Harlem School of the Arts Tops a Million in Contributions for the Second Straight Year | The Network Journal

[dropcap]This[/dropcap] year’s Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) Masquerade Ball and After Party, an annual benefit gala in support of the 54-year-old arts organization, surpassed expectations once again by raising over a million dollars, for the second year in a row. The event was held at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, and was hosted by Fox 5’s very own, Lori Stokes who shared the podium with co-host, 9-year-old Jayden Hairston, one of HSA’s outstanding student ambassadors. [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

The gala, which has become the organization’s main fundraising event, helps maintain the level and quality of programs the organization can develop and offer. Additionally, these funds ensure that students who need financial support to continue their training, can count on it.

Guests attending the event, were treated to spectacular performances by some of the school’s most impressively talented and gifted young music, voice and dance students, throughout the night. The evening opened with the HSA All-Stars and the Maynor Singers, taking on the Bill Withers classic, Lovely Day, under the direction of Yolanda Wyns, HSA’s music director. HSA’s dance ensemble under the direction of dance director, Aubrey Lynch, took the stage with two original dance pieces, choreographed by Leyland Simmons, a teacher at the school, titled “In Search of our Mother’s Gardens” and “Four Women.”