2026
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5th 7 PM -11 PM
The Coolest Night in New Orleans
2025 IMPROV GALA
The 8th Annual Improvisations Gala, Presented by the Herb Alpert Foundation, was Storyville: Sounds of the Rising Sun. When guests stepped through the gates of the New Orleans Jazz Museum, they were immersed into Storyville for an unforgettable night of nonstop revelry with music across five stages, burlesque, Baby Dolls, gaming tables, dazzling activations, food, cocktails, and an auction.
Storyville, New Orleans’ most infamous neighborhood, where music, nightlife, and culture collided at the turn of the 20th century. Though best known as the city’s red-light district, Storyville was also pivotal to the New Orleans sound, where musicians like Jelly Roll Morton, Buddy Bolden, and King Oliver shaped and improvised to carry the music to new audiences.
2025 SPONSOR & PARTNERS
A special thanks to Herb Alpert Foundation for their continued support as the Presenting Sponsor of the Improvisations Gala.
PRESENTING SPONSOR
ENTERTAINMENT & PRODUCTION SPONSORS
STAGE SPONSORS
VIP EXPERIENCE SPONSOR:
CULINARY SPONSOR:
ONLINE AUCTION SPONSOR
PROGRAM SPONSOR
SUSTAINING SPONSORS:
BUDDY BOLDEN SPONSORS:
SWEET EMMA SPONSORS:
ELLIS MARSALIS SPONSORS:
IN-KIND SPONSORS:
MEDIA SPONSORS:
MUSEUM PARTNERS:
2025 IMPROVISATIONS GALA COMMITTEE
HONORARY CHAIRS
Herb Alpert | Jon Batiste | John Goodman | Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser | Arthel Neville | Wynton Marsalis | Randy Fertel | Joe Donner | Tony Sylvester | Francis Ford Coppola
IMPROVISATIONS GALA
CO-CHAIRS
Valerie Landry, James Moore, and Claus Sadlier
Committee Members
Tiffany Adler | Maurye Aycock | Sally Asher | Kerri Becker | Eric Belin | Chip Blondeau | Peter Boylan | Dickie Brennan | Detroit Brooks | Katherine Cecil | Camille Collins Black |Charlotte Conerly | Bo & Dana Cooper | Joey DiFatta | Therese Duke | Kathleen Edmundson | Anise Fiello | Dino Gankendorff | Jeremy Gelbwaks | Gina Giacona | Cathryn Giff | Priscilla Gordon | Ashley Hilsman | James Douglas Hislop | Donna Horowitz | Amy Kirk | Valerie Landry | Cheryl Lemoine | Julie Oreck | Wendy Lodrig Bart
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Anne Atkinson | Glen Armantrout | Cindy Badinger | Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes | Henry L. Bart | Margarita Bergen | Joe Bikulege | Pam Davis Friedler | Valerie M. Grubb | Laurie Guimont Guillaume | KC Guidry |Dr. Thomas LaVeist | Rex & Marty Leatherbury | Casey Lipscomb | Diane Lyons | Gail McKenna | David Mutter | | Jerry Reyes | Dr. Eduardo E. Rodriguez | Kristian Sonnier | Vincent Sylvain | Suzie Terrell
| AP Tureaud, Jr. | Julia Walker
IMPROVISATIONS GALA ORGANIZERS
Greg Lambousy | Carlisle & Voelker | Sandra S. Dartus, CFEE
WHY IT MATTERS
The Improvisations Gala raises essential funds to support the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s educational programming, which includes our exhibitions and performances. By purchasing a ticket, you help preserve our city’s cultural legacy and sustain the future of New Orleans music.
In 2024 alone,
the New Orleans Jazz Museum boasted
8,122
Students Impacted
by our Educational Initiatives
161,890
Museum Visitors
191
Weekly Concerts
(Despite our Performance Center being closed for renovations)
15
Festivals
9
9 International Missions amplifying New Orleans music and culture