On August 21, ArtSmart co-founder and world-renowned tenor Michael Fabiano and friends performed a concert at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. A dinner, hosted by Kelly Clarke and Lilian Tsai, followed at Uccello Lounge. About 100 guests, including ArtSmart board members and enthusiastic supporters, attended the inspirational performance.
ArtSmart is one of the music charities I have supported since 2016, as I shared the same belief that music has the power to change our lives and inspire us to achieve higher goals in life.
I have hosted several fundraising concerts for ArtSmart with Michael Fabiano, including the first Olivia Decker Power of Music concert presented with Festival Napa Valley in September 2021 at a Belvedere private home during COVID-19.
ArtSmart was co-founded in 2016 by Michael Fabiano and John Viscardi after extensive analysis of the United States education system and the economic landscape for artists living and working in the United States.
It was born from a central idea: to offer students in under-resourced communities an opportunity to pursue their dreams and develop holistically, while supporting working artists in accomplishing their own professional goals.
Through weekly one-on-one, tuition-free music lessons over a full school year, ArtSmart students receive world class instruction and personalized mentorship from professional musicians.
Using an evidence-based curriculum, ArtSmart’s teaching artists, known as mentors, work with their students to set goals, learn music, develop a healthy self-esteem, and ultimately chart a course for the rest of their lives.
“Having that one guiding light every single week, one mentor that they can relate to and say, ‘this person cares about me,’ provides direct inspiration in all their other studies. Inspiration leads to personal growth, emotional growth, [and] academic growth. Inspiration is the key to success in school,” said Fabiano.
As of January 1, 2024, ArtSmart has provided over 38,000 music mentorship sessions to over 1,665 students in New York City, Newark, Jersey City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle.
It has paid over $1.4 million in dependable income to teaching artists, who are now named the Maria Manetti Shrem Mentors after a $1 million grant donated by arts philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem in January 2024.
ArtSmart not only helps young people achieve their dreams, but also provides income to performing artists. The mentors contribute to their professions by teaching young students and performing the art they love to perform. It’s a great program for both music professionals and talented youngsters.
To support ArtSmart, please visit ArtSmart.org.