Lively music to fill up 20th Concerto Grosso

Date: 3/16/2009

SPRINGFIELD " More than 225 students of the Community Music School of Springfield (CMSS) will entertain guests at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Holyoke on April 4 and 5, beginning at 9 a.m on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Students will participate in the 20th Annual Concerto Grosso, the major fundraising event of the Music School, which raises funds for the Financial Aid Program.

The public is invited to the two-day concert recital to listen to music created by students of all ages, on dozens of instruments from guitar to percussion, from harp to bassoon.

Concerto Grosso is the largest single student concert of the year, as well as the most important fundraising event that CMSS organizes each year. The goal for this year is to raise $30,000 to provide music scholarships for area children to study music. Each year CMSS distributes more than $100,000 in direct financial aid.

This year marks a very special milestone at the Music School. It is our 25th anniversary and the 20th annual Concerto Grosso. The two days are certain to be filled with great musical energy, CMSS Executive Director Eric Bachrach said. Barnes & Noble Booksellers is our generous corporate partner for the event, offering great performance space and donating a percentage of sales when customers present a specific voucher at the time of sale.

Vouchers will be published in The Reminder in advance and are also available at the Music School. The voucher program is in effect for three days from April 4 through 6, only at the Holyoke Barnes & Noble, he continued.

All proceeds from Concerto Grosso benefit the Financial Aid fund which has provided scholarship assistance to more than 134 students this year alone. CMSS was founded in 1983 and serves families from Springfield and 33 other area communities. Instruction is offered for toddlers and older on 30 different instruments and voice, as well as special programs for preschoolers, Music Therapy for children and adults, and private and group instruction.

Media sponsors include the African American Point of View, The Reminder, the Republican and CBS TV3. Corporate sponsors to date include the Ernst Financial Group, Hasbro, the O Connell Companies, Sumner & Toner Insurance, J&S Vending, Sue Kurian Flutes, American Vertical Blinds, Cybersystems and Marcus Printing.

For 25 years, CMSS has been dedicated to providing high quality, sequentially based music training in a context that respects and promotes multiculturalism and diversity in the greater Springfield community. The school offers instruction in classical, jazz, Latin, gospel and other popular musical styles to students of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, interests and financial means. CMSS is committed to accessible music education and has provided more than $1 million in financial aid since its founding.

CMSS is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, the Springfield Cultural Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a number of private foundations and individual donors. The Community Music School of Springfield is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.

For more information about Concerto Grosso, call CMSS at 732-8428.