Named in honor of Ricardo Scales and Patience Scales, whose dedication to musical excellence and cultural preservation continues to inspire our work supporting the next generation of artists and changemakers.
Reunited and it sounds SO GOOD. The incredible privilege of collaborating with the Maestro who believed in me first. When I was introducing the Bay to my jazz artistry, he took a bet on me and the rest is history. My instrument cemented the presidential work and civic engagements followed.
Now we're documenting mastery before it becomes memory: capturing performances, preserving what happens when someone has spent over four decades weaving classical precision, jazz improvisation, gospel soul, and R&B groove into something unmistakable.
This concert series is living archive. Ricardo's contribution to American sound doesn't disappear into unmarked history. Not on my watch.
Ricardo Scales Legacy Concert Series
When legends like Billy Joel and Harry Connick Jr. abandon their hotel rooms to join you at the piano, you've transcended performance. This is what it looks like when artistry becomes cultural infrastructure.
The woman who raised a maestro. Patience Scales represents the foundation upon which excellence is built. Her name itself speaks to the quiet strength, unwavering support, and enduring commitment that shaped one of the Bay Area's most distinguished musical careers.
In naming Parade of Youth to honor both Ricardo and Patience, we recognize that legacy is not created in isolation. Behind every virtuoso is a family that believed first, sacrificed most, and celebrated loudest. Behind every standing ovation is someone who stood by through the practice, the rejections, the long nights, and the longer journeys.
Patience's elegance and grace live on in the way we serve our sponsored artists: with dignity, with attention to detail, with the understanding that supporting creative work is sacred work.
A Name That Speaks Volumes
Patience. Not just a virtue, but a legacy. The kind of unwavering support that allows genius to flourish, excellence to mature, and cultural contributions to endure across generations.
Following Ricardo's example, we support artists who are committed to mastery, innovation, and pushing the boundaries of their craft while staying rooted in tradition.
Honoring Patience's legacy, we provide the steady, unwavering support that allows creative projects to mature and flourish without rushing the process.
Like Ricardo's commitment to opening doors for others, we create pathways for artists and youth leaders to access resources and networks that transform their work.
Parade of Youth was founded on the principle that every artist and youth leader deserves access to the infrastructure needed to bring their vision to life. Our fiscal sponsorship services remove financial and administrative barriers, allowing creators to focus on what they do best.
Through partnerships with organizations like Artists and Athletes for Change (AAFC) and LINEA, we provide comprehensive support that goes beyond traditional fiscal sponsorship, creating pathways for sustainable creative careers and community impact.
Ricardo's 40+ years of mastery teach us that excellence is not accidental. We hold ourselves and our sponsored projects to the highest standards of quality, professionalism, and impact.
True cultural impact cannot be rushed. We understand that meaningful projects require time to develop, mature, and achieve lasting influence. We provide the patient support that allows this to happen.
Just as Ricardo took a bet on emerging artists, we actively create opportunities for underrepresented creators to access resources, networks, and platforms that transform their work.
We're committed to ensuring that contributions to American culture don't disappear into unmarked history. Through our work, we create living archives of excellence.
We approach our work with the understanding that supporting creative work is sacred work. Every project we sponsor receives our full attention, dedication, and respect.
From Patience's foundation to Ricardo's mastery to the next generation we serve, we recognize that true legacy spans generations and creates bridges between past, present, and future.
Join our community of artists and youth leaders who are carrying forward the legacy of excellence, patience, and cultural impact.
Apply for Fiscal SponsorshipQuestions? Email us at info@paradeofyouth.org