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Rutherford's Music for Mental Health Festival set for Sept. 17

St. Helena Star (CA) - 6/28/2016

The 22nd Annual Music Festival for Brain Health will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Staglin Family Vineyard in Rutherford.

This year's festival features musician, filmmaker and humanitarian Michael Franti & Spearhead.

Celebrating more than two decades of research funding, the Music Festival for Brain Health focuses on brain disorders, and, including leveraged grants from U.S. government agencies and private organizations, has raised nearly $225 million.

Last year alone, the event raised nearly $5 million to support the research to find cures for brain disorders. The 22nd Annual Music Festival for Brain Health benefits One Mind Institute ("IMHRO"), and One Mind, each partnering to support research, education, treatment, and to fight the stigma surrounding brain disorders.

"Each year, we seem to reach new milestones in terms of research and awareness," said Shari Staglin, "As we continue to develop critically important advances and improvements in brain health, we feel more confident that we will find the causes and cures of brain illnesses."

The Festival kicks off with the scientific symposium, featuring keynote speaker Steven McCarroll, Ph.D., of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and of Harvard Medical School.

McCarroll will speak on how new technologies are enabling scientists to understand the causes of brain illness by analyzing gene expression in vast numbers of individual brain cells, as demonstrated in his team's news-making discovery of the C4 gene's role in schizophrenia.

Following the keynote will be a featured talk by David Okonkwo, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh who will speak about how collaborative, open science is rapidly accelerating brain health advances.

Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Friedman Brain Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, will moderate the symposium, which will also feature the 2016 Rising Star scientists.

The symposium is followed by a cult wine tasting paired with hors d'oeuvres prepared by Chef Curtis Di Fede of Miminashi restaurant Napa. The day continues with a performance by Michael Franti & Spearhead.

Following the concert, James Beard award-winning Chef Gerard Craft of Nichin of St. Louis and Nashville, will prepare a dinner served with Staglin Family Vineyard wines.

Scheduled to appear at this year's festival are former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, co-chairman of One Mind, Congressman Mike Thompson, and Peter Chiarelli, General, U.S. Army (retired), CEO of One Mind.

Early bird festival passes purchased prior to Aug. 1 begin at $750. Festival passes will be $1,000 beginning Aug. 1. Individual sponsor passes including the post-concert VIP dinner begin at $5,000, and VIP sponsor tables of 10, including the post-concert VIP dinner begin at $50,000.

Passes are available at music-festival.org. For sponsor opportunities call Cindy Dyar at (707) 963-4038 or email Cindy@imhro.org. Admission to the symposium only is free with prior registration. Proceeds to benefit mental health research projects nationwide.