Colburn School Honors Artistic Honorees Cellist David Finckel and Pianist Wu Han, and Civic Honorees Cathy and Peter Halstead at Annual Gala Event Celebrate Colburn

 

Friday, March 27, 2026

5 pm, Evening Reception and Concert, followed by Dinner on the Colburn Plaza

 

(Friday, February 20, 2026, Los Angeles)  – The Colburn School will host Celebrate Colburn Gala 2026, its signature annual fundraising event, dedicated to raising vital funds to provide students with access to excellence in music and dance education. The gala will honor internationally acclaimed musicians, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han as Artistic Honorees, and distinguished philanthropists Cathy and Peter Halstead as Civic Honorees.

Celebrate Colburn takes place at the Colburn School on Friday, March 27, 2026 at 5 pm, honoring these extraordinary individuals with an inspiring evening  of music, dance, and community.

Celebrate Colburn begins with a pre-concert reception featuring performances by a Community School student string quartet, a jazz and tap ensemble, and the Colburn Concert Choir at Colburn’s South Plaza. Guests will then enjoy a performance of music and dance at Colburn School’s Zipper Hall featuring faculty members and student performers from across the school, joined by special guests the Calidore Quartet, and former Colburn Ensemble-in-Residence the Viano Quartet. The program features works by Bach, Mozart, Higdon, Haydn, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. The evening continues with a festive dinner on the Colburn Plaza, where guests will enjoy al fresco dining, serenades by Colburn musicians, and dinner alongside the honorees.

As preeminent concert artists, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han are recognized worldwide for their exceptional performances, innovation in programming and recording, and their commitment to fostering young talent in classical music. Their wide-ranging musical activities include the launch of ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed, internet-based recording company. As artistic directors of several major arts organizations, they collaboratively curate more than 300 concerts each year, shaping the chamber music landscape. Their educational activities include coaching and teaching around the world, establishing the Finckel-Wu Han Chamber Music Studio at the Aspen Music Festival and School and Chamber Music Today in South Korea. In 2003, they founded Music@Menlo, an acclaimed chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley, which has welcomed many artists and alumni from Colburn over the years. Since 2004, they have served as artistic directors for Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, which is recognized as the world’s leading presenter and producer of chamber music. CMS’s The Bowers Program is a competitive residency that fosters the careers of emerging chamber musicians. The Calidore and Viano quartets, both formed at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, launched their post-Conservatory careers through The Bowers Program. Through their distinguished careers and their 40-year marriage, they have built audiences and shaped a new wave of musicians, igniting the industry and lifting chamber music more prominently to the national stage.

Cathy and Peter Halstead support the arts globally with keen vision and unshakeable dedication. They have long supported the Colburn School, helping to provide increased scholarships, robust artist residencies, and unparalleled educational experiences for students in socially marginalized communities. As the founders and stewards of Tippet Rise Art Center, Cathy and Peter nurture space for creativity to thrive on a 12,500-acre sheep and cattle ranch in Montana, just north of Yellowstone National Park. Each summer, Tippet Rise presents classical concerts and art exhibitions, where music and sculpture animate the rugged landscape. Numerous artists from Colburn have been invited to perform single programs and residencies at Tippet Rise, including the Calidore and Viano quartets, Conservatory alumni David Fung, Afendi Yusuf, and Emma Wernig, and Music Academy alumna Cara Pogossian. David Finckel and Wu Han also have performed sold-out concerts in the exquisitely designed Olivier Music Barn at Tippet Rise. Cathy is an abstract painter whose work explores the similarities between the infinitesimal and the infinite, between the repetition of invisible but essential patterns in nature. Peter is a pianist, photographer, and author who has published 49 volumes across mediums and genres, including a six-volume piano series, The Himalaya Sessions, and 19 collections of poetry. In all that they do, Cathy and Peter embrace the profound ways art, architecture, and music interact with nature and deepen our relationship with the world.

For Celebrate Colburn single tickets, and faculty, student and table sponsorship opportunities, please visit https://colburnschool.edu/gala/.

About Colburn School

A performing arts institution located in the heart of Los Angeles, the COLBURN SCHOOL trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The academic units of the School provide a complete spectrum of music and dance education united by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music or dance should have access to top-level instruction.

  • The diploma- and degree-granting Conservatory of Music is distinguished by a unique all-scholarship model, renowned faculty, and outstanding performance opportunities. It prepares the very highest level of collegiate musicians for professional careers.
  • The Music Academy is a highly selective training program for gifted young pre-collegiate musicians, designed to prepare students for conservatory study and performing careers at the highest levels of achievement. This residential program balances performance, musical instruction, and academics.
  • The Community School of Performing Arts welcomes students of all ages, from seven months old to adults. It offers over 120 classes each year in orchestral instruments, piano, guitar, voice, jazz, music theory, drama, and ensembles including orchestra, choir, and chamber music.
  • The Trudl Zipper Dance Institute develops performers of all levels, from aspiring professionals in the Dance Academy to beginners starting in Youth Dance. Students of all levels receive training in ballet, tap, and modern genres as part of a comprehensive dance education.
  • Created to serve all units of the School, the Center for Innovation and Community Impact empowers the musical and dance leaders of tomorrow by nurturing students’ passion and ability to serve their communities, preparing them for sustainable careers, and embracing the development of new ideas. The Center embodies Colburn’s commitment to developing young artists with the curiosity, skills, and commitment to make a difference in their field.

Each year, more than 2,000 students from around the world come to Colburn to benefit from the renowned faculty, exceptional facilities, and focus on excellence that unites the community.

In 2024, the Colburn School broke ground on a transformational campus expansion designed by Frank Gehry. Located across the street from the School’s existing campus at the intersection of Olive and Second Streets, the building will enable the School to expand its mission of presenting programs for the public. Gehry’s design includes a 1,000-seat in-the-round concert hall named for Terri and Jerry Kohl, five professional-sized dance studios including a 100-seat studio theater, and gardens that bring fresh air and green spaces to the downtown landscape. The expansion will more than double the facilities for the School’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, creating one of the most comprehensive dance education complexes in Southern California.

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