Combined Community Concert
December’s combined community concert was not just the culmination of the fall semester. For College Park Youth Choir, it marked almost twenty years as a program of College Park Arts Exchange. For the Orchestra, it marked over a decade of growth, culminating in four ensembles, including the new Youth Band. For College Park Youth Music Traditions, it marked an opportunity for young musicians to grow and learn in the old folk way, to become performers in their own right and to jam along with a group. For the adult members of College Park Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Women’s Choir –and sometimes (un)Choir! — it was a dream become reality of making beautiful music together in a community setting, a dream that is continually unfolding.
How is it possible to measure the value our performing groups bring to College Park? It’s a question that grant-making organizations ask to see itemized. (If you are an economist, I would love to talk about how one assigns value to arts activities in terms of a City’s economic welfare.) As an artist, I believe in Art for Art’s Sake, and I operate on the basis of CPAE’s primary mission statement — bring the arts to the people, neighborhoods and demographics of College Park. As a leader for a grassroots organization, I feel a great sense of triumph whenever an artist, group, or community member reaches out to CPAE and asks us to help coordinate a new arts event or program here in College Park. It is our mission to bring the arts to every single person in College Park, in the way that suits each individual and neighborhood best — a challenge to be sure but not an insurmountable one at all — because of the talent and can-do spirit that the programs and events of College Park never fail to demonstrate.
At this time of year, many organizations ask for your monetary support. We certainly promise that your donations to this non-profit support a worthy cause! But just as important is your support of our organization in the form of publicity, word of mouth, and feedback. Please let us know how CPAE is serving you. Email us at info@cpae.org. Let us know your ideas for new programs and events. Connect us with the talented individuals we know are all around us here in the City. Let us know opportunities where we can be more involved in your neighborhood or your own civic organization. Most of all, please be assured that College Park Arts Exchange is dedicated to helping you make your art dreams a reality. We don’t have a huge budget — but we do have talent and teamwork, and we promise to use creativity to bring more arts to the people of College Park.
Photo caption: The College Park Chorale performs at St Andrew’s church in 2016.
