The Passport Approved Radio Tour comes to Blue Note Napa on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to present rock ‘n’ roll international discovery artists Katéa (Finland), Ben Hazlewood (New Zealand), Speaker First (Indonesia) with opener Madyx (USA).
Humanitas Wines, The Wine Foundry, Passport Approved Tour, Blue Note Napa, Heritage Eats and Hampton Inn & Suites are hosting this night of music, food and wine as a kick-off fundraiser for the Arts Council Napa Valley Education Alliance, to support the Arts Education Master Plan for local public schools.
The radio show has been the first to introduce artists such as Vance Joy, Gotye, Lorde, Artic Monkeys, Milky Chance, Kongos, The Temper Trap to the US market.
With each showcase set, Blue Note Napa Chef Jessica Sedlacek will create a series of four-course small plate dishes inspired by each artist’s country of origin to pair with Humanitas and Foundry Wines.
The Passport Approved show is hosted by longtime British-born DJ Sat Bisla, who is also the founder of the global artist discovery and development firm A&R Worldwide.
A&R Worldwide has been credited with the discovery or early development in the U.S. for artists such as Coldplay, Dido, Muse, Sia, Adele, Wolfmother, Keane, LMFAO, and Ting Tings. Headliner Katéa has recently signed with BMG Scandinavia by the same executive who inked Sweden’s Tove Lo to her music publishing deal. Katéa is also represented by Adele’s worldwide entertainment attorney.
“As a parent and member of the board of Arts Council Napa Valley, the issue of arts in our schools is a passionate issue for me,” said Humanitas founder Judd Wallenbrock. “With our relationship with A&R Worldwide and the opening of Blue Note Napa, we saw an opportunity to create an unforgettable night to celebrate the arts while immediately raising funds and bringing awareness to The Arts Education Master Plan.”
Produced in a public-private partnership with the Napa Valley Unified School District, The Arts Education Master Plan will create pathway for every pre-kindergarten-through-12th-grade student in Napa public schools to have a sequential, standards-based visual and performing arts education.
According to studies by Americans for the Arts, students who are given a sense of an artistic community are more likely to create and positively affect their surroundings. These same students will, on average, have superior academic performance, lower dropout rates, improved memory skills, and higher GPAs and SAT scores.
“The Arts Education Master Plan outlines exciting possibilities for our students, but big steps like this don’t often happen without the support of outside agencies,” said Chuck Neidhoefer, arts coordinator for the Napa Valley Unified School District.
Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show begins at 7 p.m. General bar area admission is $25 and includes show only. All-inclusive wine and dinner show tickets are $150. Group donor booths and tables are available for purchase on a first-come, first-purchased basis. These are reserved in booths for four or six, or table seating in sets for four, six or eight for $550, $825 and $1,100 respectively. Additional service fees are not included. Email [email protected] for special booking.
Heritage Eats is hosting the night’s green room. Lodging partner Hampton Inn & Suites is hosting the evening’s talent and offering 15 percent off room rates for out-of-town ticket holders.
Blue Note Napa is at 1030 Main St., Napa in the Opera House building. Tickets are available in person, online or over the phone at (707) 880-2300. The box office is open Tuesday through Sunday 3:30-9:30 p.m
