VH1 Save The Music Foundation 2011 Ambassador Kristin Chenoweth Joins John Mayer, John Legend, Julie Andrews, Common, Jason Mraz, Lauren Conrad, Cheyenne Jackson, Pete Wentz and Natasha Bedingfield at The Foundation's 2010 Gala Presented by LG Mobile Phones

NEW YORK, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, November 8th, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will honor Julie Andrews along with Grammy® Award Winners John Legend, John Mayer and The ASCAP Foundation. Paul Williams, legendary songwriter and President of The ASCAP Foundation, will accept on behalf of The Foundation. Additionally, Natasha Bedingfield, a member of the VH1 Save The Music Alumni Ambassador Group, is scheduled to perform and the program for the evening, presented by LG Mobile Phones, will celebrate music as a universal language that shapes our life stories and include a special tribute to the 45th Anniversary of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound of Music by Kristin Chenoweth. The festivities will be hosted by Broadway veteran and 30 Rock star Cheyenne Jackson.

Pete Wentz, Lauren Conrad, Jason Mraz, Common, Billy Burke and Mayor Michael Bloomberg will also be on hand for this incredible evening as presenters. As a prelude to the Gala celebration, which marks 13 years of restoring instrumental music programs in our nation's public schools, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation announced their 2011 Ambassador class via twitter on Tuesday, October 26th. Ciara, a member of the 2011 class, informed her fans through the social media platform with a video message (Link: http://bit.ly/vh1savethemusic) and was joined by her fellow Ambassadors in celebrating their generous commitment to the Foundation.

"We are thrilled to have Pete Wentz, Lauren Conrad, Cheyenne Jackson, Jason Mraz and Common join us for the 2010 Gala," said VH1 Save The Music Foundation Executive Director Paul Cothran. "We could not ask for a better group of participants and are honored that one of our brand new Ambassadors, Kristin Chenoweth, will perform what I'm sure will be an unforgettable tribute to The Sound of Music."

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation inaugurated its Ambassadors program in 2008 around the theme, First Make Music, Then Make History. The campaign, spearheaded by a group of Ambassadors that included Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Chris Webber, Gavin DeGraw, NE-YO, John Rzeznik, Natasha Bedingfield, The Fray, 3 Doors Down and Venus Williams, committed to being the Foundation's most powerful advocates and fundraisers, lending their unique celebrity status to deliver key messages through a national press campaign about the importance of music to a child's complete education.  The First Make Music, Then Make History campaign's goal was to remind the public that many of our greatest leaders and visionaries – Eleanor Roosevelt, Bill Gates and Bill Clinton all share a common trait. Before they made history, they studied music. At the core of the movement, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation aims to remind the public that Music Education equals Brainpower and they too can affect great change by taking action. The program continued with the 2009-2010 class, which included Jason Mraz, Nick Lachey, Kelly Clarkson, OneRepublic, Fall Out Boy, Mandy Moore, Chrisette Michele and Colbie Caillat. The new Ambassador's join these incredible artists in helping to support music education in our nation's schools.

In John Legend, John Mayer and Kristin Chenoweth, the 2010 Gala will feature three esteemed members of the 2011 Ambassador class, all of whom are deeply committed to the Foundation. In addition to Chenoweth's tribute to The Sound of Music, the Gala will continue to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the most popular movie musical of all time as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Rodgers & Hammerstein: An Imagem Company – will present an exclusive online auction to benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, entitled "My Favorite Things" inspired by one of The Sound of Music's signature tunes. The auction will feature fantastic experiential packages, including meet & greets with new and old alumni Ambassadors and artists who support the Foundation's mission, an exclusive Cirque du Soleil ticket package to Wintuk and Viva Elvis and a Broadway show package with tickets to Memphis and Jersey Boys along with a cast meet & greet.  The online auction will kick off at: charitybuzz.com/myfavoritethings on November 3rd, continuing through November 23rd.  Guests at the Gala will also be able to bid electronically during the cocktail reception.

In addition to the honorees and celebrity performers, a group of current students and alumni from the VH1 Save The Music Foundation's first grant recipient school, P.S. 58 will perform demonstrating the impact of the Foundation's work. Joining LG Mobile Phones, the evening's other sponsors include Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Anheuser-Busch, GREY GOOSE® Vodka, HP, JetBlue Airways, and is supported by DJ Skribble, Skam Artist Entertainment, The James New York Hotel, Mr. Boddington's Studio and Yak Pak. The night will celebrate the Foundation's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all students in America's public schools are getting a complete education that includes the benefit of music and develops the whole child.  

Julie Andrews, John Legend, John Mayer and The ASCAP Foundation join an esteemed group of past honorees that include Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Grammy® award-winning superstar, Mariah Carey, NAMM, the International Music Products Association, and Founder and Vice Chairman of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation John Sykes.

For opportunities on how to participate in the Gala or to purchase tickets, please visit www.vh1savethemusic.com/gala2010 or call 212.846.7416.

About The VH1 Save the Music Foundation:

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America's public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education.  To date, VH1 Save The Music has provided more than $45 million in new musical instruments to 1,700 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.4 million children.  With the support of people across the country and the 2010-2011 Ambassador Class including: OneRepublic, Chrisette Michele, Nick Lachey, Mandy Moore, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, Fall Out Boy, Colbie Caillat, it is The Foundation's renewed commitment to donate one hundred million dollars worth of new musical instruments to ensure that even a greater number of students receive a comprehensive music education in the coming decade. Get involved and learn more at www.vh1savethemusic.com.

SOURCE VH1