Co-chairs lead planning for Center’s 2024 gala

Annual Center Celebration, with headline performance by Chris Botti, will generate support for arts & educational programming

A committee of local volunteers is making plans for the Center Celebration 2024 presented by Ice Miller, the annual gala fundraiser for the Center for the Performing Arts.

Scheduled Sept. 21 at the Palladium in Carmel, the event will include cocktails, dinner, a live auction, a performance by trumpeter-composer Chris Botti, and two after-parties. All proceeds support the Center’s arts programming and its growing catalog of education and enrichment opportunities for people of all ages.

Leading the Gala Steering Committee this year are Carmel residents Adam Arceneaux, now serving his second year as co-chair, and Caroline and Michael Garvey, serving the first of their two years as co-chairs.

Trumpeter-composer Chris Botti will give a live performance at this year’s gala. (Photo provided)

“We have a very enthusiastic group of volunteers who are spreading the word about this event,” said Arceneaux, who serves on the boards of the Center and the affiliated Great American Songbook Foundation. He is managing partner for the Indianapolis office of national law firm Ice Miller, now in its second year as presenting partner for the Center Celebration. “The gala is not only an important fundraiser but also an annual opportunity to remind the community that, alongside the big-name concerts and local Resident Company performances, there’s so much more going on at the Center.”

Programs supported by the gala proceeds include the Peanut Butter & Jam performance series for families with young children; the Prism Project at the Center, a performing arts summer camp for youth with disabilities; free matinee performances and science presentations for school groups; a donor-funded Transportation Grant Program that reimburses transportation costs for school groups attending Center events; and arts classes for adults, including vocal music, songwriting, two levels of stand-up comedy instruction and three levels of ukulele instruction.

The Garveys, who have supported the gala for the past two years as after-party and table partners, were eager to get more involved this year. Michael, Chief Investment Officer and Partner at Lauth Property Group, and Caroline, an Emmy Award-winning journalist familiar to local TV viewers as evening news anchor Caroline Thau, will serve again next year as senior co-chairs for the Center Celebration.

“We have always enjoyed the performances at the Center and the pure beauty of the Palladium, but the more we learned about the organization behind the scenes, the more we wanted to support its broader mission,” Michael said. “On top of that, the Center Celebration is a marquee ‘must attend’ event for the central Indiana community.”

Last year’s Center Celebration 2023 presented by Ice Miller, which featured singer-songwriter Amy Grant as the headliner and drew guests including Gov. Eric Holcomb and First Lady Janet Holcomb, generated more than $585,000 to support the Center’s mission “to inspire and engage the Indiana community with enriching arts experiences.”

The gala revenue is generated through table reservations, corporate partnerships, direct donations, and a live auction for packages that include luxury getaways and VIP professional sports experiences, donated by Center supporters.

“We receive generous support year-round from our patrons, donors and partners, but it’s especially gratifying to bring them all together once a year to celebrate and advance our mission,” Center President/CEO Jeffrey C. McDermott said. “The Center is truly an institution sustained by and for the community.”

Hosted by five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein, the Center Celebration 2024 presented by Ice Miller kicks off at 5 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Palladium with the First Merchants Bank Red Carpet Arrival and Cocktail Reception, followed by an elegant dinner served in partnership with Aaron Wealth Advisors, a live auction, the Botti performance and two distinct after-parties with live music from local band Soul Street and pianist Eric Baker. Information and table reservations are available now at TheCenterPresents.org/Gala.