AIDS Research Alliance Announces 2013 World AIDS Day Concert Honorees: Robin Smalley, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Sir Ian McKellen

Los Angeles, CA, November 20, 2013 --(PR.com)-- AIDS Research Alliance is pleased to announce that its Second Annual World AIDS Day Concert at The Colburn School will honor three distinguished individuals: Robin Smalley, co-founder of mothers2mothers, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing mother to child transmission of HIV, and actors Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, widely known for their roles in the “X-Men” films. Currently, they are performing in a two-play repertory of Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land,” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” on Broadway.

AIDS Research Alliance’s Second Annual World AIDS Day Concert at The Colburn School is a free community event in commemoration of those who have lost their lives to AIDS, and a symbol of hope for those living with HIV/AIDS. It will take place on Saturday, November 30th at 7:30pm, in the beautiful Zipper Concert Hall at The Colburn School, located at 200 South Grand Avenue, across from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. To reserve tickets, please visit http://aidsresearch.org/wad2013. This event was oversubscribed last year. Tickets are limited.

AIDS Research Alliance’s Paul Rothman and Matthew Rushton Award recognizes groundbreaking innovation, leadership, and achievement in HIV medicine, social services, and in activism and dedication to LGBT rights – equal to that achieved by its founders, Dr. Paul Rothman and Producer Matthew Rushton [deceased], executive producer of Mrs. Doubtfire [1993].

“These three honorees represent the highest ideals of our founders, Dr. Paul Rothman and Matthew Rushton,” said Carolyn Carlburg, CEO of ARA. “I am extremely pleased to recognize and to honor Robin Smalley, Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen for their service and support of AIDS Research Alliance’s larger goal – an AIDS-free generation.”

AIDS Research Alliance’s Second World AIDS Day Concert is made possible in part through the generosity of its presenting sponsor, shop & support company We-Care.com. By downloading the We-Care.com application, users are able to support – at no cost to them -- the nonprofit of their choice when they make online purchases at any of over 2,500 merchants -- including iTunes, Best Buy, Bloomingdales and Target, among many others. To date, over $4.6 million has been raised for the benefit of We-Care.com’s nonprofit partners.

AIDS Research Alliance helped to make HIV/AIDS treatable, but 8,000 people still die of AIDS every day, while millions more with HIV may lose a third of their life spans. As an independent research organization, AIDS Research Alliance has moved the science forward, contributing to the approval of half of today’s HIV/AIDS treatments. Now, AIDS Research Alliance is dedicated to finding a cure.

AIDS Research Alliance’s Second Annual World AIDS Day Concert at The Colburn School will provide metropolitan Los Angeles with a unique program commemorating World AIDS Day. In its second edition, the 2013 World AIDS Day at The Colburn will remember the 35 million people who have died of HIV/AIDS with a concert, featuring a music program with a global theme. The master of ceremonies will be Emmy Award-winning actor LeVar Burton. Additional speakers include ARA’s Chairman of the Board, Dr. W. David Hardy, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and formerly the Director of Infectious Disease at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, as well as James Chud of the Commission on HIV at the County of Los Angeles.

Sponsors and community partners for this community event include We-care.com, Kaiser Permanente, The Hexberg Family Foundation, Merck, William Morris Endeavor, Eagle LA, Alliance for Housing & Healing, Bienestar Human Services, Inc., The City of Los Angeles, The City of West Hollywood, The Colburn School, Lamp Community, The Magic Johnson Foundation, The OASIS Clinic, UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education, and UCLA Center for Behavioral & Addiction Medicine at the UCLA Vine Street Clinic.

AIDS Research Alliance is a nonprofit, medical research organization dedicated to finding a cure for AIDS. Since 1989, AIDS Research Alliance has conducted clinical trials leading to the approval of half of today’s HIV/AIDS treatments. Its current research targeting latent HIV reservoirs, including the development of prostratin, will bring the world closer to a cure. AIDS Research Alliance is also at the forefront of infection prevention as a member of the federal HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Free from political or profit motives, AIDS Research Alliance offers clinical trial volunteers access to the next generation of HIV/AIDS treatments and vaccines at its world-class clinic in downtown Los Angeles, and in this way, pursues all pathways to the worldwide eradication of HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.aidsresearch.org.

One of Los Angeles’ most popular performance halls, The Colburn School’s Zipper Concert Hall is a 435-seat intimate theater with the amenities of a modern performance space. The hall’s ceiling rises more than 60 feet over the stage, 16 feet above the acoustically transparent trellis. The stage is approximately 1,100 square feet and is set under nine lighting “clouds” that provide a soft ambient glow. For more information, visit www.colburnschool.edu.