News

MIAMI, FL — On Monday, March 19th, 2012, Tony Bennett, the legendary seventeen-time Grammy Award winning artist, will be hosting the “Tony Bennett All-Star Tennis Event and Benefit Gala.” The two-part event will begin with a day-time Round Robin tennis tournament at The Cliff Drysdale Tennis Center at The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami. The event, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., includes a champagne reception with passed hors d’oeuvres, exhibition matches with the top stars where tennis enthusiasts will get the chance to play with Alejandro Sanz and tennis legends such as Novak Djokovic, The Bryan Brothers, Andy Murray, Caroline Wozniacki , Mardy Fish, Kim Clijsters and Ryan Harrison, Cliff Drysdale & Darren Cahill among many others. Tony Bennett, a life long fan of the sport of tennis, will perform “God Bless America” at the tennis tournament.

In the evening, Tony Bennett will host a gala at the historic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens where guests will enjoy a seated dinner provided by Cristoforo Pignata (Puntino Italian Restaurants and catering, who is bringing in three of his top chefs from his 5-star hotels in Italy for the event), followed by live performances by Tony Bennett and Alejandro Sanz who will join Bennett on stage to perform a song from Bennett’s #1 CD, DUETS II. The Bryan Brothers Band will also perform for invited guests, celebrities & professional Tennis players in attendance.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting this event that will benefit organizations dedicated to supporting the arts, education and the sport of tennis for young people,” says Tony Bennett.

Tony Bennett’s All-Star Tennis Event and Benefit Gala will benefit Exploring the Arts, Team Bryan and the Greater Miami Tennis Foundation. Tickets are open to the public and can be purchased by going to TonyBennettEvent.com.

ABOUT THE CHARITIES

Exploring the Arts

Founded in 1999 by legendary American singer and painter, Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, Exploring the Arts’ (ETA) mission is to strengthen the role of the arts in public high school education. ETA programs connect private funders, individual artists, and cultural institutions to their Partner Schools to achieve greater equality of resources and opportunity for youth of all means and backgrounds. For further information please visit www.exploringthearts.org.

Team Bryan

Founded in 2006 by Ryan Wolfington with the support of Sean and Ana Wolfington to take at risk children off the streets, and onto the tennis court and into the classroom. Children being the program at all ages and go through a “road to success” mentoring program that helps them to fulfill their greatest potential in tennis, school and life by teaching them skills for overcoming adversity and achieving their goals. With the help of Bob and Mike Bryan, the #1 doubles team in the world, nearly 40 players have earned scholarships to college for both academics and to play Division 1 NCAA tennis.

The Greater Miami Tennis & Education Foundation

Since 1974, over 33,000 youngsters have had the opportunity to learn tennis and valuable life skills by participating in both free and affordable GMTEF programs. Our mission is to develop, organize and conduct education, tennis awareness and skills development programs for youth from economically and socially challenged communities in Miami-Dade County. GMTEF is committed to helping participants become well-rounded individuals by focusing on character development, self-esteem and academic achievement. For further information please visit gmtef.org.