Here at NEMPAC, we envision a world where all have the opportunity to experience the transformative power of the arts.
On Saturday, March 28, we’ll take a giant step forward in making this vision a reality by hosting our sixth annual Perform-a-thon at City Winery Haymarket Lounge. All proceeds raised during this family-friendly fundraiser will be put toward NEMPAC’s need-based youth scholarship fund and music school programming.
The Perform-a-thon unites over 150 rising artists enrolled in our private music instruction and school partnership ensembles, alongside select faculty members in our music school, in an arts extravaganza. One after another, these musicians and performers will take the stage, showcasing how NEMPAC has nurtured their artistic potential.
SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE BY KRISTINA BERGER, INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY DANCER
Kristina Berger, international contemporary dancer and principal at the Erick Hawkins Dance Group in New York City, will headline this year’s Perform-a-thon. As the mother of a young NEMPAC dancer, Kristina can attest to how our music school programming has impacted the artistic and personal development of her daughter.
“NEMPAC is an amazing organization which brings high-level training in the performing arts to this great neighborhood and beyond,” said Berger. “NEMPAC maintains a family feel of warmth and inclusivity while also demanding a sense of discipline and training tradition. This balance is so rare and so valuable! My daughter loves to dance! Being a part of NEMPAC has expanded that love and also instilled the beautiful work ethic of dance as practice, discipline and a major skill which demands practice and dedication that goes way beyond the dance studio.”
During Berger’s Perform-a-thon debut, she will present “Threshold,” a stunning solo she co-created with pianist Greg Woodsbie. Inspired by Duke Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose,” this solo explores how we can flow from a state of resistance to an attitude of acceptance when it comes to life’s inevitable twists and turns. Her performance will also remind us that we each have the power to navigate the transitions of life with grace and tranquility.
#PLEDGEME CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES MONDAY, MARCH 2
Throughout our #PledgeMe campaign, community members have the opportunity to pledge a class, faculty, ensemble or student performance at the Perform-a-thon. In doing so, donors will gift instrument/vocal lessons and arts classes to greater-Boston children and teenagers who otherwise would not be able to afford such programming.
“Not only do we offer scholarships, but we aim to make our programs as accessible to all students as possible through low-cost tuition for our lessons and classes, said Allie Meek-Carufel, educational programs director at NEMPAC. “A recent study found that our tuition rates are on average 30% lower than comparable music schools in the surrounding area. Every dollar raised at the Perform-a-thon will go towards our scholarship fund and our education programs, including the ability to keep our rates low.”
Here are four ways to participate in our #PledgeMe campaign and join us in reaching our $18,000 fundraising goal:
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Use our online donation portal to sponsor a Perform-a-thon performance.
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Pledge a rising artist using our Pledge Me mail-in card.
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Launch a Facebook donation page on your social media profile, choose NEMPAC as the beneficiary, and encourage your family and friends to support the Perform-a-thon.
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Participate as an event sponsor or place a business ad in our program book for the event.
You can also support the Perform-a-thon by cheering on our talented student and faculty performers as an audience member. General admission is $10 and includes one raffle ticket.
By contributing to our Perform-a-thon, you’re joining a community-wide movement to make the arts equitable for all youth. You’re affirming the on-site arts programming we bring to area schools. You’re championing band, choir and ensemble performances by Eliot K-8 BPS Innovation School and a choir performance by Boston Latin Academy.
You’re exposing children and teenagers in your neighborhood to dance, music and theatre to positively impact their artistic and personal development.
Berger captured this positive impact so eloquently when she reflected, “The performing arts are vital to the development of all children, intellectually, psychologically, and of course creatively. Working with other young artists encourages team work; remembering your lines, choreography, or musical phrasing requires critical thinking and triggers important mind/body connections not otherwise utilized to the same degree; practicing and rehearsing to achieve goals requires perseverance, dedication, and discipline; achieving these goals builds confidence, the most valuable quality of all as that is our ticket to self-love, strength, generosity and kindness towards our peers, and success in life.”
