P!nk to Perform Benefit Concert in Solvang on May 8

In a world in need of art and imagination, the Santa Ynez Valley lives as a creative hub. In it, more importantly, lives a community ready to support it. On Friday, May 8, the Solvang Festival Theater presents Voices of the Valley: An Evening Benefitting the Arts, a collaboration between nonprofits Arts Outreach, Elverhøj Museum of History and Art, and Solvang Theaterfest … and global pop star P!nk.

The show began through the shared history of friends Megan Linton (Arts Outreach), Chantel Green (Solvang Theaterfest), and Sandie Mullin (Elverhøj Museum). “Our lives have intersected in multiple ways,” says Mullin. “Most importantly, all three of us have children who have benefited from arts programs through Arts Outreach.”

That web extends to Alecia Moore (known professionally as P!nk), whose daughter, Willow Sage Hart, joined the Arts Outreach summer youth theater program while Mullin was working there. “The program had a huge impact on Willow,” Mullin explains. “Alecia has always been a big proponent of the arts, but I think having a child experience the benefits of a summer theater program brought it home in a different way.”

When the directors reached out to Moore for advice on navigating the music industry to find a headliner, the superstar offered herself.  

“At our first meeting, Alecia said that she would love to do an acoustic set for us, which would have been more than enough!” Mullin says. “As we discussed what the concert would look like further, she thought it would be great to tie in a musical theater component, since that is what brought us all together.”

The result is a lineup of talent, featuring P!nk in an intimate, acoustic setting alongside Broadway stars Sky Lakota-Lynch and Emma Pittman (both currently in the original cast of The Outsiders). The stage will also host the student performers from Arts Outreach’s Summer Theater program. Arts Outreach provides essential education for students, seniors, and underserved populations, and the funds raised will allow these groups to continue reaching those who might otherwise lack access to the arts. 

Even with a large production, Mullin says that “the most rewarding aspect has been having the opportunity to work with my friends and colleagues on a fundraiser that will have an enormous impact,” and that “despite how busy she is, Alecia has been very involved … she is a member of our community and feels strongly about supporting the arts where she lives.”

Voices of the Valley takes place Friday, May 8, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) at the Solvang Festival Theater (420 Second St., Solvang). Tickets are availableat solvangtheaterfest.org.