Press Releases
Summary: Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a historic home and cultural center in south Orange County, has established the Margaret Redmond Music Education Endowment Fund to support Casa Romantica’s Music Festival and Academy for children with a $50,000 gift from Casa Romantica’s Board President Emeritus Dr. Ron Redmond, in honor of his late wife Margaret Redmond.
San Clemente, CA – Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, a nonprofit southern California cultural center, has received a major gift of $50,000 from Casa Romantica’s Board President Emeritus Dr. Ron Redmond, in honor of his late wife Margaret Redmond. Their gift created the Margaret Redmond Music Education Endowment Fund, a portion of Casa Romantica’s endowment that will fund Casa Romantica’s Summer Music Academies for children, including the Music Academy and Classical Music Workshop.
“We are deeply honored to be the recipient of such a beautiful and lasting tribute for Margaret Redmond,” says Amy Behrens, Executive Director. “This gift will share Margaret’s love of learning with children at Casa Romantica for many, many years to come.”
“This excellent Margaret Redmond Musical Endowment Fund will give rich benefits to many children, changing their world and ours in a positive way,” says Ruth DeNault, Board President. “This gift will continue to benefit music education and appreciation in perpetuity. We thank the Redmond family for their generous and meaningful gift.”
Dr. Ron and Margaret Redmond have underwritten the Music Festival and Academy annually since the program began in 2015.
The only program of its kind in Orange County, it provides two weeks of classical music instruction to children each summer at NO cost to them, whether they are beginning or intermediate music students. Casa Romantica covers every expense so that students can focus on learning in a residency-style experience: faculty instruction, instrument rental, supplies, lunch, and recital expenses.
“We are acutely aware that Casa Romantica thrives through donations from the community, and it is our responsibility to ensure its fiscal health.” says Ron Redmond, Board President Emeritus. “It is important that we sustain such a rich arts and culture resource for future generations to enjoy.”
The Redmond family has been deeply connected to Casa Romantica over the past twenty years, participating in Casa Romantica’s initial renovation and the first Capital Campaign to transform Casa Romantica into the hub of culture it is today. Dr. Redmond is a past President of Casa Romantica’s Board of Trustees, and remains involved in an Emeritus capacity. He also chaired the capital campaign for Casa Romantica’s amphitheater improvements. The facility was named the Redmond Amphitheater By The Sea.
Ron Redmond, DDS, MS, FACD, is a globally-recognized expert in orthodontics practice performance who founded Redmond Orthodontics, a family-run orthodontic practice with multiple locations throughout south Orange County, and Gateway Orthodontics of Seattle in Seattle, WA. He is also the CEO of Shulman Study Group, a nationally-recognized association of dental practices, and is on the Board of Directors of InBrace, a revolutionary new alignment tool for teeth using computer-drafted custom 3-D wires.
In addition to his governance for Casa Romantica, he served on the Board of Regents for University of the Pacific (his alma mater) and as a Board member for the Pacific Dugoni Foundation.
Margaret Redmond taught elementary school for over 30 years. Beloved by her students, she inspired in them the same sense of opportunity and potential that she did for the couple’s three children, two of whom followed their father into orthodontics and dentistry and one who founded a nationally award-winning design firm. Margaret was instrumental in the couple’s decision to support the renovation of Casa Romantica into a cultural center for people of all ages to enjoy, and her influence guided their philanthropy to provide major annual support for the Music Festival and Academy and major capital support for the Redmond Amphitheater.
Casa Romantica’s endowment fund is managed by Orange County Community Foundation. There is a matching opportunity with $250,000 available to be matched 1:3 from an anonymous donor who made a bequest to Casa Romantica.
About Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens maintains a robust series of year-round programs in arts, music, history, horticulture, and literature for all ages. Casa Romantica has commissioned several critically-acclaimed works, including Casa Classic: Opera Through the Seasons (2021; site-specific commission), Casa Kinetic: Tango Romantica (2021; dance), Open Casa: Who was Nellie Gail Moulton? (2020; visual art), Casa Coastal: Murals of Levi Ponce (2019; visual art), Casa Theater: The Odd-Essy (2019; theater), Casa Kinetic: Culture Shock LA Hip Hop (2019; dance); Casa Coastal: The Art of Baja California (2018; visual art), Casa Theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018; theater), Casa Kinetic: Celebrating Tap Dance Legends (2018; dance), Casa Coastal: Rebecca Louise Law (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Contemporary Dance Collective (2017; contemporary dance), The Beauty of the Butterfly (2017; visual art), Casa Kinetic: Carrie Lee Riggins (2016; contemporary dance), Casa Drama: Slings & Arrows (2015; theater), and Open Casa: The Photographs of Douglas Kirkland (2015; visual art). The 2021-22 Casa Captivating season includes the brand new Connections thematic program series, an expanded Casa Jazz program, and expanded arts and wellness class series.
Casa Romantica also hosts a variety of free arts education programs for children year-round. The institution’s critically-acclaimed annual Summer Music Academies includes the Music Academy, Classical Music Workshop, and Summer Dance Academy, a Spring Break Arts Week, various art, literature, and horticulture events to grades K-12, and welcomes over 6,000 children from the Capistrano Unified School District each year for STEAM-based field trips that examine the history of San Clemente and the coastal environment.
Mission Statement: Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and is the historic home of the founder of the City of San Clemente. Casa Romantica provides programs for all ages in arts, music, history, and horticulture and is a premier Southern California cultural center.
Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is located at 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA 92672. Hours: Tuesday—Thursday 10 AM—4 PM; Friday—Sunday 10 AM — 2 PM; closed Mondays and holidays. General admission is $5; Casa Members, active duty military with ID, and children under age 13 visit for FREE. For more information, call (949) 498-2139 or visit CasaRomantica.org
