ArtSmart Celebrates a Decade of Impact with San Francisco Gala

Featuring Three-Time Grammy Award–Winning Soprano Latonia Moore and Honoring Philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Francisco, CA — ArtSmart, a national leader in music mentorship and arts education, will host its largest fundraiser of the year—ArtSmart’s 10th Anniversary San Francisco Gala—on Monday, April 6, 2026, from 5:30–9:45 PM at the University Club of San Francisco. The evening will feature a reception, concert, and post-concert sponsor dinner celebrating ten years of empowering young people through music mentorship.

The gala will star Latonia Moore, three-time Grammy Award–winning soprano and ArtSmart’s Director of Engagement and Advocacy, joined by internationally acclaimed pianist Erica Xiaoyan Guo. The evening will also honor philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem, ArtSmart’s first $1 million donor and one of the organization’s most steadfast champions during its first decade.

Guests will enjoy an unforgettable musical program featuring beloved opera classics and American standards, including “Vissi d’arte” from Puccini’s Tosca and “Summertime” from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, alongside other hidden gems that showcase the breadth and brilliance of Latonia Moore’s artistry.

“ArtSmart’s 10th Anniversary Gala represents a powerful milestone in our organization’s journey,” said Latonia Moore, Director of Engagement and Advocacy. “For a decade, ArtSmart has expanded access to high-quality music mentorship for students who deserve every opportunity to thrive, and I can’t wait to celebrate it! Join us and celebrate not only artistic excellence, but the transformative impact of investing in young people through music.”

Guests will also have the opportunity to meet Ahmad Mayes, ArtSmart’s newly appointed Executive Director, marking a pivotal leadership moment as the organization enters its second decade of national growth and impact.

Event Details

ArtSmart’s 10th Anniversary San Francisco Gala
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Time: 5:30–9:30 PM
Location: University Club of San Francisco, 800 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Program: Reception, Concert, and Sponsor Dinner

Tickets and sponsorships are on sale now at www.artsmart.org/sfgala.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship commitments must be made by March 23 to be included in the printed program. Tickets and sponsorships are available at www.artsmart.org/sfgala.

$20,000 – Event Underwriter ($18,350 tax-deductible)

• 10 concert tickets + 6 dinner seats
• Premier name/logo recognition on all event materials, website, and signage
• Verbal recognition from the stage
• Exclusive pre-concert photo opportunity with the featured artists

$10,000 – Presenting Sponsor ($8,500 tax-deductible)

• 8 concert tickets + 4 dinner seats
• Lead name/logo recognition on event materials and signage
• Verbal recognition at the event
• Exclusive pre-concert photo opportunity with the featured artists

$5,000 – Gold Sponsor ($4,250 tax-deductible)

• 6 concert tickets + 2 dinner seats
• Name/logo recognition in the evening’s program
• Sponsors a group of Maria Manetti Shrem Mentors or students to attend

$3,500 – Silver Sponsor ($2,900 tax-deductible)

• 4 concert tickets + 2 dinner seats
• Name/logo recognition in the evening’s program
• Provides full-year ArtSmart tuition for two students

$1,500 – Bronze Sponsor ($1,050 tax-deductible)

• 2 concert + dinner tickets
• Name recognition in the evening’s program
• Provides full-year ArtSmart tuition for one student

$750 – Friend Sponsor ($525 tax-deductible)

• 1 concert + dinner ticket
• Name recognition in the evening’s program
• Sponsors an ArtSmart student to attend the concert

Individual Tickets

• $300 – Concert & Dinner (Dinner reservations must be made by March 23.)
• $75 – Concert Only

About ArtSmart

Through weekly one-to-one sessions over a full school year, ArtSmart students receive world-class instruction and training from professional musicians. Using an evidence-based curriculum, ArtSmart teaching artists—known as the Maria Manetti Shrem Mentors—work with students to set goals, learn music, develop healthy self-esteem, and ultimately chart a course for their futures.

ArtSmart was co-founded in 2016 by international opera singers Michael Fabiano and John Viscardi to address inequities in arts education and the economic realities facing working artists. The organization was built on a dual mission: to provide students in under-resourced communities with the opportunity to pursue their dreams and grow as human beings, while also supporting professional artists in sustaining meaningful careers.

To date, ArtSmart has delivered over 60,000 music-mentorship sessions and currently operates in San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Troy (NY), Newark, Jersey City, Philadelphia (IL), and remotely in the Adirondacks region. The vast majority of ArtSmart students attend Title I schools, and 90% identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).

About Latonia Moore

Latonia Moore is one of today’s most thrilling and influential international sopranos, celebrated for her commanding voice, dramatic intensity, and fearless artistry. She has appeared on the stages of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Staatsoper Berlin, Arena di Verona, and Teatro Colón.

A powerful advocate for inclusivity in the arts, Moore has been at the forefront of landmark works elevating African American stories. At the Metropolitan Opera, she opened the 2023 season as Sister Rose in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and reprised her acclaimed performance as Billie in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones—the first opera by a Black composer presented at the Met and a Grammy Award–winning recording. Her repertoire includes iconic roles such as Aida, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Liù (Turandot), Mimì (La bohème), and Bess (Porgy and Bess), alongside major concert appearances worldwide.

In 2025, Moore was appointed Director of Engagement and Advocacy at ArtSmart, where she champions equitable access to music education and mentors the next generation of artists. A three-time Grammy Award winner, she is also the recipient of the Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award and a Richard Tucker Foundation grant.

About Maria Manetti Shrem 

Maria Manetti Shrem is a distinguished arts patron and philanthropist whose visionary support has been integral to ArtSmart since its founding in 2016. As one of the organization’s most generous and steadfast supporters, she made its first historic $1 million pledge — a commitment through 2029 that led to the naming of the Maria Manetti Shrem Mentors in recognition of her transformative impact on ArtSmart’s mission to expand access to music education and mentorship nationwide.

Born in Florence, Italy, and based in San Francisco since 1972, Maria built her life around a deep belief in the power of education and the arts to uplift individuals and communities — a conviction shaped by her own experience with mentorship and opportunity. Through the Manetti Shrem Foundation, she and her late husband, Jan Shrem, have supported arts, education, and cultural initiatives across the United States, Europe, and beyond, including major gifts to the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis and numerous leading arts institutions. Maria’s enduring legacy as a philanthropist reflects a lifelong commitment to nurturing creativity, inspiring young talent, and ensuring equitable access to the arts for generations to come.