{"id":2195981,"date":"2025-12-12T05:38:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T05:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2195981"},"modified":"2025-12-12T05:38:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T05:38:10","slug":"winter-wonderful-celebrates-the-power-of-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/winter-wonderful-celebrates-the-power-of-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Wonderful celebrates the power of music"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Winter Wonderful is always a moving occasion, as the Frost School of Music celebrates the holiday season while raising money for the Donna E. Shalala MusicReach program, the music mentorship program that reaches over 1500 Miami-Dade youth each year, and music scholarships.<\/p>\n

But the event was particularly emotional this year, as a record number of attendees and donors celebrated the visionary 19-year tenure of Dean Shelton G. \u201cShelly\u201d Berg and his final year hosting the gala that he created when he joined the Frost School in 2007. The annual fundraiser was held on Dec. 7 at the JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami, and drew 361 guests.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the evening was a tribute to Berg and his wife Julia Berg, for their transformative leadership. \u201cAs we celebrate the season of giving and gratitude, those of us who love the Frost School know that no one has given more than Shelly and Julia,\u201d said Jeffrey Miller, the chair of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Committee<\/a>, in a heartfelt speech in which he also thanked naming donors Dr. Phillip and Patricia L. Frost for helping bring Berg to the school and welcomed multiple members of Berg\u2019s family. \u201cYou have built a unique culture at the Frost School, something that can\u2019t always be measured. Your warmth, generosity, and heart have inspired us and everyone here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Frost Choral Union enchanted attendees at Winter Wonderful.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the entire room rose to toast the couple, a visibly emotional Berg spoke. \u201cYou look at 19 years of your life, and you measure it by the love and friendship that\u2019s been gained,\u201d he said. \u201cOf all the things I\u2019ll miss most, it\u2019s that you\u2019ve made my final Winter Wonderful so extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe Burleson, director of programs for MusicReach<\/a>, acknowledged donors, guests, and Berg, who created MusicReach in 2008. \u201cThank you so much to everyone here tonight for believing so deeply in our mission,\u201d said Burleson. \u201cAt its heart, MusicReach is about building community. We\u2019ve been doing this work for almost two decades now, and this year is especially meaningful because it is our last with Shelly as our dean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dean
Dean Shelly Berg performs with MusicReach students at Winter Wonderful.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Support from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, The Children\u2019s Trust, the Batchelor Foundation, and the Jaelan Phillips Foundation has enabled MusicReach to add new contemporary, music production, and engineering classes and to expand its community partnerships.<\/p>\n

Berg, an acclaimed pianist, composer, and bandleader who is leaving his position as Dean<\/a> in May to focus on his artistic career, was a warm and passionate host. \u201cMusic matters,\u201d he said in welcoming guests. \u201cIt connects us, inspires us, and gives us hope for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music enveloped attendees from the moment they entered, when the Frost Holiday Carolers serenaded them. The Frost Choral Union, with over 80 student singers conducted by Director of Choral Studies Matthew Brady, and the Holiday Orchestra performed seasonal songs that ranged from bouncy favorites like \u201cFrosty the Snowman,\u201d to a soaring rendition of \u201cO Holy Night\u201d that drew a standing ovation. They were supplemented by Frost School student trumpet, string, woodwind, and jazz ensembles, so that the evening seemed to glow with music. Berg elevated the evening by accompanying a jazz combo of MusicReach students with a gorgeous, sensitive performance of his arrangement of \u201cOh Christmas Tree\u201d on piano.<\/p>\n

\"Dean
Dean Shelly Berg and Frost School alumnus and famed singer Jon Secada celebrate Frost Legacy Award honorees Gloria and Emilio Estefan.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Frost Legacy Award went to beloved Miami pop stars Gloria and Emilio Estefan<\/a>, strong supporters and frequent collaborators with Berg and the Frost School, with honorary doctorates from the Frost School of Music. \u201cI\u2019ve had the joy of working with creative geniuses Gloria and Emilio all over the world, and they\u2019re as good as it gets,\u201d said Berg. The Estefans were unable to attend in person, but spoke via video. \u201cMusic saved my life, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to support the Frost School of Music,\u201d said Gloria.<\/p>\n

Accepting the Legacy Award on The Estefans’ behalf was alumnus Jon Secada, B.M. \u201983, M.M. \u201986, who became a star working with them, and gave an aching rendition of \u201cI\u2019ll Be Home for Christmas\u201d accompanied by Berg on piano, which drew cheers.<\/p>\n

Guests saluted how Berg had transformed the Frost School and impacted music education. \u201cShelly brought vision, enthusiasm, and empathy,\u201d said entrepreneur and musician Ted Hall, a member of the Dean\u2019s Advisory Committee. \u201cHis natural talent as a musician shows not only when he\u2019s onstage performing, but in the way he envisions the role of the Frost School in the world. He coined the phrase “FrostBuilt” for musicians who not only develop incredible musical skills but also gain a sense of personal identity, confidence, professional capability, stage presence, and self-awareness. There\u2019s no place like the Frost School. Shelly has changed music education forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Frost School jazz vocal program leader Kate Reid sings Gloria Estefan’s “Christmas Through Your Eyes” with student ensemble Frost Extensions, with Matthew Brady, director of choral studies, conducting.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alumnus Matt Serletic<\/a>, B.M. \u201992 and M.M. \u201994, a successful songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur, said the gala further demonstrated Berg\u2019s impact. \u201cWinter Wonderful is another reminder of the amazing resonance that Shelly has created across the city, the U.S., and the globe,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re surrounded by amazing musicians and incredible people from all different walks of life, coming together not only to celebrate music but music education. Shelly has made this yet another moment to reflect on the greatness of music and how it affects everybody\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

But perhaps the most powerful tribute to Berg came, appropriately enough, from songwriting student Fritz Sullivan<\/a>, who performed his song “Saying Goodbye” after Miller\u2019s speech. \u201cWithout Shelly, without the Frost School of Music, some kid like me from Kansas could not pursue his dream,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cI\u2019m grateful every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Songwriting
Songwriting student Fritz Sullivan performs his song “Saying Goodbye” in tribute to Dean Shelly Berg.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sullivan’s performance and lyrics brought tears to people\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo go and change the world just like you do,<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll watch you from a seat with a good view.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll go on knowing you have changed my life,<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you dare leave without saying goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gold level sponsors for the 2025 Winter Wonderful were Robert and Judi Prokop Newman and Sasha and Edward P. Bass; while Silver level sponsors were Betsy Sherman, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Jacqueline Simkin, Joseph Deitch, Skanska and Meisner Electric, and Stuart Miller, Jeffrey Miller, and Leslie Miller Saiontz of The Miller Family Foundation.<\/p>\n

Patron-level sponsors were former University of Miami president Donna E. Shalala, Dorothy and Henry Norton, and Drs. Steven Pabalan and Grace Wang, Hazel Rosen, Karen and Jonathan Fryd, Laurie Scott, Margarita and Rick Tonkinson and Susan and Robert Shelley, Sally Albrecht, the Honorable Charles E. Cobb and Ambassador Sue M. Cobb, and former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Mrs. Columba Bush.<\/p>\n

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