Loft Choir performs on Saturday at the Students for Students PEO fundraiser concert at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, as conducted by Susan Supeene.--NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
With the resounding success of the Philanthropic Educational Organization’s “Students for Students” concert, signs point to it becoming an annual occurrence.
The fundraising event took place at St. Barnabas Anglican Church this past Saturday, showcasing music students from throughout the city as they performed anything from Bach to Riverdance.
“It’s sort of the first time we’ve done anything like this,” said organizer Susan Supeene. “But I’m hoping we can make it an annual thing. People really seemed to appreciate it.”
With a nearly full church, the PEO was thrilled with the attendance, as well as with the energy of the crowd, many of whom Supeene noted stayed after the performance to mingle with the artists and each other as a community.
This time of year is ideal for a student concert, says Supeene, as many of the students will have pieces prepared for the upcoming Rotary Music Festival, and it gives them a chance to practise performing those pieces in front of a crowd without it being a competition yet.
“It’s a different performing situation than festival. The festival is wonderful, but if you take the element of competition out, it’s a different feeling,” said Supeene. “And so the performers, the students, really enjoyed that.”
Supeene says she is likely to continue to reach out to different instructors as she continues to host similar concerts, to keep the variety aspect to the performances, something she feels worked very well.
PEO managed to raise roughly $700 for the organization, which will all be put toward assisting women to fund their goals of receiving a higher education.
Upcoming for the organization is the Southeastern Alberta Teachers’ Convention later this week, where PEO will host a small information table. Those attending are encouraged to come see what the organization offers for those “struggling to follow their path,” said Supeene.
