The Topanga Symphony presents it Fifth Annual Fundraiser on Sunday, September 30, 2–5 p.m., at a private home in Topanga where patrons are guaranteed an inspiring afternoon of chamber music in an intimate setting, a Silent Auction, and gourmet hors d’oeuvres and beverages before the concert and during intermission.
Tickets, $65 per person, can be purchased online at topangasymphony.com, or by check, made payable to Topanga Symphony and mailed to: Jeanne Mitchell, P.O. Box 361, Topanga, CA 90290. Seating is limited to 75 guests.
The musicians aren’t the only people volunteering. All of Topanga’s non-profits rely on volunteers who help to set up before and clean up after events and submit enticing items for the Silent Auction that further supports the symphony year-round.
For more information and to volunteer, please contact Jeanne Mitchell at topangasymphony@gmail.com, or call (310) 455-3025.
Thank you for supporting the Topanga Symphony.
LIFE WOULD BE LESS WITHOUT IT
There’s something remarkable about a concert that lifts the spirit and may, if only for a transcendent musical moment, restore your faith in humanity.
This is what the Topanga Symphony does three, sometimes four times a year, when a group of talented musicians volunteer their time, skills, passion, and discipline to present a generous serving of humanity’s musical heritage.
These concerts are free and ours for the taking. All we have to do is show up
Whether at the Community House, or in this case, a private home nestled in the mountains, one can’t always tell whether the music enhances the surrounding natural beauty or vice versa as the sun sets behind a distant ridgeline, oak trees dance to evening breezes, and owls and raccoons seem also to be listening. In fact, at the last concert at the Community House, a bird in the rafters high above the audience, chirped along in melodious camaraderie during the first half of the concert.
While these concerts are grand occasions with fine classical music, the ambiance is casual and puts the audience at ease. The orchestra is seated on the same stage where you may have seen your kids dancing in the Topanga Nutcracker last year or singing with Topanga Youth Services last month. The musicians are close up and easily recognized as our neighbors and friends and so near you can see any wayward hairs on the upright violin bows waiting for their turn to play. You can see which musicians tap their toes and sway their heads to the music when other sections of the orchestra are playing, and which remain motionless in their chairs, lovingly cradling their instruments. They all have a desire to make beautiful music together and their generosity compels them to share it with others, with us. If your teenagers get restless, the door is open during concerts and they can sneak out. The only strict rule is that you don’t intrude on someone else’s experience.
You probably want to dress for the fundraiser—casual chic Topanga-style will do—but the concerts welcome a diversity of dress. This is Topanga. All are welcome, young and old, musical experts, and the uninitiated.
During intermission, people mingle outside, buy a glass of wine or nibble on chocolate chip cookies—homemade, just like the Topanga Symphony, itself, which came into existence in 1982, when a group of local residents decided they wanted their town to have its own orchestra. Music and Topanga have a long-entwined history.
Collectively we are transported to other places and times and, finally, brought back to earth, as we put our chairs away and leave the hall empty and clean. It’s a small price to pay.
Besides putting chairs away after concerts, the other important thing we can do in order for Topanga Symphony to continue giving three free concerts a year, is to make a donation. For information on making a donation, the next concert, or to buy tickets for the 5th Annual Fundraiser/Silent Auction & Chamber Music Concert (Sunday Sept 30th 2:00-5:00pm), please go to www.topangasymphony.com
Thank you for supporting Topanga Symphony.
By Andrea Ehrgott