Chicago is a great place to be an amateur musician.  Many community choirs enrich the concert scene – they are generally organized around shared interests and/or a desire to sing while doing a little something for a good cause.  The ones I’ve attended have been benefit concerts – I think I’ve had three friends involved over the years.  One choir raises money for breast cancer research, and is comprised of survivors and their family members.  Another, now defunct – apparently personalities can come into play to poor effect in these ensembles – picked a different local non-profit organization to support with each concert.

My organization was the beneficiary of one of those community vocal concerts, and we are now on the verge of hosting an instrumental benefit concert in our own space.  One of our members’ partners is a flutist, and he and a couple of other musician friends are going to do a Valentine’s weekend concert.  It has a flashy title – Hearts on Fire!

In the distant future, when I am sure people won’t have to cover their ears as I play, I might want to explore ways to use my violin beyond my living room.  I don’t have a lot of time for rehearsals, so I’m not sure what I might be able to find, but it would be fun to play with other people.  I’ve got a while to think about it.

Thanks for reading.

Ryan