The University of Miami Frost School of Music holiday dinner, Winter Wonderful, will take place on Sunday, December 6 at the newly renovated Fontainebleau Hotel on Miami Beach. The goal of Winter Wonderful is to raise $100,000 for the Frost School of Music undergraduate scholarship fund. Highlights of the evening will include a sumptuous three-course dinner and joyous holiday performances featuring Grammy Award-winning vocalist and Frost School alumnus Jon Secada as well as the nearly 200-member Frost Choral Union and a special Holiday Orchestra. Repertoire will include carols from traditions from around the globe.

The Frost School will present Jon Secada with the inaugural Frost Achievement Award, an award that honors a performer who has made a lasting imprint on music and culture. The Frost School will present UM trustee Marta S. Weeks with the Frost Legacy Award, which is given to a recipient who has elevated the arts through personal devotion and philanthropy. The evening will begin with a VIP cocktail reception inside the “LIV” Nightclub at 6:30 p.m. The dinner and performance portion of the evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Fontaine Ballroom. The After-Dance will begin at 10 p.m. in the Lounge.

“Winter Wonderful is undoubtedly the most beautiful and enchanting holiday event in South Florida,” said Frost School Dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg. “I hear all the time from attendees who tell me they never want to miss this evening. It is truly a night of goose bumps and beauty, as the warmth of the season fills the room, expressed as only music can express it. This year, we are thrilled to honor Jon Secada and Marta Weeks for their indelible contributions to our world.”

The Frost Choral Union, approximately 200 members strong, will perform as a unified choir and also as members of smaller ensembles, including the Frost University Chorale (the premiere ensemble), Chamber Singers, Collegium Musicum, Women’s Chamber Ensemble, Women’s Chamber Chorale, and Malestrom. Joshua Habermann and Donald Oglesby will lead the choirs with additional assistance from choral conducting graduate teaching assistants.

“We are pleased to showcase the Frost Choral Union at Winter Wonderful and support the cause of raising funds for undergraduate scholarships for students at the Frost School of Music,” said Director of Choral Studies Joshua Habermann.

Jon Secada is a multi-Grammy winning vocalist, inspiring performer, songwriter, producer, and the engaging host of Latin American Idol. He graduated from the Frost School in 1983, and recently released a new CD, Expressions, that explores his jazz roots.

Reverend Marta S. Weeks is near and dear to the Frost School of Music. She is a multi-faceted philanthropist and inspiring community leader. Reverend Weeks and her late husband, L. Austin Weeks, have provided significant philanthropic support for the University of Miami in many areas, including naming gifts for the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library and Technology Center, the L. Austin Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, and many scholarships for music majors. Reverend Weeks served as chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, the first woman to hold this post, from 2007 to 2009.

Patti and Allan Herbert are the Winter Wonderful dinner chairs. They have received numerous honors for their philanthropic work as UM Alumni. “Allan and I are honored to serve as dinner chairs for Winter Wonderful. We are excited to partner with the Frost School to help raise money for undergraduate scholarships through Winter Wonderful. We are enthusiastic about Dean Berg’s vision for the Frost School of Music, knowing that an exciting future lies ahead,” said Patti Herbert.

The Fontainebleau Hotel is located at 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Winter Wonderful is a black tie event. To order tickets, please call 305-284-6486.