From left: Jane Sinclair, Jeff Olson (Hospitality House culinary school manager); Debbie McDonald (development director); Chip Wilder, and Nancy Baglietto (executive director) Photo credit: Joe Anderson
A musical tribute to the Carpenters has raised $9,400 for Hospitality House, a highlight of “Giving Tuesday,” according to organizers.
Earlier this month, a group of local musicians and singers performed “Simple Offering: A Tribute to the Carpenters” at the Nevada Theater in Nevada City.
Proceeds from the sold-out show totaling $4,700 were donated to Hospitality House, and the amount grew to $9,400 thanks to the “Week of Giving,” organizers said.
The show’s cast included lead singer Jane Sinclair and other local musicians. Banner Mountain resident Chip Wilder was the liaison between the musicians and Hospitality House.
Wilder has a history of working with Hospitality House. In 2015, he produced a CD of holiday songs recorded by local musicians called “A Gift of Song,” and the proceeds were donated to Hospitality House.
The genesis of the Carpenters show was a video of the brother-and-sister duo that Sinclair posted on her Facebook page earlier this year. “I have never received so many likes, comments and shares as I did for that video,” Sinclair recalled. “That led me to think there might be an interest in doing a live show of their amazing music.”
Once the show began to take shape, Wilder met with Hospitality House staff, coordinating promotion and other tasks. “Hospitality House is a crown jewel for Nevada County,” he said. “It provides so many needed services.”
“The entire staff at Hospitality House has just been thrilled about the Carpenters show and the follow-up impact,” said Debbie McDonald, development director. “There were not a lot of dry eyes during that performance. It was so heartwarming.”
—Chip Wilder
Thanks Jeff- Lots of people donated their time, most of us never having done a production anywhere near this size. Working with Tom Taylor of the Nevada Theatre gave me new insight into how fortunate we are to have people like him in our community.