Chandler Center for the Arts Launches 10th Annual CENTER STAGE Event

Chandler Center for the Arts has announced its 10th annual event, CENTER STAGE, a festive fundraiser to benefit the Chandler Cultural Foundation on Sunday, October 22 at 12 pm. Tickets for Center Stage are $200 at chandler center.org/Brunch2023 or by calling 480-782-2680.

Guests will be seated on the Chandler Center for the Arts Steena Murray Mainstage for this New Orleans/French Quarter-themed brunch. Co-hosted by Sandra Bassett and Sherida McMullan, the Center Stage features a delicious brunch and cocktails from Robert's Catering. The event features New Orleans jazz performance with GRAMMY-nominated band Sammy Miller and the Congregation. The seven-piece band is known for its joyful, theatrical performances, and has toured with OneRepublic, Mavis Staples, and The Blind Boys of Alabama. The band has also appeared on prestigious stages, from the Newport Jazz and Umbria Jazz Festivals to Lincoln Center and the White House.

Center Stage will also feature special guest Ashli St. Armant, composer and creator of North The Musical. St. Armant, who traces her ancestors to Louisiana, will take guests on her personal and creative journey to develop the musical based on the Underground Railroad.

The Center Stage Brunch is chaired by Julia Marreel and the Chandler Cultural Foundation Board and will be hosted by Sandra Bassett and Sherida McMullan.

Sammy Miller and The Congregation

Led by GRAMMY-nominated drummer Sammy Miller, this seven-piece band is on a mission, crisscrossing the country like a vaudevillian revival show with a fervor for music. They are pulling people out of their solitary lives and putting them in the moment with a bracing dose of joyful jazz performed with infectious theatricality. The New York City-based familial collective performs with frenetic energy and unflinching optimism.

Special Guest: Ashli St. Armant, Creator/Composer, North The Musical

Jazz vocalist, composer, musician and musical theater playwright, St. Armant is known for her award-winning work in education and entertainment including her band, Jazzy Ash and Leaping Lizards, and her Audible mystery series, Viva Durant, which includes The New York Times bestselling story, Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons.

North The Musical will be performed February 23 & 24 as part of Chandler Center for the Arts 2023-24 Season.

CENTER STAGE CO - HOSTS

Sandra Bassett is the Chief Executive Officer at Phoenix Center for the Arts. She is a visionary and entrepreneurial arts and culture leader with a proven record of successful leadership. Her expertise has secured new sources of grant funding, created innovative DEI arts programming and expanded programming to reach a broader audience. She is also a dynamic motivational speaker and international vocalist. Originally from Detroit, she has called Phoenix her home for 12 years. She has an MBA from Walden University and a B.S. from Kentucky State University (HBCU).

Sherida McMullan is the Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at GitLab, where she leads the company’s commitment to building a culture where everyone can contribute. With a background in engineering and experience in human relations and marketing, she solves the challenges of business through an inclusive and equitable lens. She serves the community as the Vice Chair of the Board for the Consumer Technology Association, Foundation Chair and Community Service Chair for Jack & Jill of America, Phoenix Chapter, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Chandler Cultural Foundation.