The Bryan Symphony Orchestra is hosting the annual “Clarinet and Confections” benefit concert on June 11 at Tennessee Tech to raise funds for youth music education programs across the Upper Cumberland.
Bryan Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Susan Miranda said the fundraiser features musician Mark Cramer and aims to generate $5000 in support for the symphony’s annual fourth-grade education concerts held each November.
“And one of the reasons that Mark had kind of said, ‘Oh, I want to do this again,’ was because he he wants to leave a legacy for his his mother who recently passed,” Miranda said. “And she was very interested in supporting the arts and in supporting his art.”
Miranda said the auditorium will feature candlelight and colored lighting to enhance the atmosphere during the one-hour concert. Miranda said the symphony regularly brings in fourth-grade students from throughout the region for multiple concerts, necessitating consistent community support.
Miranda said the “Clarinet and Confections” concept pairs solo or chamber music performances with a variety of desserts provided by the symphony’s board members. Miranda said the musical program includes works by American composer George Gershwin, Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, and French composer Maurice Ravel.
“And so we’ve kind of decided to expand his program into a larger kind of idea that will be going on throughout our season, having either solo musicians or small chamber ensembles paired with some yummy, yummy sweets,” Miranda said. “I think it’ll be just a kind of a coming together of a variety of cultures and different types of music.”
Miranda said the evening is designed to be an intimate experience that differs from a traditional orchestral performance. Miranda said the first 30 minutes of the event will be dedicated to guests mingling and enjoying refreshments before the music begins at 6:00 PM.
“But in this type of a setting, there will actually be seating on the stage,” Miranda said. “So we’ll kind of shift the stage to one side and that’s where the performers will be, and then the seats will be on the other side, so it’ll be a you know, up close and personal.”
Miranda said the event begins at 5:30 PM in the Wattenbarger Auditorium at the Bryan Fine Arts Center on June 11.
