“If Music Be the Food…”, the concert series benefiting Rochester’s Foodlink, will continue its eighth season on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. at Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs St., in Rochester.
The concert will open with Eastman School of Music Professors Bonita Boyd, flute, and Nicholas Goluses, guitar, performing Astor Piazzolla’s “Histoire du Tango.” Professor of Voice and world-renowned tenor Anthony Dean Griffey will perform selections from Aaron Copland’s “Old American Songs” with Eastman student pianist Kurt Galvan. The concert will conclude with Mozart’s beloved String Quintet in g minor, with special guest artist and Grammy Award-winning violist Kim Kashkashian collaborating with violinists Robin Scott of the Ying Quartet and Thomas Rodgers of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, RPO principal cellist Ahrim Kim, and violist Carol Rodland.
“If Music Be the Food…” is a grassroots community project whose mission is to increase awareness and support for the hungry through the sharing of great music. Eastman faculty and students, members of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, other local professional musicians, and distinguished international guests donate their time and talents so that all proceeds can go to the hungry via Foodlink. No tickets are sold for the concerts; instead, audience members are asked to bring non-perishable food items or monetary donations for Foodlink as the price of admission. “If Music Be the Food…” garnered $4,430 and 846 pounds of food for Foodlink in 2016.
“If Music Be the Food…” was created in 2009 by Carol Rodland, Professor of Viola and Co-Chair of the Strings, Harp and Guitar Department at the Eastman School of Music. A passionate and long-time supporter of food banks, Rodland joined the Eastman faculty in 2008. Rochester’s high poverty rate and the accompanying problem of food insecurity for so many of the city’s residents inspired her to create the concert series. Peter DuBois, Director of Music at Third Presbyterian Church, and Robert Poovey, Director of Music at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, are musical and administrative partners in the series. Further information is available at www.ifmusicbethefood.com.
“If Music Be the Food…” (IMBTF) Rochester has inspired other prominent musicians in the United States to create initiatives based on this concept in their own communities, including “If Music Be the Food…” Tampa, IMBTF Tucson, IMBTF Dickinson, IMBTF Baltimore, IMBTF Gettysburg, and Kim Kashkashian’s “Music For Food.”
Foodlink is a regional food hub and the Feeding America food bank serving Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties. Its operations target the root causes of hunger by distributing food to a network of human service agencies, serving meals through its commercial kitchen, and offering more than 30 food-related programs. Foodlink distributes more than 19 million pounds of food annually, including more than 5.7 million pounds of produce. It offers more than 200 nutrition education courses and creates new access points for healthy foods in underserved communities. Foodlink’s innovative approach directly addresses health disparities related to food insecurity. More information about Foodlink can be found at www.foodlinkny.org.
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