The McCallum Theatre announced today that acclaimed singer-songwriter Matteo Bocelli, along with an 80-piece symphony orchestra and a special guest to be announced will headline its Annual Fundraising Gala, returning for the first time since 2019, on Thursday, December 1. The always eagerly-awaited annual event will honor Philanthropist and McCallum Trustee Brooke Koehler for the indelible impact she has had through her commitment to the arts, healthcare, education and animal welfare in both the Coachella Valley and the San Diego area.
Invitations for the performance and pre-show dinner at one of four restaurants will be mailed by the end of October. The restaurants are Cuistot, Jillian’s, La Spiga and Wally’s Desert Turtle. Sponsorships start at $1,000, include dinner and the performance, and may be obtained by going to the McCallum website (www.mccallumtheatre.org) and clicking on the Gala logo under McCallum Spotlight on the home page. For additional information, please contact Brooke Stuessy at (760) 776-6186 or bstuessy@mccallum-theatre.org. Single tickets for the performance only will be on sale in November.
Proceeds from the McCallum Theatre Annual Gala help fund Theatre operations as well as its acclaimed education programs that bring life-changing experiences and exposure to theatre, dance, music and visual arts to over 50,000 schoolchildren and educators annually at no cost to them. These funds also make it possible to continue to bring world-class performances to Coachella Valley residents.
The evening’s Honoree is the extraordinary Brooke Koehler who has served with distinction on the McCallum Board of Trustees since 2017. Brooke and her late husband, Dan, became Distinguished Benefactors at the Theatre in 2019. For many years, Brooke has been an active philanthropist in the Coachella Valley and the San Diego area, supporting such organizations as the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center, Eisenhower Medical Center, San Diego Humane Society, San Diego Zoo and The Living Desert.
Through generous grants to healthcare, cultural, education and humane organizations, Brooke has been a significant force in building and supporting innovative programs that have transformed thousands of lives. McCallum Theatre is grateful for her longstanding support and honored to shine a well-deserved spotlight on her boundless generosity.
The evening’s headliner, acclaimed singer-songwriter Matteo Bocelli first garnered recognition with “Fall on Me,” the English/Italian song he co-wrote for his father, international superstar Andrea Bocelli’s popular album, Si, a Billboard 200 chart topper. The song, which was featured in the Disney film, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, has amassed over 300 million streams and was performed at Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl and on “Dancing with the Stars” on Disney Night.
Matteo’s musical journey began when he was a child. By age six, he was learning piano and, as a teenager, his passion for music rivalled his love of sport. He made his stage debut at age eighteen singing Verdi at the Colosseum in Rome and has worked thereafter to master his craft.
A graduate of the Conservatory of Lucca in Tuscany, Matteo recently released his new single, “Tempo,” which has been tapped for the European/UK advertising campaign for the new Fiat 500 La Prima. The song is a follow-up to his duet, “Until She’s Gone,” with Latin superstar Sebastian Yatra. Matteo, who is fluent in Spanish released the track in various languages.
“You need this artist on your radar,” said Euphoria Magazine after Matteo released his fittingly titled debut single “Solo” on Capitol Records in 2021. Combined global streams of the song have surpassed seven million and views of the official video now exceed five million.
Considered to be one of the most promising emerging vocalists on the international pop scene, Matteo is currently working on his first record.