This summer, I launched a youth benefit concert series called Tutti, with the aim of connecting and inspiring young musicians while giving back to our local public library. Over the first two concerts, we have featured a total of sixteen performers from ages 7 to 18, with repertoire spanning from Bon Jovi to Beethoven, and have raised ~$400 for the Jones Library’s renovation and expansion campaign.
As the organizer, I designed posters and a lawn sign to advertise the concert, reached out to friends and local music teachers to recruit performers, and hosted informal run-throughs before each concert. For many of our younger performers, this was the first time performing outside of their teacher’s studio, and I accompanied their performances on the viola.
In addition to providing these performance opportunities, the concerts did not take place without their respective challenges. In a bout of stormy weather, the library experienced a flood and a pipe burst. I scrambled to email the Jones Library and the Amherst Historical Society staff members in search of a new location, and ended up switching the venue a total of three times before settling on the atrium, which ironically was the same part of the library that flooded.
Thank you to the Workman Grant and the CSGC for funding this concert series, and to the staff members of the Jones Library and the Amherst Historical Society for helping me sort out the logistics of the concerts. Our next concert will take place on Sunday, September 10th at 3 PM. With Mr. Bergeron and Dr. Pfitzer’s help, I plan to take a van down to Amherst for students to attend the concert and support their peers. We are expecting our largest program and audience yet (fourteen performers!), and will feature Deerfield students including Daphne ’25, Marco ’26, and Torge ’27, and music faculty, Ms. Wang, who generously offered to perform along with DA students.
-Yoonsa ’25