Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Pasadena Showcase House of the Arts tickets on sale Feb. 16


Each year, roughly 40,000 visitors from throughout Southern California step through the front door of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. And, beginning on Tuesday, February 16, members of the community will once again have an opportunity to purchase tickets to the event, one of largest, most successful and oldest house and garden tours in the nation.
Tickets for the 2010 Pasadena Showcase House of Design – which will take place Tuesday through Sunday, April 18 through May 16 – are available online, by visiting www.pasadenashowcase.org , or by phone, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (714) 442-3872.
Prime time tickets for all day Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, may be purchased for $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Weekday matinee tickets (Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m. to closing) are available for $30 in advance and $35 at the door.
“We expect attendance to be very high this year because this year’s House is such a unique project,” says Beverly Marksbury, Benefit Chairman. “It’s the historic Cravens Estate, which was designated a Pasadena Cultural Landmark by the Pasadena Heritage Society and a Landmark of Historical Significance by the city of Pasadena. So we like to say that our designers are bringing the estate back to life rather than transforming it. While each space will reflect the latest design trends and innovations, you’ll also see how we worked diligently with architectural historians and experts to respect the property’s past.”
Those who visit the nearly 20,000 square foot estate should plan to make a day of it, Marksbury adds. The Pasadena Showcase House of Design includes The Shops at Showcase – with linens, clothing, accessories, gourmet foods and housewares supplied by over 30 vendors – and The Restaurant and Bar at Showcase, staffed by Wolfgang Puck Catering.
The project is also the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts’ second collaboration with another nonprofit. In 2007, PSHA worked with Descanso Gardens to revitalize the historic Boddy House.
The Cravens Estate, meanwhile, has been the home of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley chapter of the American Red Cross ever since the property’s last owner, the industrialist Simon Zervos, donated it to the Red Cross in 1962.
“Mrs. Cravens served on the Board of the American Red Cross of Pasadena as well as many other philanthropic organizations,” says Marksbury. “So we think she would wholeheartedly approve of this undertaking since PSHA shares her belief in helping others.”
Monies raised from the Pasadena Showcase House of Design fund a wide array of musical arts organizations, from world-renowned ensembles like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Opera to local high school band and music therapy programs.
PSHA also supports three programs of its own: the Pasadena Showcase House Music Mobile TM, an award-winning program introducing 3rd graders throughout the San Gabriel Valley to the instruments of the orchestra; The Pasadena Showcase House Youth Concert, a free performance by the LA Philharmonic for 4th grade students at Walt Disney Concert Hall; and the Instrumental Competition, where exceptionally talented musicians, aged 16 to 24, compete for over $30,000 in monetary prizes to further their music education.
“To date, we’ve donated over $17 million to the arts,” says Delise Menik, President of the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. “And, with the support of the community this year, we hope to make that amount much, much higher and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
For more information about the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, visit www.pasadenashowcase.org or call 626.578.8500.
Those interested in becoming members of the PSHA committee are urged to contact the organization’s Membership Chair at membership@pasadenashowcase.org.
ABOUT THE PASADENA SHOWCASE HOUSE FOR THE ARTS
An all-volunteer organization, the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts (PSHA) is a non-profit California Corporation whose members donate their time and talents to produce the annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design. Founded in 1948 and formerly known as The Pasadena Junior Philharmonic Committee, the organization adopted the Pasadena Showcase House of Design as its annual benefit in 1965. Since then, it has become one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the nation.
The women of PSHA are united by their belief in the power and beauty of music. Together, they work to provide funding for programs that nurture the study and appreciation of music, utilize music as a means to heal and enhance health, encourage the use of music in the classroom to promote learning and ensure that music is available to as broad an audience as possible, from toddlers to senior citizens.

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