Join us at tasting notes 2026!

Our annual Tasting Notes gala will be held on February 22, 2026 at the wonderful Hilton Santa Monica Hotel and Suites. The event is a fun-filled evening of tastings from local wineries, distilleries, restaurants, and more…with live music and an auction, too!

Every ticket purchased and every sponsorship secured directly supports our mission to provide transformative music education to students, over 60% of whom receive need-based scholarships or participate in tuition-free programs!

This year, we are delighted to be honoring Jason Aiello and Monika White at our event.

>>Save $25 on your ticket cost buy purchasing at our early bird rate! Tickets are now on sale and early bird tickets are available through January 21!<<

About our honorees:

Jason Aiello has taught orchestra at Santa Monica High School since 2006 and studied music education and cello at UCLA. He currently serves as Vice President of the California Orchestra Directors Association. Jason has taught for Elemental Strings for over 15 years, helping plant the seed for a love of music for hundreds of students in our programs.

Dr. Monika White is a longtime educator, administrator, and expert in aging, care management, and community health. Former CEO of the Center for Healthy Aging and USC adjunct associate professor, she has received numerous awards for her contributions to the fields of social work and aging. Dr. White has been instrumental to Elemental Music's expansion over the last three years.

Want to get involved?

For details on sponsoring the event, click here.

If you are interested in hosting a tasting table with your restaurant, click here.

If you are interested in hosting a tasting table with your winery, distillery, or beverage brand, click here.

If you would like to donate to our auction, click here.

Hosted by:

Sponsored by:

Will Ferrell & Viveca Paulin-Ferrell

Jay Gordon