Musicians for Michiana: The Music Village

Here’s my favorite thing about Kellirae Boann, of The Music Village.  When I make a suggestion she says, “Yes,” and then she says, “AND,” and she makes it bigger and better than I had even ever considered that it could be.  When I approached her hoping to perform a few concerts in her space the project rapidly turned into a four-concert series, featuring fourteen musicians, four non-profit organizations, two restaurants, a recording engineer, pre-concert lectures, a local print shop, a team of volunteers, a grant proposal, and the current crowd-funding campaign which I invite YOU to participate in. 

Kellirae and The Music Village have been my strategic partner in this project since its inception.  The Village will be hosting the concerts, in an intimate space just perfect for small-group chamber music and up-close audience engagement.  She and her superb staff and volunteers worked with me to refine the vision of the project and to craft a compelling grant proposal.  Working with The Music Village gives non-profit credibility to Musicians for Michiana (so your donations through Indiegogo are tax-deductible!), although we do intend to acquire our own non-profit status for next year. 

The vivid primary colors and friendly, casual atmosphere in their space are a dramatic contrast to many classical venues, and suggest the level of approachability I have always striven for in my own performances.  Although we can and will move upstairs to a larger and somewhat more formal hall when our attendees exceed the capacity of the room, I admit that I am quite looking forward to the intimacy and enforced proximity of audience and musicians for these interactive concerts. 

And perhaps my favorite part of the whole project is the community connection.  I’m a born introvert, so although I have lived in this town for years and eaten at the local restaurants and observed with pleasure the activities going on, I only really know people through my Symphony job and through my husband, the friendliest man in the world.  Now, through Musicians for Michiana and The Music Village, I have more connections than ever before, with people, organizations, and and happenings.  Our other partner organizations, Unity Gardens, Girls on the Run Michiana, and Hannah and Friends, are similarly outwardly focused, and I’m feeling my roots and networks growing and deepening by the day. 

I am beginning to feel as though our plan for a new chamber music series here in South Bend is more than just a pipe dream.  In fact, as our Indiegogo campaign inches through its allotted time, I not only believe in it, I believe in it wholeheartedly.  I think we’re going to do this. 

Still to come in this series of posts: The Partners.  The Concerts.  The Successful Conclusion!

Visit Musicians for Michiana HERE.