Sweet Summer Plans

Harpist Anna DeLoi (click to hear her show!) impressed our audience with the unique harp piece she played on the show. She may be only 14 years old, but we already know she’s got great things ahead of her.  Last month the Eagle-Tribune (NH) featured a story on her, and just a few days ago she sent us a very exciting email update about her summer plans.

…it all started on the way home from From the Top, when I was looking through my Arts Leadership binder… and imagining the whole summer in front of me, and all the things I would be able to do… I had wholeheartedly decided to do outreach… So I found a couple of friends who were also staying home – Keith and Nash, a cellist and a violinist – we put together a program of chamber music, and chose to benefit CureSearch for Childhood Cancer. We wanted to have a double mission, though – to raise money for Curesearch, and also to share classical music with children. We named our project “Heartstrings”.

Here’s what we have planned so far: we are going to be performing at the Somersworth Children’s Festival (NH) and Family Day at Maudsley Park (MA), as well as the Old Home Days Festival in my hometown, Plaistow, NH. We’ll be right in the middle of the action at these events – talking to kids, showing them our instruments, and collecting donations for CureSearch.

We are also going to perform our program on the main stage of the Yankee Homecoming Festival (MA). We’re planning on visiting/playing at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (NH) and the Barbara Bush Cancer Center (ME), and I’m working on developing a program to give at local libraries that would introduce children to classical music.

Our biggest project, though, is organizing chamber music concerts. We’re going to give at least two – one to benefit CureSearch and one for the New Hampshire Autism Society – probably in late July/August.

You really can’t beat that for some summer vacation plans! Stay tuned for more info on Anna’s outreach in the coming months.