Pin It
ipeiclassicrootsAs spring storms gathered outside Wednesday evening, members of the Ithaca community settled in for a night of classical music at the Carriage House Cafe. The Ithaca landmark hosted the concert in its historic hayloft as part of the Classic Roots series. Proceeds from the event were split between the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), the Ithaca Health Alliance, and Foodnet Meals on Wheels based on votes from the audience.

Six elite students from Ithaca College and Cornell University took the stage in pairs, and performed three Mozart sonatas on period instruments. Performers included Samantha Spena and Jeff Sabo, both juniors at Ithaca College; Benjamin Nosarzewski, a physics major at Cornell; Ji-Young Kim, a musicology candidate at Cornell; Meg Dagon, a senior in music education at Ithaca College; and Mengfei Xu, an international student and nationally recognized pianist studying at Ithaca College.

Between performances, the gathered audience learned about the life of Mozart from Ithaca College professor and event organizer Nick DiEugenio, and heard from representatives from the three local charities. After brief speeches from Mary Beth Bunge of Foodnet and Jane Baker of the Ithaca Health Alliance, IPEI’s Mary Grainger addressed the audience.

“Tonight is a great example of IPEI’s mission of connecting schools and community,” said Grainger of the event.

Grainger went on to describe the community connections inherent in IPEI’s teacher grants with community partners, and the 2900 elementary students who attend Kids Discover the Trail! field trips each year. She spoke about the organization’s affiliation with world championship-bound Code Red Robotics and the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), and the award funds managed in memory or in honor of people with connections with public education in Ithaca.

Thanks to the generosity of Ithacans, a rainy evening was successfully transformed into a magical night of music and community.

v9i15
Pin It