KWS Matching Challenge
Hi! I’m writing from San Francisco — tomorrow is the dress for La Traviata. Lots of fun with Anna Netrebko and company. More on that soon.
Right now, I want to mention that the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony is in the midst of a matching challenge. Every new and increased donation will be doubled up to $129,000.
I don’t want this blog to become a fundraising site, but I think once a year or so won’t be too bad. Our orchestra, and every orchestra, is worth supporting. And I think the main reason is that we provide inspiration to people. It’s a hard thing to quantify, but if you think back, the things that define the positive aspects of our lives are inspiring moments. It could be a class, a conversation, a relationship, a novel, a meal … or a performance. I’ll never forget the first time I heard an orchestra live, my first Beethoven, my first Mahler, my first Verdi opera (happening right now!). Great music has changed the way I see the world, and the part I play in it. I can’t imagine life without it.
We need to continue to transmit the messages of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and all the new artists who love the orchestra. We need to keep kids close to sounds that are profoundly beautiful. We need to unite our communities through music.
It’s not easy. I think of the arts as a delicate flower in an indifferent environment. It can be knocked over easily by cynicism and indifference. It has to be cared for and nurtured, not sporadically, but constantly. If it stays alive and beautiful, people will walk across the desert to see it, it might even become a garden someday.
Won’t you add just a drop of water to the musical garden we are growing? You don’t have to be Canadian! Everything helps, everything counts. You’ll be supporting truth, beauty, and inspiration.
You can donate HERE.
Thanks for considering this.