We hosted our 10th Annual Soirée on Thursday, September 24 on the historic Paul Revere Mall with a night of music, conviviality, and community.
Celebrating a decade of this signature fundraiser, this year’s Soirée brought the community together for “Cabaret in the City,” an evening inspired by cabaret, the Great American Songbook, and musical theatre. The 10th Annual Soirée also launched our 25th Anniversary Season, paving the way for another year of arts education, performance, and community building.
The event raised $105,400 with more than 250 attendees present. Proceeds directly support our Community Music School and Performing Arts Center, helping make exceptional music education and performing arts programs accessible and affordable to students and artists of all ages and abilities.
Honoring Community Champions
The evening also recognized two distinguished contributors to Boston’s arts, education, and civic communities:
– Traci Walker Griffith, Executive Director of the Eliot K-8 Innovation School, who retired this summer after more than 34 years of leadership advancing equity, arts education, and student success in Boston. NEMPAC has partnered with the Eliot to provide high-quality arts programming for students and families for several years.
-Robin Sidell, Chef and Owner of North Street Grille and a longtime North End community leader. Her longstanding support of local organizations, including NEMPAC, has included hosting neighborhood fundraisers, sponsoring concerts, and supporting the Jazz in the Park Summer Concert Series.
A Night of Music, Celebration, and Community
This year’s “Cabaret in the City” theme brought the spirit of Boston’s cabaret and musical theatre traditions to the Prado, with Becca Allen, Samuel Batista, Abigail Whitney Smith, Calvin Limuel, and members of NEMPAC’s Summer Musical Theatre Troupe providing entertainment throughout the evening.
Reflecting on the warm and festive evening, Executive Director Sherri Snow shared: “Seeing our community come together to support the arts is incredibly inspiring. Nights like this don’t just fuel our mission—they remind us what the creative spirit of NEMPAC and our community is all about. And it’s especially meaningful when our supporters show up again and again.”
Guests enjoyed a buffet dinner, curated libations, a raffle, and a live auction featuring exclusive items and experiences, along with a Fund-a-Need moment supporting our year-round programs. The evening’s festivities were made possible by the generous support of NEMPAC’s sponsors, event partners, and donors. The raffle featured dozens of donated bottles of prosecco from 90+ Cellars, each adorned with a hand-painted Broadway Playbill design by local Boston artist, Maeve Nelson. The celebration continued with an after-party at Mia Roof Deck, generously hosted by DePasquale Ventures.
One of the evening’s most heartwarming highlights was a special performance by our Summer Musical Theatre Troupe students, who delighted the audience with “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen and “When I Grow Up” from Matilda the Musical. After dedicating three weeks of their summer to rehearsing a full-length musical, the students proudly took the stage to share their hard work, creativity, and talent with an enthusiastic audience. Their performance was a wonderful celebration of the joy, confidence, and community that the arts inspire in NEMPAC’s young students.
Supporting Arts Access Across Greater Boston
Funds raised at the Soirée support NEMPAC’s year-round programs, reaching more than 2,900 artists of all ages and abilities through music lessons, musical theatre, school partnerships, youth development, and expanded programming at the Charlestown Working Theater. Support also helps sustain our professional performing arts season, including the Jazz in the Park Series, Opera on the Prado, and the Artist Series.
Led by more than 40 faculty members across a wide range of disciplines, these programs expand access to the transformative power of the arts. A special thank you to the 2026 NEMPAC Soirée sponsors and event partners:
Legend Sponsors: DePasquale Ventures and Seven Hills Farmstead
Encore Sponsors: Anonymous, enLabel Corporation, Pallas Capital Advisors
Spotlight Sponsors: Beacon Bank, The Chambers Family Foundation, Eastern Bank, Tony & Creelea Pangaro, Bud & Margaret Ris, and Andrea Waldstein & Davida Carvin
Event Partners: 90+ Cellars, Access Tent, Big Night Live, Boston Bottle, Catch Light Design, Falcetti Pianos, Imprint Studios, JNG Events & Design, and Simplistic Charm.
