Charity Concert

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 14 August 2008 03:02:51

On Saturday night I had the first of two charity concerts which I have been organising. The first one, which Ian came to see (thanks!), went really well. We had a chamber orchestra (string quartet, trumpets, timpani and two keyboards - one programmed as an harpsicord and the other as a carillon) and the Handel Choir which is a group of experienced singers which I set up in 2006 before going overseas. The audience was smaller then our previous packed-houses in 2006 but they were very appreciative.

We had a theme of "Light and Dark" so the first half was all laughing and light type songs and the second half got into the war and mourning aspects. I even sang a solo called "Scenes of Horror, Scenes of Woe" which was good fun!

After the expenses of venue hire and paying all the musicians, we made at least $500 profit and we will have no expenses for the second concert so that will be ALL profit. It's going to a charity that I have become involved with since volunteering in Ghana last year. They are called Ghana Health and Education Initiative and they have set up a medical clinic, a computer lab and library, tutorships, scholarships etc. and run educational programs. On their website, they describe themselves as "a grassroots village-based non-profit development organisation that aims to build the capacity of local communities to improve their own level of health and education through sustainable and participatory programs". They have 'adopted a village' so to speak and then hope to, in the future, adopt that successful model to other villages in Ghana.