PRESS RELEASE

STERN GROVE FESTIVAL’S ANNUAL GALA
FEATURES EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE BY
MOTOWN GREATS THE SPINNERS
AT SIGMUND STERN GROVE

SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2008 – Stern Grove Festival announced today that Motown legends The Spinners will perform in concert at the organization’s annual gala on Thursday, May 29, 2008 in San Francisco’s Sigmund Stern Grove.

Organized by co-chairs Lisa Goldman of San Francisco and Atherton and Lisa Schatz of Atherton, Stern Grove Festival’s Gala will feature a cocktail reception and a catered dinner by McCall Associates in a clear tent under the eucalyptus and redwood trees at Stern Grove. The décor will be by Hunt Littlefield. The cocktail reception is generously sponsored by Northern Trust, one of the world's leading asset management, asset servicing, and banking firms, serving successful individuals, families, and institutions around the globe for over 100 years.

“Stern Grove Festival’s gala will be a wonderful opportunity for people to experience the magic of Stern Grove, while enjoying a spectacular evening of entertainment with The Spinners,” said Lisa Goldman, whose husband, Douglas E. Goldman, serves as the chairman of the organization.

“I’m thrilled to be working on this event which helps raise funds to support this beloved Bay Area tradition of admission-free concerts for the community,” added Lisa Schatz.

Tables of ten are $6,500 and $10,000, and single tickets are $650 and $1,000. Last year’s Gala raised more than $300,000 for Stern Grove Festival’s annual fundraising campaign.

About Stern Grove Festival

Stern Grove Festival Association is a non-profit organization committed to providing the people of the Bay Area with admission-free access to diverse performing arts. Every year since 1938, the organization presents Stern Grove Festival, an admission-free performing arts series, in Sigmund Stern Grove, a beautiful outdoor amphitheater located at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. Stern Grove was purchased by Rosalie M. Stern and given as a gift to the City of San Francisco in 1931, in memory of her husband Sigmund, a prominent civic leader.  Mrs. Stern chaired the Festival until her death in 1956. Her daughter, Elise Stern Haas, served as chairman until 1969; she was succeeded by her daughter, Rhoda Haas Goldman. Following Rhoda Goldman's death in 1996, her son, Dr. Douglas E. Goldman, became Festival Chairman.  Stern Grove itself is still owned and operated by the City of San Francisco, and Mrs. Stern’s descendents remain actively involved, today Stern Grove Festival is truly a community institution, raising nearly $2 million each year to fund its admission-free concerts and outreach programs.

In 2008, Stern Grove Festival celebrates its 71st consecutive season of providing the community with the best performing arts, completely admission-free.  The 71st Season runs from June 15 through August 17, every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit www.sterngrove.org. The 71st Season line-up will be announced on May 1, 2008.

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