Cause & Celebration: Academy Ball, Garrett Geitlin Snider Foundation

The Academy of Music and the Hyatt at the Bellevue were bustling Jan. 24 in celebration of the 158th anniversary of the opening of the beloved Academy of Music, the "Grand Old Lady of Locust Street." It was quite a celebration - grand, for sure - for the 1,400 guests attending the premier white-tie gala and fund-raiser.

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra started off the festivities with a special guest appearance by Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino, whose mesmerizing monologues left the crowd spellbound. Nézet-Séguin dedicated Nino Rota's "Speak Softly Love" from The Godfather to Pacino. After the concert, guests strolled down Broad Street to the Hyatt, where they were treated to the Delaware County Christian Academy choir, the Philadelphia Handbell Ensemble, and the Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School Choir. At the ball, dinner and cocktails were served in seven dining rooms, all with their own decor and bands. Proceeds from the evening will go to the restoration fund for preservation of the Academy.

Food for Thought

The Garrett Getlin Snider Foundation hosted an evening of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for 140 guests at the Rittenhouse Hotel on Jan. 21. Joining forces with the Vetri Foundation for Children, Snider invited his family, friends and other guests to raise some fun and funds for the Vetri Foundation for Children. Proceeds from the night benefited Marc Vetri's Eatiquette program, started to help schools provide healthy meals made from scratch while working within the guidelines for the National School Lunch Program.