Submitted by Nick at Norton ... on Thu, 07/26/2007 - 9:09pm.
In these times when we hear so much about how "self-centered" and insensitive young people have become, I thought you might like to hear about a young trio who literally have their act together.
On Sunday, June 24th, the Miraflores Trio presented a benefit concert at the Norton Building in Lockport. Proceeds from the concert were donated to the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund http://www.nomrf.org.
The Miraflores Trio consists of Juilliard School graduates Theresa Kim, piano; Yumi Cho, violin and Sarah Koo, cello. They performed a concert which included the Mozart: Piano Trio No. 5, Debussy: Claire deLune, Andre Prevost: Improvisation for Solo Violin, Paganini: Variations on One String for Cello and Piano, Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor and the Intermezzo from “Cavalleria rusticana” by Mascagni.
The Miraflores Trio, a dynamic young piano trio formerly called “Trio West”, was recently called “stunning” by The Santa Barbara Independent, which also stated that “they would have bowled us over [with] whatever they played.” Pianist Theresa Kim, violinist Yumi Cho, and cellist Sarah Koo, all graduates of the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City began playing together as a trio at the Music Academy of the West. The trio’s first performance in Santa Barbara was met with great success, and audiences pressed to hear more performances of the three young ladies. The Trio’s summer tour includes performances in New York, Chicago, and South Korea.
The Miraflores Trio provided an exceptional performance to an appreciative audience of over (100) people in the loft of the historic Norton Building in Lockport as part of the ongoing Norton Building Concert Series. The concert was followed by a “New Orleans style dinner” at the famous Tallgrass restaurant, which also donated part of the evening’s revenues to the NOMRF. Representatives from the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund were on hand to accept the donations and speak about the continuing plight of musicians from New Orleans who have lost their employment and in many cases their instruments.
Ultimately, this event raised a total of $3248 for the New Orleans musicians. Not a great amount considering the New Orleans destruction, but still, a significant contribution by the three young ladies who performed this concert gratis.
Incidentally, part of the motivation for this concert was a recent New York Times article which stated that of the approximately $1.4 billion dollars which was pledged from foreign individuals and charities for New Orleans after the hurricane, in two years only 17% has actually been dispensed by the government. The existing government agencies have refused to transfer foreign funds to the Salvation Army or the American Red Cross and funding is at risk of being lost because the Feds can't decide on who it should go to after (2) years! Please keep this in mind the next time you vote.
Posted in
Amy Iwano | Thu, 08/02/2007 - 7:55pm
Nick, thanks for sharing this experience. It is indeed affirming and speaks to the power of music and the connective nature of our art. Bravo to you all.
- reply
- Month
- Week
- Day
- Table
- List
»Nick at Norton ... | Tue, 08/07/2007 - 2:54pm
Amy,
Thanks for your comments. I only mentioned Miraflores performance as an example of the generosity of most musicians, and as you said “the connective nature of our art.” However, the young ages of the musicians involved was the catalyst which triggered my post.
The instance I described is far from unique, and there are certainly many other examples of “unsung” acts of kindness by musicians, young and “more mature”.
Although Amy is too modest to mention them, the Chicago Chamber Musician’s Professional Development Ensemble, Quintet Attacca (again a “young” ensemble) has performed free concerts in the area’s nursing homes. This brings access to fine music, that most of us take for granted, to an audience who would otherwise be denied.
- reply
- Month
- Week
- Day
- Table
- List
»