Archbishop Mitty High School’s signature event, the Black & Gold Gala, returns on Saturday, November 2, 2024 to the Signia by Hilton San Jose. This beloved event celebrates our students and the school community and is highly recognized for featuring talented and award-winning performances. For more than 30 years, the Black & Gold Gala has benefited all of the students of Archbishop Mitty High School by contributing net proceeds to the AMHS General Endowment Fund.
The evening will include a nationally-recognized headline performer, an elegant gourmet meal, lots of laughter, and the camaraderie of the Mitty community. For underwriting and advertising opportunities, please contact the Director of Special Events.
Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is the co-writer and co-star of IFC’s Emmy-nominated series Portlandia, which he created alongside Carrie Brownstein. He can be seen in the hit Netflix series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He stars as “Tico” in HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive produced. He can also be heard in the hit animated Super Mario Bros movie. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now, for which he has received two Emmy nominations. He has also appeared in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, and Amazon’s series Forever (which he was also an executive producer on). He has appeared as a voice actor in Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. Fred co-stars in the upcoming second season of the Netflix show Unstable.
Armisen’s career began as a musician in the Chicago-based post-punk band Trenchmouth as well as the Blue Man Group. His transition to comedy came with the 1998 underground short film, Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and South by Southwest. An 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live, Armisen has engaged audiences with memorable impressions and characters. In 2014, Armisen was named band leader of the 8G Band on Late Night With Seth Meyers. The band, curated by Armisen, includes members of indie rock bands Les Savy Fav and Girls Against Boys.
The annual Black & Gold Gala has always been an event with dazzling music, a gourmet dinner, nationally-acclaimed entertainers, and student performances that bring audiences to their feet. The very first event, held in 1992, set the bar high with Ray Charles performing to a sold-out audience of Monarch families at the Mountain Winery.
Since that time, the gala has welcomed amazing student talent, as well as a host of iconic celebrity entertainers, such as Jay Leno, Wayne Brady, David Spade, Darrel Hammond, Martin Short, and many others!
“The Black & Gold Gala is Archbishop Mitty’s marquee event,” said President Latanya (Johnson ’92) Hilton. “There is no other high school in the Bay Area that has brought such iconic performances to the Silicon Valley stage. This unique event celebrates our Mitty families and gives us all — faculty, staff, parents, and friends — a chance to marvel at the talent of our students and the spirit of our community. It is this experience that makes Black & Gold so special.”
Since AMHS first started hosting the gala more than 25 years ago, the event has taken on a life of its own. By 1998, Exodus was doing the opening act for the headliners. Today, the opening act includes about 75 Monarchs, who entertain audiences in a tightly choreographed production. The audience has also grown over the years from just a few hundred supporters to more than 1,000 people who enjoy dancing until midnight. 
We hope you can join us for an evening you will always remember!
