Our 2nd Annual Johnny Mercer Award Gala at the Rainbow Room in New York City was a great success and will be remembered as a final fitting tribute to Broadway composer extraordinaire Cy Coleman, who was presented with a special award from the foundation.

Over a hundred attendees enjoyed fabulous performances by Margaret Whiting, President of the Johnny Mercer Foundation, Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kathie Lee Gifford, Glenn Close and our special guest Tony Bennett. With such a wonderful mix of guests and entertainers the event solidified The Johnny Mercer Foundation as a real presence in our global musical community. The evening also included a spring fashion show by designer Donald Deal set to a Johnny Mercer score.

The evening's honoree Cy Coleman, who sadly passed away just weeks after our event, won Tony Awards for his scores to The Will Rogers Follies, City of Angels and On the Twentieth Century. He was also Tony nominated for his scores for The Life, Barnum, I Love My Wife, Seesaw and Little Me. Cy will be remembered as an energetic fixture of Broadway and someone who added zest and vitality to the Great American Songbook for generations to come.

The energy in the room for our 2nd Gala demonstrated the continued enthusiasm for preserving America's great musical and lyrical history, and the philanthropic efforts resulted in a profitable evening as well. This extra funding will enable the foundation to continue our support for projects such as the Sundance Initiative and the "Accentuate The Positive" in school programs which introduces elementary school kids to the world of songwriting.

Read more about the evening:
New York Social Diary