2009 Geezeroo Preview

Sunday, September 27 is a special day at the House of Blues as the Human Fund hosts “Geezeroo IV,” an annual event that benefits arts programs in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. This year’s event features three members of the 1970’s landmark jazz group Return to Forever, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, as well as student performers from various Cleveland Schools.

The "Geezeroo" concerts, tagged as the Bonnaroo for old geezers, were created in 2006 to bring music from the 60s and 70s to Cleveland while raising money for arts education programs for Cleveland youth.

Heather Guess is the driving force behind the Human Fund, co-founding it in 2005 and organizing their various fundraising endeavors. She is excited about this year’s Geezeroo, “We throw a great party plus it goes towards such a worthy cause. The arts are often overlooked as something frivolous or a luxury pursuit. Our work has addressed keeping existing arts programming alive in Cleveland’s schools to ensure that Cleveland youth are exposed to this important segment of education.” She has big plans for the future. “We look forward to expanding our focus to include career development within the arts. We would like to get to the next level, to prepare students for careers in the arts. We would like to create scenarios to prepare students in how they can participate in the international art world here in Cleveland and around the world. We would also like to create an artist in residence program with the Cleveland Schools.”

Like many charitable foundations around the city, the economy has had an affect on the Human Fund. “We are so lucky, our corporate partners have been great, like the Cleveland Clinic, the Cavs, Keybank,” states Guess. “Our fundraising effects every student and every arts project in the Cleveland Schools from Kindergarten to senior high school.”

VIP tickets can be purchased directly from the Human Fund at 440.893.7529. VIP tickets include full access to private party on second floor of the House of Blues, ticketed seating, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar.

General admission tickets are $32.50 in advance, $35 the day of the show. They can be purchased at the House of Blues Box Office or online at www.houseofblues.com/tickets.

All of the proceeds from the event will be directed to the All-City Arts Program in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., with music starting at 8:00 p.m.

For more about the Human Fund and all the wonderful things they are doing check out http://www.humanfund.com. As always, the House of Blues has a lot of great stuff coming up, check out their calendar at http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/cleveland. For more about the members of Return to Forever and their music visit http://www.return2forever.com.

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