Songbook Gala to Honor Tyrell

Steve Tyrell

(PRESS RELEASE)_(Palm Beach, FL – March 28, 2022) The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook is hosting its 2022 Benefactor Gala on Friday, April 29, at 6 pm. This year’s event will be held in a private mansion in Palm Beach and will honor three amazing musical talents:
 
Lifetime Achievement Award
Steve Tyrell
 
Artist of the Year Award
Bria Skonberg
 
Young Artist Award
Annie Matot
 
Next month’s gala and honorees were announced today by the Society’s Founder Dick Robinson and Event Chairman Bob Merrill. Tickets for this exclusive black tie event—including cocktails, dinner, and musical performances—are $1,000 for Platinum Benefactors and $750 for Gold Benefactors. RSVPs are requested by April 19 by phone (561.469.6703), by email (Annette@SPGAS.org), or online at www.preserveourgas.org/donate,php.
 
Steve Tyrell is a GRAMMY Award winning producer and vocalist. The definition of a renaissance man, he has achieved success as a singer, songwriter, producer, music supervisor, and radio host during his five decade career. His breakthrough performances in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II helped Tyrell reinvent and re-popularize classic pop standards for a modern-day audience. His hits, The Way You Look Tonight, The Simple Life, Crush On You, Georgia On My Mind and The Sunny Side of The Street have launched millions of romances and been played at thousands of weddings. All nine of his albums have achieved “Top 5” status on Billboard’s Jazz Charts, and he can be seen and heard in the film 20 Feet from Stardom.

+ Previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners include Vic Damone, Jack Jones, Connie Francis, Steve Lawrence, Mike Renzi, and Pat Boone.

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Bria Skonberg is a Canadian trumpeter and vocalist who is considered one of the most versatile musicians of her generation. She’s known for her inventive arrangements of traditional jazz pieces, clever reinterpretations of contemporary classics and original compositions with genuine heart and dynamic flair. The New York Times gushed, “Ms. Skonberg has become the shining hope of hot jazz, on the strength of a clarion trumpet style indebted to Louis Armstrong, a smooth purr of a singing voice inspired by Anita O’Day, and the wholesome glow of youth.”

+ Previous Artist of the Year Award winners include Ann Hampton Callaway, Deana Martin, Steve Tyrell, Nicolas King, and Debbie Boone.

Annie Matot is a senior at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach who has already earned wide acclaim for her refreshing jazz repertoire. One of only 40 students nationwide accepted into the exclusive Songbook Academy’s Summer Intensive, she has already been invited to perform at the Kravis Center and with Michael Feinstein in NYC’s iconic 54 Below jazz club, and has wowed audiences around Florida singing with The Annie Matot Jazz Quintet.
+ Previous Young Artist Award winners include Christina Zaide, Clanaven Baldonado, Kai Alivia Koren, Makayla Forgione, Chris Santiago, Aidan Taylor, and The Fresh Four.
 
The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating he music, character, and history of the Great American Songbook. “That this timeless and enduring music of our country, with its rich history, will continue to be accessible and enjoyed by the generations of both today and tomorrow”—according to the nonprofit organization’s vision. For more information, please visit www.preserveourgas.org.