Although the Coronavirus is currently keeping us apart, music still brings us together. Our Spring Appeal is underway and your donations to Bread & Roses help sustain our programming as we find creative ways to bring music to isolated Bay Area folks during this unprecedented time. We are presenting Courtyard Concerts to those that have an outdoor space where we can safely bring live music and continue to support our isolated facility audiences with video concerts from our volunteer performers. Here’s a story from VP of Programs Carolyn Gauthier about a recent outdoor concert for the seniors at The Redwoods in Mill Valley. We hope you will consider a gift at this time to help us keep our program going! Donate Now
On May 27, Kurt Huget made a lot of seniors at The Redwoods in Mill Valley very happy. Kurt played guitar and sang familiar songs from the 50s to 70s outside the windows/balconies of 50 or so people. While aboard a raised mobile stage, he moved to three different locations so the maximum number of residents could hear him.
Because of the possible spread of Coronavirus, he remained outdoors and there was plenty of distance between him and the residents, most who stayed inside. A few exceptions were two or three energetic women who could not keep from dancing. They stayed on the sidewalk nearby and enthusiastically enjoyed Kurt’s second set. In fact, they had so much fun dancing to “Route 66” and “Guantanamera,” they followed him to the final location and danced through his whole set.
The Redwoods is an active senior community and a very healthy one. They have had no cases of COVID 19 among their staff or residents. Noreen McKeon, Director of Programs and Volunteers, knows how much the folks who live there love music, so she worked with their Director of Development to secure a grant for summer outdoor concerts. They built a flatbed stage, which they can pull with a golf cart, and bought a generator so that they can take the show on the proverbial road.
Bread & Roses is teaming up with them to bring in some wonderful musicians every Wednesday as long as the weather holds. Among the performers who will be playing a series of shows are Lorin Rowan, Austin and Caroline DeLone and Karen Drucker with John Hoy. We have been partnering with The Redwoods since 1977. For more about our relationship, check out our blog to read about how we are “better together.”
Your support will help us continue to heal hearts and uplift the spirits of diverse audiences who need music most throughout the year. Donate Now to keep the music alive outside!
Photos and video by Carolyn Gauthier.