Event Alert: Phil Ramone To Be Honored Tonight by Salvation Army – Aretha Franklin Special Music Guest

December 5th, 2012 by David Weiss

One of New York City’s most decorated producers, Phil Ramone, will receive recognition of a different kind tonight, Wednesday December 5th. At the Salvation Army’s 65th Annual Gala/Dinner at New York City’s Marriot Marquis, Ramone will be presented with the organization’s 2012 Pinnacle Achievement Award.

Phil Ramone is the recipient of the Salvation Army’s 2012 Pinnacle Acheievement Award.

The GRAMMY Award-winning Ramone is being honored for his humanitarianism and charitable work including his partnership with The Salvation Army Greater New York Division in forming The Salvation Army Phil Ramone Orchestra for Children.

Ramone’s world-renowned work includes recordings with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Chicago, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Madonna, George Michael, Liza Minelli, and Stevie Wonder and to name just a very few. He’s taken that megastar experience into helping the Salvation Army to offer a music highly successful curriculum to the students of New York City’s PS203, which teaches children to play jazz, blues, hip-hop and pop.

No less than “The Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin, will be on hand as the special music guest of the evening. Joining Simpson will be a host of musical luminaries, including Valerie Simpson and Peter Cincotti. Many more executives top achievers from across the music and media industries will also be on hand to help Salvation Army Commissioner Israel L Gaither to honor Ramone.

“This is a time in a child’s life that can be very helpful,” Ramone told SonicScoop about his founding of the Orchestra for Children. “If you can give somebody pride long before they hit the major leagues, it helps them through the teenage years. The teachers in this program are working musicians – they really play – so the respect, tenderness and understanding of how musicians get treated is part of the curriculum.

“You’re so lucky when you can somehow get mentored by two or three teachers before high school,” Ramone adds. “I believe that the sooner we start, the more fun it is. Hopefully this program will continue to grow and expand, because the Board of Education is studying what’s happening: the participating students’ marks are going straight up, as is their responsibility for their work and their enjoyment of it.”

Ramone notes that producers and engineers who can donate some of their own time in the studio have a golden opportunity to positively influence children. “I was mentored by the Tom Dowds and Al Schmitts of the world,” he says. “All of that mentoring is available through us giving back. When we serve as mentors, there’s a tremendous chance that kids will want to continue learning, because music and audio is so much a part of our lives.

Related posts: