LOS ANGELES (May 16, 2013) – For the second year in a row, this iconic accessory company ­­­– which over the past decade has supported charities with more than $8 million in donations ­– is turning its focus to donating to a wide range of kids’ charity programs for the arts. These programs will include ballet, orchestra, symphony and other music programs and classes as well as painting.

As adults, many of us can recall the exhilaration of giving our first live performance, or discovering the sound that a trombone makes, or the thrill of watching a ballerina stand on pointe the first time. Today, many schools across the country no longer offer children these opportunities. This campaign offers people the chance to ensure that children in their communities have the chance to experience the arts up close – giving the next generation of artists a bright future.

At Brighton Collectibles, the company doesn’t simply agree with the maxim “Be the change you wish to see in the world” – they’ve built it into their business by designing jewelry to raise money for non-profit organizations that help people in the communities near their stores, and this initiative is one that Brighton’s owner and design team feel passionate about. As Laura Young, Brighton’s President of Sales and Marketing explains, “I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without the ballet classes I took throughout my school years, the piano lessons and recitals, or learning to paint with oils. My participation in these programs not only gave me an appreciation for the arts, it gave me the confidence to become the person I am today.”

For each $58 Independence Charm Holder Bracelet and each $48 Americana I.D. Bracelet sold from May 24^th through July 31^st, 2013, the company’s 172  Brighton Collectibles stores and participating Brighton retailers will contribute 50% of the retail cost to children’s art charities which will be chosen by the stores in which the bracelets are sold – each store will select a 501 (C) (3) charity program or a local school, ensuring that the programs will benefit their own families, friends and neighbors and strengthen the arts in each community.

In the El Sistema world, Seminarios are a way for El Sistema programs to come together for a rehearsal and performance of songs every group has been working on. The East Coast Seminario brought together groups from Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore, Lehigh (Pennsylvania), Newport News (Virginia), and of course Durham.

The Seminario trip was the first overnight field trip for KidZNotes; the group left Friday afternoon for rehearsals Friday evening, then rehearsed Saturday morning for a performance Saturday afternoon.

We have some great photos taken by staff and parents during the trip over on our Facebook page.

Thanks to parent chaperone Citlalli Vejar for these videos from the performance:

Listen to 200 Durham kindergarten through fifth grade children showcase the classical music skills they have learned through a local program inspired by El Sistema, a world-renowned music for social change program that has swept the nation and the world. A family and friends potluck lunch will directly follow the concert.

KidZNotes students will perform on their individual instruments and in song, both as a whole and in small groups. Not only will KidZNotes students demonstrate their musical abilities, but special musical guest Nicholas Kitchen of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Borromeo String Quartet will perform alongside the students.

Nicholas Kitchen is one of the most active and innovative performers in the music world today. He is a solo violinist, chamber musician, teacher, video artist, technology innovator and arts administrator. Born in Durham, North Carolina, Mr. Kitchen has traveled the world with his music, performing in many of the world’s most illustrious concert halls: the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Dvorak Hall in Prague, Suntory Hall and Dai-Ichi Semei Hall in Tokyo, the Arts Center in Seoul, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, Tanglewood and Ravinia Festivals, the Spoleto Festival in Italy and the US, to name just a few. KidZNotes has been fortunate to have Mr. Kitchen as an artist in residence this semester, teaching and developing a curriculum called MatheMusica, in which the students of KidZNotes are learning the math behind the music.

Established in September 2010 in East Durham, KidZNotes serves students from five low-income Durham elementary schools. Enrolled students receive 10 hours of free music instruction weekly, and, on Saturdays, all students come together for large ensembles and group instruction.

Thank you to everyone who came out in support of KidZNotes!

We would like to give one last, big thank you to all the sponsors of this year’s gala, without whom it could have been such a success!

Restaurants & Vendors:

Platinum Sponsors:

Cormetech, Inc.
Anonymous

Gold Sponsors:

Wells Fargo
Phail & Peggy Wynn, Jr.
Seventh Generation
Cecile Noel

Silver Sponsors:

Bronze Sponsors:

Patron Sponsors:

Robert Dillard Teer
Moss & Ross
Scott & Barbara Laird

The evening will begin with a social hour including chefs’ tastings from local restaurants featuring food from several countries where the El Sistema movement has taken root. Throughout the event, guests will have the opportunity to place bids on exciting silent auction items. Following the social hour, the highlight of the evening will be a performance in the main theatre featuring the KidZNotes Orchestra with special guest Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Durham Academy’s In The Pocket led by guest conductor, Scott Laird of NCSSM.

KidZNotes, which is modeled after Venezuela’s highly successful El Sistema program, uses the transformational power of classical music to help build new futures for children, targeting those who would otherwise be blocked by economic and social barriers. Established in 2010 in East Durham, KidZNotes enriches the lives of elementary school students and their families through music. Participants in the program learn to play violin and receive free orchestra training in a safe environment that emphasizes fun, joy and teamwork in learning as well as musical accomplishment.

Tax-deductible tickets to the gala are $100 each and sponsorship opportunities are still available starting at $500. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased online at www.kidznotes.org/support-us/gala or by sending a check to 120 Morris Street, Durham, NC 27701. All proceeds from the KidZNotes gala will go towards funding the future of the KidZNotes program in Durham.

For more details on attending the gala, information is available at www.kidznotes.org, or by contacting Jennifer Blank (blank.kidznotes@gmail.com) at 919-560-2712.

To learn more about the 2013 Gala and to purchase tickets – click here.

February 15 and 16 –  join us for the culminating event of the 2012-13 Take A Stand Regional Professional Development Series, co-hosted by Duke University and KidZNotes.

Take A Stand: Supporting Social Change Through Music
Regional Professional Development Session
February 15-16, 2013, at Duke University and the Holton Center

Take A Stand is an innovative national initiative between the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Longy School of Music, and Bard college whose goal is social change through music. KidZNotes is teaming up with Take A Stand and Duke University to host this event.

http://www.take-a-stand.org/

Please check out the draft agenda HERE, and register FREE online starting January 14!