Happy Sixth Birthday Moonalice! Bread & Roses was honored that the band chose to celebrate its six-year anniversary by performing a high energy concert for the residents of Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco on Tues. May 7.
With a spectacular light show as backdrop, and a beautiful poster by David Singer especially designed for the occasion, this over-the-top concert had everyone 'feeling the love.'
The audience was on its feet for the latter part of the show singing along to such classic tunes as the Beatles"Revolution" and Roger McNamee's lively version of Bing Crosby's 1913 classic hit "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"
We appreciate the many contributions of all our volunteers throughout the Bay Area who help us share their gifts on a daily basis with those who need music most. Once a year, we have the opportunity to recognize several volunteers through the Heart of Marin Award Ceremony that is held each January at the Marin Civic Center. At this year's event on January 10, we celebrated our nominees for 2012, pianist Alan Thomas and host Sally Peter.
About Alan Thomas
Talented professional piano player Alan Thomashas been a volunteer performer for Bread & Roses since 2008. During that time he has played close to thirty concerts for Bread & Roses. An extraordinary volunteer, he is always willing to collaborate with other performers, such as singers Debbie Cucalon andAndoni Panici to make our program successful and putting in time for advance rehearsals.
The Second Annual Bread & Roses Holiday Chorus at The Redwoods (Photo by Lisa Starbird)
It was truly a heart-warming and collaborative experience to see audiences singing along with the Bread & Roses Holiday Chorus at four different facilities: The Blind & Vision Impaired of Marin, The Redwoods in Mill Valley, Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco and New Bridge Foundation in Berkeley. A diverse group of singers came together including children from Young Performers International (who sang the Hannukah Song in several languages), professional vocalists like Debbie Cucalon and Linda Kosut, Bread & Roses donors, hosts and other volunteers as well as members of the Unity of Marin Choir. The chorus, conducted by Carolyn Gauthier (pictured above) and Marian Hubler, was accompanied with great spirit by Alan Thomas on piano. Marian Hubler, Bread & Roses Producer
When Jimmy Dillon took the stage to accept his Milley Award for Achievement in the Musical Arts onSunday evening Oct. 21 at the Mill Valley Community Center, he said he felt most comfortable with guitar in hand. He reminded everyone that "the meaning of life is to find your gift" and "the purpose of life is to give it away." He then sang one of his inspiring original ballads Hold On To Your Dreams ...and don't you let them go.
Bread & Roses supporter Michael Narada Waldenwas there cheering Jimmy on along with emceeLeah Garchik who skillfully wove all the stories of the award winners into a seamless whole. Former Milley Award winnerMark Fishkin of the Mill Valley Film Festivalwas also there tocongratulate Jimmy and to honor Zoe Elton for her Milley Award for Achievement in the Performing Arts.
When Marianna August & Her Jazz Pals took the stage at this year’s Marin Senior Information Fairon October 24 at the Marin Exhibit Hall in San Rafael on behalf of Bread & Roses, many people were singing along and tapping toes to familiar songs like Night and Day and Old Devil Moon. Vocalist Marianna spoke about Bread & Roses in a heart-felt way when she asked "Has anyone had a recent hip or knee replacement and spent time in a local convalescent center? If so, you were likely to have been entertained with live music from Bread & Roses."
Garvin Thomas of NBC Bay Area Proud interviewed Bread & Roses performer Judy Lagomarsino (AKA Miss Kitty) for their Bay Area Proud series. After filming a Bread & Roses show at BAHIA in Berkeley, he talked to Judy about her life as a performer and how she became interested in giving back through her music. We couldn't be more proud of Judy, and grateful to Garvin for spreading the word!
As highlighted in the feature story of our Fall 2012 newsletter, the rough cut trailer of the upcoming documentary, Alive Inside, provides a compelling insight into the power of music to help those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease reconnect to their memories and most alive selves. We hope you will enjoy the video. We look forward to hearing from you about the ways in which you have seen music, and in particular, live music, reconnect individuals of all ages to their hearts, minds and spirits.
Bread & Roses serves a variety of developmentally disabled audiences around the Bay Area and our performers always tell us that their exceptionally enthusiastic response is an unforgettable experience for them. Our friends at audiences like The Cedars of Marin or Las Trampas in Oakland love to dance and sing along to familiar songs. They show their great appreciation through a direct, immediate and heartfelt response to the music. They always respond with great affection to the connection provided by live performance.
Happy Sixth Birthday 
We appreciate the many contributions of all our volunteers throughout the Bay Area who help us share their gifts on a daily basis with those who need music most. Once a year, we have the opportunity to recognize several volunteers through the 
When 
