
Advocate for the Arts Awards Benefit
Wednesday, October 15 | 6:00 PM
Four Seasons Chicago
Business Attire
Emcee: Irika Sargent, Evening News Anchor, CBS Chicago
Chair: Karen Zupko, President, Karen Zupko & Associates, Inc.
Please join us and support the Festival. Gather together with great friends of the arts to enjoy great performances and celebrate the Festival’s vital role in enriching our city with world-class music experiences that are free and open to all.
We are proud to present the 2025 Advocate for the Arts Award to Amy Lee Boonstra—an unwavering champion for the Festival and music education—and Amsted Industries, recognizing the outstanding contributions of Chairman, President and CEO Stephen Smith, and his late predecessor Bob Reum, whose transformational leadership helped to shape Amsted’s commitment to Chicago’s arts and cultural landscape.
For more information about this event, please call 312.742.2729 or send us an email.
Thank You to Our 2025 Sponsors
Amsted Industries
Amy and Brian Boonstra
Nancy Dehmlow
The Reum Family
Linda and Steve Smith
Karen Zupko
James and Eileen Friestad
Jeannette and Jerry Goldstone
Matthew Hinerfeld and Nora Jaskowiak
Julian Oettinger
Kate Donaldson and Ryan Whitacre
Adam and Stephanie Grais
Nancy and Tom Hanson
Kay and Malcolm Kamin
Sandra Kamin
McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.
Tom and Shellane Mulcahy
Tom Orlando
Hedy M. Rather, in memory of Morton H. Kaplan
Ramon and MJ Stewart
Lauren Streicher, MD and Jason Brett
Maureen Sullivan Taylor and Terry Taylor
Andria van der Merwe
David Whitney and Juliana Chyu
Ruth Williams
Elizabeth Bach
Colleen and Lloyd Fry