Benefit Concert In Sartell Aims To Replace Youth Orchestra’s Lost Funding

(KNSI) – A benefit concert next weekend in Sartell will raise funds for the Central Minnesota Youth Orchestra after the group lost a major grant due to state funding cuts.

The concert is set for Saturday, May 9th, at First United Methodist Church. It’s being put on by Listen for Life, a global music nonprofit that supports communities through music, through its Notes for Nourishment program. All proceeds will go directly to the youth orchestra, with organizers hoping to raise between $7,000 and $8,000 to replace funding the group typically received through the Central Minnesota Arts Board.

Listen for Life Vice Chair Arriana Schwab, a Royalton native and former youth orchestra student, says the concert will feature current students, alumni, and two internationally renowned guest artists. Pianist Donna Stoering and violist Erin Nolan are donating their time, and Schwab will also perform.

Schwab says supporting arts education in greater Minnesota is what drew her to organize the event. “Funding for the arts has been reduced a little bit. State funding, federal funding, always kind of a danger. That’s one of the first things that tends to be cut.”
She says the youth orchestra had to scrap plans to bring in a guest artist this year because of the lost grant.

The orchestra currently has four ensembles based on skill level, with roughly 60 students total. The advanced ensemble of about 30 students will perform at the concert, joined by alumni.

Schwab, who was homeschooled and paid for her own participation in the orchestra as a teenager, says the program’s fair share policy makes it accessible to all students regardless of financial situation. “For me, I think it’s just an incredible way to find a voice, your own voice, through music, and be able to express yourself. Sometimes it can be difficult to do that through words.”

The concert is open to the public with no ticket required. Free will offerings will be accepted at the door, and online donations and a livestream link will be available closer to the event.

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