Symphony Links for 12/27/08 – Christopher McKellar, Beethoven in Bolivia

I’m on vacation enjoying (or rather surviving) the snowy weather in Vancouver, Washington, but I came across a two cool links today that I wanted to share.

First, the Salt Lake Tribune had an article about Christopher McKellar, a violist in the Utah Symphony. It turns out he’s not only a fantastic musician, but he’s also a talented artist. You can see some of his art on www.sltrib.com and see it in person when it is exhibited starting on Valentine’s Day at the Sonata Gallery. The proceeds of the sale of this art will raise money for The Mundi Project, a great organization that makes pianos available to families who couldn’t otherwise afford them.

Also, NPR reported about the growth of classical music in Bolivia. There are many similarities between their symphony and the Utah Symphony – the desire to make live classical music accessible to those who couldn’t experience it otherwise, the ongoing need for funding to support the musicians and organization, etc. It’s fun to see how similar things are – even in other countries. It’s also interesting to hear about what the new conductor did when he first arrived – go back to the basics because “everyone loves the classics.” What’s true in Utah is true in Bolivia – people love hearing Beethoven and Mozart.