YOUTH ORCHESTRA HOLDS FUNDRAISER CONCERT FOR ASPEN INVITATIONAL
First Presbyterian Church Music and Arts Department
April 4, 2021, VERO BEACH – The First Presbyterian Youth String Orchestra will present a Spring Concert on Sunday, May 16, 2021, at 4:00pm in the sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Boulevard, Vero Beach. Admission is free; donations will be accepted during the performance and also online via the church’s website. The suggested donation per person is $10. Masks and social distancing will be required, and the sanctuary seating is limited to the first 150 people.
During the Spring of 2020, Director of Music and Arts at the church, Dr. Jacob Craig, was approached by a patron of the Aspen Music Festival who just so happens to be a part time resident of Vero Beach and attendee at First Presbyterian. She graciously invited the group to attend the prestigious festival for Summer 2021 and, without any hesitation from Dr. Craig, the invitation was happily accepted. The group will travel to Denver on July 31, 2021, where they will pick up their rented larger instruments and head to Aspen for four days of performing and master classes from world-renowned musicians and educators. Following their educational experience in Aspen, the group will make their way through the mountains back to Denver. On the way, this group of young Floridians will have ample opportunities to experience the wonder and beauty of the Rocky Mountains through hiking, whitewater rafting, visiting historical mining towns, and even a chance to explore the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The Spring Concert on May 16th will serve as a fundraising event to help offset the costs of the trip from Vero Beach to Aspen, Colorado. Musical selections they have chosen for this performance are: Benjamin Britten’s Young Apollo, Opus 16, for piano, string quartet, and String Orchestra featuring Becca Harrison, the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto, Mvt. I, featuring Evan Robinet, Metamorphosen for 23 Strings by Strauss, and a piece entitled Orawa by Polish classical and film composer Wojciech Kilar. All funds raised from the concert will go directly toward trip costs. Donations will be accepted via a bucket upon entering the sanctuary, or, concertgoers may choose to watch the performance via livestream on the church’s website, www.firstpresvero.org, and also donate via the “Giving” section on their website. If donating online, please choose “all other gifts” in the dropdown and write “String Orchestra” in the memo section.
The FPC Orchestra performs during services on Sundays at First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Boulevard, Vero Beach. During special performances, the String Orchestra is joined by professional wind and percussion musicians from throughout the Treasure Coast.
For more information, please contact Ginger Lagemann, Music and Arts Administrator, at (772) 562-9088 or ginger@firstpresvero.org.