2022 “Rock the V” Entertainment

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Due to circumstances beyond the artist’s control, Jon Batiste will be unable to perform at this year’s V Wine Celebration “Rock the V” Party and Concert, Friday, August 5, 2022.  

We were so looking forward to welcoming Jon, who was to be joined by his wife, Suleika Jaouad. Jaouad was recently diagnosed with leukemia for the second time, and we acknowledge their strength and are in their corner during this difficult time. This is another stark reminder of why this fight is so important and the critical role research plays in achieving Victory Over Cancer. 

We are pleased to confirm that we will instead be featuring musical performances by American Rock & Soul Artist: Maggie Rose with the iconic New Orleans Brass Ensemble The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, whose founding line-up included Jon’s Grandfather Lionel Batiste, and Miami’s DJ Lucian White and Multi-Media Artist Matt DiBiase known as PlexusPlay.  

American Rock & Soul Artist: Maggie Rose also makes her Wine Celebration debut! After years of honing her chops and making her name as a force-of-nature vocalist, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter has dreamed up her own unbridled collision of rock-and-roll, soul, folk, funk, and R&B: a fittingly eclectic sound for a musician whose live experience includes opening for Heart and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, touring as direct support for Kelly Clarkson, and sharing the Cayamo Cruise bill with Emmylou Harris and Jason Isbell—all in 2019 alone. Maggie approaches her music with confidence and clarity of vision, ultimately sharing a selection of songs both timeless and urgent. 

In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social Aid and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. Brass bands, early predecessors of jazz as we know it, would often follow the funeral procession playing somber dirges, then once the family of the deceased was out of earshot, burst into jubilant dance tunes as casual onlookers danced in the streets. By the late ’70s, few of either existed. The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club decided to assemble this group as a house band, and over the course of these early gigs, the seven-member ensemble adopted the venue’s name: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. 

This year’s “Rock The V” musical entertainment will begin with the ever-popular DJ Lucian White, Miami’s own mix master, alongside PlexusPlay’s Multimedia Artist Matt DiBiase, together combining custom-curated pop-music playlists, euphoric dance music, stunning 3D animated motion graphics, and jazz synth xylophone to create a live multimedia experience unlike any other. 

We appreciate your understanding of this change in our schedule of events and we hope you will be able to join us for this game-changing weekend, dedicated to accelerating Victory Over Cancer!

Samantha Rudd To Be Honored As The Vintner Grant Honoree At The 2022 V Foundation Wine Celebration

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NAPA, CA, JUNE 6, 2022 – The V Foundation Wine Celebration will honor Samantha Rudd as the 2022 Vintner Grant Honoree at a special luncheon during the Wine Celebration Weekend, August 4-7 in the Napa Valley. The Wine Celebration’s 2022 theme, “Choose Courage”, reflects acts of courage in the fight against cancer, whether as a researcher, supporter, survivor, or active fighter.  

Each year the V Foundation Wine Celebration acknowledges the efforts and support of a participating vintner by awarding a Vintner Grant in their honor. Through the Vintner Grant, the honorees are able to designate an area of focus with a cancer research grant in their name. The V Foundation is fortunate to have an accomplished Scientific Advisory Committee whose members are leaders in the cancer research field, and who are responsible for evaluating and selecting the most promising research projects to receive funding.  

In memory of her father Leslie Rudd, and due to a family history of cancer, Samantha is focusing on early detection in the fight against cancer.  

“We were greatly affected by cancer when we lost my father to esophageal cancer in 2018, and three of my four grandparents also had cancer,” said Samantha Rudd. “I don’t like to say that cancer scares me as I think it is not the right approach. With all the work being done by cancer focused organizations like the V Foundation, we should all take action to do everything we can to combat this horrible disease.” 

While Samantha is honored to the 2022 Vintner Grant honoree, she feels like it should be given it to someone from the V Foundation, “They are the ones doing the hard work to raise awareness and funds to make a difference in the battle against cancer. I think the amount of courage it takes to be defeated by something and still stand in the face of it, hand in hand with others who understand the pain, is what the V Foundation community has done for so many. As the 2022 honoree it is part of my responsibility to continue to help the cause so that other daughters do not have to lose their dads to this horrible disease.”  

The 2022 Vintner Grant Luncheon will be held at Press Restaurant in St. Helena, Napa Valley.  

Samantha added, “It is a surreal feeling to host such an incredible event at the restaurant my dad founded over 15 years ago as a place to honor Napa Valley and the community he had grown to love so much. To be able to sit in a room with fellow vintners and guests impacted by cancer will be very powerful.” 

Samantha grew up on Rudd Estate where, at age eight, she decided she would do whatever it takes to care for the land and fulfill a generational promise that she made to her father — that upon taking the reins at Rudd, she would leave the Estate to the next generation better off than when she assumed leadership. Samantha remembers the lessons instilled by her mother and father through two decades of working side-by-side on the Estate as well as several years working outside of the family business learning from some of the best in the world, including Château Margaux and Spottswoode, both female run and owned winery estates. Samantha returned to Rudd in December 2015, and immediately began implementing her long-term vision, ranging from championing the Estate’s organic farming practices to fostering unlikely collaborations that seek inspiration beyond the world of fine wine.  

The V Foundation Wine Celebration, one of the top-rated charitable events in the country, has helped to fund numerous research programs at medical research institutions across the country. Each year it attracts attendees to the Napa Valley from all over to the country for a gala weekend of events and activities with a serious purpose – advancing the foundation’s efforts to support significant cancer research  

For more information on the 2022 V Wine Celebration, please visit www.winecelebration.org.  

 

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About the V Foundation Wine Celebration 

Since 1999, the V Foundation Wine Celebration, benefitting the V Foundation for Cancer Research, has raised over $130 million for cancer research and related programs. This three-day signature series of events in the stunning Napa Valley demonstrates that commitment, passion and giving become the catalyst for positive change. For more information, please visit winecelebration.org. 

 

About the V Foundation for Cancer Research 

The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the Foundation has funded nearly $290 million in cancer research grants nationwide. Event proceeds benefit cancer research funded by the V Foundation. The Foundation awards game-changing grants through a competitive process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Committee. For more information on the V Foundation or to donate, please visit v.org. 

 

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MEDIA CONTACTS:  Tom Fuller/Monty Sander
Fuller & Sander Communications
707-486-8968/707-480-8635
tom@fullerandsander.com/monty@fullerandsander.com