Our 26th Anniversary Gala proved to be our best party yet. Kudos again to Casa Loma for the grand winter venue with spectacular Christmas décor and, best of all, Santa in residence. The evening raised $185,000 for our scholarships, camps, and music classes for youth across the GTA.

Possibly the most thrilled participants were the dozens of children admitted early on a special sold out Family Ticket. Kids were treated to snacks and juice, and, with parents in tow, raced from one decorated room to another ending up with a visit to Santa and the photo to prove it. One delighted six year old pronounced it “The best Party ever.” We agreed.

After the Family hour, the adults were treated to a grand dinner from Liberty Grand, music by the acclaimed violinist Moshe Hammer, Juno award winner guitarist James Bryan and vocals by the incomparable Liz Rodrigues and Mike Ruby. Additional entertainment came from children who attend Minstrel programs. The evening was superbly emceed by multi-talented Matthew Brown, a Minstrel alumni, and ended with spirited bidding on several vacation packages to sunny climes.

We wish to extend our thanks to all our evening sponsors, the participants and to Liberty Grand for again permitting us to use Casa Loma.