It’s been a shade over 20 years since a quintet of professional musicians founded the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts, meaning now is the perfect time to throw a party. Hence, AA-SPA’s afternoon gala Saturday at the Michigan Theater.

“It’s a big celebration for the school and a fantastic experience for the students,” said Anne Berquist, executive director of AA-SPA.

“The school started 20 years ago last November. We had the vision to create this very unique place where fantastic, excellent music teaching would happen. … Things have evolved since,” she added.

The AA-SPA, founded by Elaine Sargous, Penny Fischer, Katherine Collier, Virginia Weckstrom-Kantor and Wendy Bloom, now boasts around 25 instructors and 300 students. It is located just south of downtown at 637 S. Main St. Young and old are welcome, with scholarships offered to those who cannot afford tuition.

“We have a partnership with the public schools and scholarships for financial aid,” Berquist said. “We give between $15-20,000 in scholarships a year. … It’s important to be able to say that music must be accessible to all people.”

The majority of the students at the AA-SPA are school-aged, but not all. Some are even senior citizens. “You could come in the school and hear the senior strings playing together or you could hear some toddlers playing and singing and dancing,” said Berquist. “It’s a very wide range of ages and also people from different backgrounds … we are most of all a community place where everybody’s welcome.”

Instruction in classical music and jazz are at the core of the The Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts’ programs. Not only does the school focus on music instruction, it also emphasizes performance skills. Performing on the Michigan Theater stage will be a thrill as well as an important educational experience for the students, said Berquist.

Saturday’s gala will begin with a VIP reception featuring entertainment from alumni Jesse Kramer and Sheryl Hwangbo, after which the school’s youth orchestras - Junior String Orchestra, Sterling Orchestra, and Youth Symphony Orchestra (featuring Amy I-lin Cheng on piano) - will perform. Closing out the event will be a light reception following the main event in the theater’s lobby.

Kramer and Hwangbo are both AA-SPA alumni. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Kramer currently teaches percussion at AA-SPA. Violinist Hwangbo is a recent winner of the Julliard Concerto competition, and is also currently a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Berquist also expressed the intention of the Youth Orchestra Program. “It is our responsibility to inspire children’s imagination,” she explained. “The Youth Orchestra Program offers a comprehensive sequence of three ensembles that prepare young musicians for membership in advanced high school orchestra. The goal of the program is to nurture musicianship and foster joy in orchestral playing.”

Berquist said she is hoping a large number of former students will be attending the gala.

“We want to bring them back and show them what the school has been doing,” she said. “We are very proud of it and want to hear from them.”