February 1 marked the beginning of Winterfest 2020 with the Chamber Music
Mixer, with performances from the academy’s top students. Foothills Unitarian
Church was gracious enough to welcome Off the Hook Arts into their church for
this beautiful concert which was held from 3-6 p.m.
Author Tereasa Funke, the master of ceremonies for the event, engaged with
several students in between performances, asking them their favorite parts of
playing in a chamber and why music is important to them. 12-year-old Juliet spoke
about wanting to learn the banjo after mastering her skills on the violin.
The Chamber Music Academy students performed exquisitely for over 100 guests,
moving the audience multiple times throughout their performances. Most notably,
their performance of “O Mio Babbino Caro” by G. Puccini left many with misty
eyes. Instructor Michael Davis arranged the concert beautifully.
The concert was followed by a reception catered by Sayanni Catering, who
provided delicious snacks ranging from mini tacos to stunning rainbow meringue,
where the silent auction took place. Items like the electric violin and grabbed the
attention of many, but the real stunner was the fiddle hand painted by Amy
Brackenbury.
Through this event, Off the Hook Arts raised around $7,000 for their music
education program. The money raised during WinterFest goes toward paying
teachers and providing instruments for the academy.
Off the Hook Arts would like to thank our sponsors, Tereasa Funke, The Cart,
Otter Cares, Foothills Unitarian Church, Ed Carrol Motor Company, City of Fort
Collins and Eye Center of Northern Colorado for making the Chamber Music
Mixer possible.
Join us for our next event “A Metta Musical Journey” on February 4 from 7-9 p.m.
at the Museum of Discovery. Get tickets and more information here.
Written by Shelby Britt