the four women, led by Provisional Chair Barbara Lake, are eager to take on the hard work, commitment, and camaraderie that being a member of PSHA brings.

“The group is named The Gems because,” as Barbara relates, “each gemstone is unique with a special color, birthplace, and story.”
The new Provisional Members are unique just like their gemstone counterparts. Patricia Kent (Emerald) of Quartz Hill owns a construction company; Melinda Marston (Ruby) of San Marino is a residential real estate broker; Catherine Smith (Sapphire) of La Cañada-Flintridge is a former lawyer and current stay-at-home mom; and Tracie Thompson (Pearl) of Lakewood is Assistant Vice President and Risk Officer of a financial services company in Beverly Hills.

“The backbone of our organization is our dedicated volunteers,” stated PSHA President Gretchen McNally. “We are indeed fortunate to have again a group of Provisionals ready to take on the challenge of Showcase.”

To familiarize the Provision group with all the facets of PSHA, Barbara has introduced a mentoring program that pairs each Provisional Member with a current Active Member. Stepping up to offer guidance this year are Active Members Debra Qurtman, Cora Handayan, Elsa Balding, and Marsha Seyffert. These mentors will help integrate the new members into PSHA’s wide variety of work, including its three key music programs, as well as the Pasadena Showcase House of Design that takes place April 17 to May 15, 2016.

About Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

An all-volunteer organization, PSHA is a non-profit California Corporation whose members donate their time and talents to produce the annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design, one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the nation. PSHA celebrated the milestone of its fiftieth Showcase House in 2014. Founded in 1948, the organization has donated nearly $20 million to provide music programs in the community. Examples include the underwriting of concerts, choral productions, musical theater, opera, jazz quartets, marching bands, and orchestras at local schools, senior centers, and many other non-profit organizations. Additionally, a staple part of PSHA’s program is music therapy for at-risk children, scholarships for young musicians, and music education at a variety of levels. This is in addition to their longstanding support of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. They also produce three highly regarded annual music programs: Music Mobile™, Instrumental Competition and Youth Concert. An essential part of PSHA’s mission is to nurture the study and appreciation of music and to ensure that music is available to a broad range of audiences. For over 65 years, PSHA has funded and produced programs that have enriched the lives of countless people and brought a lasting legacy to the community.