Harlem School of the Arts to Be Named The Herb Alpert Center On March 11th

The Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) today announced that it will be naming its building to honor the generosity of Herb Alpert, Lani Hall Alpert and the Herb Alpert Foundation. On March 11, 2013, the Harlem School of the Arts' iconic home in Harlem will officially be named "The Harlem School of the Arts The Herb Alpert Center."

The Herb Alpert Foundation's philanthropy since 2010 has been instrumental in rebuilding the school after a temporary closure. To date, HSA has been awarded a game-changing $6 million in grants from the Foundation. HSA, the community-based cultural and educational institution serving children and families of all backgrounds for nearly 50 years, will name its historic Hamilton Heights building on Monday, March 11, 2013 in the presence of HSA leadership, school alumni and alumna, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg with Herb Alpert and Lani Hall Alpert.

What: Naming Ceremony: Harlem School of the Arts The Herb Alpert Center

When: 11:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

Who:

• Herb Alpert
• Lani Hall Alpert
• Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
• Yvette L. Campbell, President and CEO, Harlem School of the Arts (HSA)
• Phylicia Rashad, Tony Award-winning actress and singer, and former HSA Parent
• N'Kenge, HSA alumna and actress in the 'Motown the Musical,' currently on Broadway

Where: The Harlem School of the Arts, 645 Saint Nicholas Avenue at 141 st Street. By Subway: Take the A, B, C or D line to 145th Street.

About The Harlem School of the Arts:
For nearly a half-century, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of young people. Located in Harlem's historic Hamilton Heights, this pioneering, world-class institution brings together music, dance, theatre, visual arts, and musical theatre instruction under one roof. Serving young people, ages 2 to 18, from the under-served communities of Harlem, across New York City, New Jersey and Westchester County, HSA leverages its reputation for excellence and roster of celebrated alumni to empower youths and constantly revitalize its surrounding community.

For more information about Harlem School of the Arts, visit www.hsanyc.org.

About The Herb Alpert Foundation:
The Herb Alpert Foundation, a non-profit, private foundation established in the early 1980's, makes significant annual contributions to a range of programs in the fields of Arts, Arts Education and Compassion and Well Being. Its funding is directed toward projects in which Herb and Lani Alpert and Foundation President Rona Sebastian play an active role. [The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.] www.herbalpertfoundation.org

Biographies
Herb Alpert is a legend in the music business and the co-founder, with Jerry Moss, of A&M Records, one of the most successful independent record labels in music history that started in 1962 with Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Alpert and Moss sold A&M in 1990, but in the decades before, they significantly influenced a diverse roster of talent, including Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, Sting, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Stan Getz, Cat Stevens, The Carpenters, The Police, Joe Cocker, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton and scores of others. In his illustrious career, Alpert has won eight Grammy awards and received the Grammy and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Awards. The late Miles Davis once remarked, "You don't have to hear but three notes before you know it is Herb Alpert." Alpert explains, "There is a certain satisfaction and energy that comes from playing the horn a feeling that I am really in my element. I am passionate about what I am doing. I am just playing what comes out, and I try to stay conscious of things that are happening in the spontaneity of the moment." As well as being a musician, Alpert is as passionate about his 40-year career as a professional painter and sculptor.
www.herbalpert.com
www.herbalpertfoundation.org

Lani Hall started her professional career as the original lead singer with Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. Known for her emotional vocal interpretations, she helped propel the group to international stardom with her distinctive vocals on the infectious Brasilian tune "Mas Que Nada." It was in 1966, while singing with the group in an audition for A&M Records, that she met Alpert. They were married in 1973 and since then their lives and musical gifts have mingled. Hall has enjoyed a distinguished solo career, having recorded some 14 solo albums (variously in English, Portuguese and Spanish.) In 1983, she sang the title song of the James Bond movie, "Never Say Never Again," starring Sean Connery, and won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for her album Es Facil Amar in 1986. She also has credits as a lyricist, producer, arranger, writer and editor. "I am an interpreter," Hall explains, "The singers that have influenced me the most are jazz singers. They have the ability to pull you into a song and make it feel real."

Lani Hall Alpert recently published her first book, "Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories." Primarily set in Chicago, the fiction and non-fiction stories are woven together via a winding personal narrative, as Hall takes a refreshingly honest look back at her own life and into her imagination.
www.lanihallalpert.com

SOURCE Harlem School of the Arts