LA Children’s Chorus Gala Bel Canto Raises $270,000

Music and joy reigned when the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) honored legendary composer Richard M. Sherman (Beverly Hills) and LACC advocates and benefactors Mary Blodgett and Carlton Calvin (San Marino) at its annual fundraiser, Gala Bel Canto, on April 10, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The event raised $270,000 for Los Angeles Children’s Chorus’ artistic, educational and scholarship programs.

LACC and special guests Dick Van Dyke, film critic Leonard Maltin and Broadway star Ashley Brown, presented heartfelt tributes to the evening’s illustrious honorees.  Brown sang a deeply poignant rendition of Sherman’s iconic “Feed the Birds,” Van Dyke joined Sherman for an impromptu “Chim Chim Cher-ee” duet then Sherman his blockbuster “It’s A Small World (After All)” with LACC.  Tom Hanks was featured in a hilarious video tribute to Sherman.

The tribute to Blodgett and Calvin featured a performance by LACC’s Young Men’s Ensemble – the LACC musical group they helped launch four years ago with their considerable fundraising efforts.  Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne, a personal friend of Blodgett and Calvin, presented them with the Rebecca Thompson Founder’s Award.