GUILFORD, CT — Guilford High School music students and the community will come together next Friday for a night of fun, music and food, all for a good cause.
A concert, with the theme of “Songs of Stage & Screen,” will be held on Feb. 9 at GHS. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed at the door to benefit Meals On Wheels.
Students in the GHS String Quartet, Symphony Orchestra, Voices, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band will perform everything from Broadway favorites to Hollywood hits and opera classics.
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“Anything that could happen on a stage or on a screen is part of the mix,” GHS Music Department Coordinator Mark Gahm told Patch.
Accompanying the music will be appetizers and bites from Pasta Avest, Town Chef Larry Santamaria, and Star Fish Market, as well as desserts from Mary’s Culinary Cooking Classes, which will all be served by the music students. There will also be light refreshments.
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Christi Burton, the executive director of Guilford Interfaith Volunteers and the director of Meals on Wheels, said the concert served as the biggest fundraiser for Meals on Wheels in 2023 with over $5,000 raised to support the organization.
Now in its 31st year, according to Burton, the event serves as a way for the younger generation to host a concert to support local seniors. All proceeds will once again go towards providing meals for those in need.
“The biggest issue that Meals on Wheels has is the cost of the meals,” Burton explained. “We help anybody in need. Even if they can’t afford the price of a meal, we don’t turn them away. They have to pay something, but over 50 percent of the people cannot afford the cost of a meal, so we subsidize it. It’s all going to go to the program.”
The concert will be unique in that the students will take advantage of different spaces at GHS, according to Gahm.
Music will extend from the GHS Performing Arts Center out into the Commons, a large space just outside the performing area.
“Some of the music and performances will take place out there as people are coming in. There will be music playing as people move from one space to the next… At various times, the musicians will surround the audience when they play,” Gahm explained. “We’re trying to be a little more creative with our use of space to engage the audience and make it more of an event.”
Gahm said the music students, over 150 in total in grades 9-12, have been preparing for the big night since just after the December concerts.
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“I’m always proud of the students,” Gahm added. “They’ve put a lot of time and effort into making this a special night. We’re all happy to be a part of it.”
For more information on Meals on Wheels in Guilford, click here.
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