South County residents will have a great opportunity to hear fine music and support a worthy cause on Thursday, April 12. A benefit concert to raise funds for the Gilroy Compassion Center will be held at 7 p.m. at South Valley Community Church, 8095 Kelton Drive in Gilroy.
The Brigham Young University-Idaho Sinfonietta will perform at this event. This chamber orchestra of 30 string players will be on a two-week tour of Northern California and Nevada. Members are selected by audition and “represent the finest musicians on campus,” according to Dr. Robert Tueller, a member of the school’s Department of Music and director of the ensemble.
He promises an evening of “beautiful, high-quality music that can be appreciated by any audience.” A sampling of classical concert titles includes Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes,” Ernest Block’s “Concerto Grosso” and Dmitir Shovastakovich’s “Sinfonia for String Orchestra.”
The concert will be followed by a dessert buffet. Tickets are $25 each, and all proceeds go to funding the Gilroy Compassion Center. There is a good deal of community support:
– The orchestra is performing for free.
– South Valley Community Church is donating use of its facilities.
– Volunteers from St. Mary Catholic Church will serve as ushers and parking attendants.
– Refreshments following the concert will be provided by local stores, restaurants and the Gilroy Presbyterian Church.
– The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will provide a dinner and housing for the performers.
Tickets can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com/event/
225672. Sponsorships are available.
BYU-Idaho is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is the largest private university in the state. Founded in 1888, it has an enrollment of 15,000 students representing every state and nearly 60 countries.
The Gilroy Compassion Center, recipient of the concert’s profits, is attempting to meet a serious community need. It has been estimated that there are more than 400 homeless people within the Gilroy city limits and more than another thousand others in surrounding areas of South County. Yet, no full-time homeless shelter is available in South County, just the National Guard Armory that offers cold-weather shelter only in the winter months.
Recognizing this need, a non-profit organization has formed to provide both a homeless shelter and a one-stop center to provide basic services to the homeless as well as referrals to other agencies that offer additional help.
A large building has been generously donated for this purpose by Jim and Debbie Currier, who offered free use of it for five years with below-market rent following that. Currently things like laundry facilities, haircuts and a clothing closet are available for the homeless at the site, but much more needs to be done.
Many improvements need to be made to fulfill the vision of the group, and the estimated cost is $300,000 to $400,000. The building needs:
– Structural upgrades
– Fire sprinklers
– Construction of interior rooms
– Paint
– Furnishings.
In addition to concert attendance, there are many ways to support this project. Donations of building materials, money and furnishings are all tax-deductible. There is also a need for volunteers to help in many ways.
For more information, go to 8425 Monterey Road, email gi********************@ya***.com or visit gilroycompassioncenter.org.
