Camarillo, Calif., Sept. 3, 2015 – A GRAMMY® award-winning trumpet player who can glide through jazz, pop, rock, opera, classical and contemporary music will perform Sept. 19 at Ojai’s Libbey Bowl for the CSU Channel Islands (CI) President’s Dinner and Concert.
Trumpeter Chris Botti will begin the concert at 8 p.m. after those with VIP tickets have dined on a four-course meal from Main Course California.
The cocktail reception will begin at 4 p.m. with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. at tables overlooking Libbey Bowl. Courses include a gourmet salad, choice of short ribs or salmon, roasted vegetables, appetizers and dessert.
VIP tickets – which include dinner and the show – are $250 per person. Tickets for the show only are $65 per person. All proceeds go to benefit CI to strengthen academic programs and create scholarships and internships for CI students.
“The President’s Dinner and Concert provides resources to the University that allow the campus to support its highest priority needs,” said Nichole Ipach, Vice President for University Advancement. “The event is one of the few fundraising initiatives that allows CI to generate this kind of flexible, critical support. Without it, the campus would not have experienced the same level of success in starting new programs as well as providing student scholarships.”
President Richard R. Rush, who will retire next June, will be speaking at the event and awarding the 2015 Robert J. Lagomarsino Award to the concert’s title sponsor, Rabobank, which has provided funding for student scholarships and programs for the past 17 years.
The award is named for the former Congressman who first introduced legislation to create the campus and fostered its growth. The top honor will be accepted by Rabobank President and CEO John Ryan.
After dinner and the presentations, guests will relax under the stars and listen to Botti, who studied with renowned jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw at Indiana University.
“He brings a world-class band and his music reaches everyone who appreciates remarkable talent,” said CI Foundation Board Member Mark Hartley. “From our students to our University staff and supporters, fans and especially President Rush, the night will be one you will always remember.”
Botti has toured with music legends like Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan and Gladys Knight. He emerged into the music mainstream in 1999 when he played with pop-rock legend Sting.
Botti’s album “Impressions” won a GRAMMY® for Best Pop Instrumental Album in 2013 and he’s been nominated several other times.
In a jazzreview.com interview, Botti said people describe his music as “romantic.”
“But really, when I hear something that I love, it gives me not the sense of being in a romantic relationship, but the longing for some sort of emotional connection that is romantic…the yearning of not being able to quite get it,” Botti said. “That is really what I am going for in my music. That is why when Miles Davis plays three notes, it breaks my heart, but it breaks my heart in a beautiful way.”
Sponsors for the event include: Rabobank, Gene Haas Foundation, Fashion Forms, Sage Publications, Union Bank, Harrison Industries, Montecito Bank & Trust, Wells Fargo, SUNDT, Karen and Peter Wollons, PCL Construction, California Resources Corporation, Canteen of Coastal California, OnRamp Communications, Pacific Western Bank, Ferguson Case Orr Paterson, Bill and Elise Kearney, Ventura County Federal Credit Union, Bank of America, Ventura Rental Party Center, Community Memorial Health System, and CoastHills Foundation. In-Kind sponsors include Blue Star Parking, Keyboard Concepts, Jordano’s, Main Course California, NewsTalk KVTA 1590, Pacific Coast Business Times, V3 Printing, Ventura County Star, and Westlake Village Inn/Stonehaus
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.