RVA
East End Festival 2016 Will Give the Gift of Music to Thousands of Students in
Richmond’s East End – 7th District, May 6-8, 2016
February 9, 2016 – Richmond,
Virginia: the City of Richmond, Mayor Dwight C. Jones, The Honorable
Cynthia I. Newbille, Councilwoman, Richmond City Council, Richmond East End 7th
Voter District, Richmond Public Schools, Bon Secours Richmond Health System and
the Richmond Symphony are pleased to announce a special festival celebrating
communities in Richmond’s East End. The RVA
East End Festival: The Gift of Music will be an inclusive community
celebration highlighting the diverse neighborhoods and unique quality of
Richmond’s East End. The Festival will feature three days of performances and
activities on May 6-8, 2016. Anchored by a performance by the Richmond Symphony
under its new “Big Tent”, the festival will also give many professional,
community and school groups a chance to perform on the Symphony’s new
state-of-the-art outdoor stage.
"This new festival in
the East End is exactly the type of outcome we envisioned with the Richmond
Symphony’s acquisition of their new “Big Tent,” said Mayor Dwight C.
Jones "Expanding the Symphony’s
footprint into neighborhoods like the East End is only the beginning of the
wonderful partnerships and community engagement that this mobility will
continue to inspire. I’m so pleased that many of our elementary schools are
some of the first beneficiaries of support through this enhanced
outreach."
“The Richmond Symphony is
thrilled to be a partner in the 2016 RVA East End Festival,” said
Executive Director David J. L. Fisk. “We
see the “Big Tent” as an opportunity to foster community pride, and showcase
what the Richmond area, and its people, have to offer by using music’s power to
unite and entertain. Keep a look out for the Symphony bringing the “Big Tent”
to other local communities across the region in the coming months and years. We
are excited to launch the first festival in Richmond’s East End.”
“I am so happy that our
beloved East End will be “Alive with the Sound of Music”, says The
Honorable Cynthia I. Newbille, Councilwoman, Richmond City Council, Richmond
East End 7th Voter District. “I
invite, encourage and hope everyone can and will come out for this exciting
event!”
In
addition to festival performances and activities, the event is designed to
create a lasting and positive benefit to the East End community. To this
desired end, Bon Secours Richmond Health System has joined festival partners as
a sponsor towards a pledged goal of $100,000 to provide musical instruments and
related materials to students at Bellevue Elementary, Chimborazo Elementary,
Fairfield Court Elementary, George Mason Elementary, Woodville Elementary,
Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Armstrong High School and Franklin
Military Academy.
This
support will specifically help bolster East End music education programs -
positively impacting thousands of students for years to come.
“We are so pleased to offer
our partnership with the City of Richmond, Richmond Public Schools, the
Richmond Symphony and other critical partners,” said Mark Gordon, CEO,
Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital. “Bon
Secours understands that building a healthier community requires that we extend
our efforts beyond the realm of traditional health care delivery. We see this
gathering as a way to enhance community relationships and enrich the
educational experience of our kids, both of which undoubtedly help create a
healthier community.”
"We sincerely appreciate
this gracious donation from Bon Secours," said Superintendent Dr.
Dana T. Bedden. "The integration
of fine arts into the instructional curriculum is an important component to the
overall academic development of our students and these new instruments will be
a huge benefit to the schools that receive them."
“We are honored that Bon
Secours has chosen to give the gift of music with this phenomenal grant” added
David Fisk. “Even though it hasn’t happened
yet, the festival already feels successful because of the support it is
generating for the East End’s schools. I extend the Symphony’s deep
appreciation to Bon Secours, the City of Richmond, to individual, foundation and
corporate donors stepping up to contribute, and the other tremendous community
partners who are making this initiative happen.”
The
RVA East End Festival 2016 will kick off Friday, May 6 with performances by
Richmond’s favorite No BS! Brass Band, vocalist Desiree Roots and the Richmond
Symphony. Saturday will include a variety of performances by students from
Richmond Public Schools, the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra Program and many
local artists. The festival will conclude Sunday afternoon with performances by
local spoken word artists, gospel artists, and several church choirs. Other
activities during the festival include, a “Kids Zone” featuring face painting,
arts and crafts, a community mural project and other hands-on activities for
children to enjoy.
The
festival is intended to attract thousands of people from throughout the region
over the course of the weekend. Local restaurants, craft beer, vendors,
businesses and non-profits will also be featured. Festival admittance is free
and open to the public.
Organizations,
artists, and vendors who wish to participate in the festival should go to
rvaeastendfest.com to complete an interest form. There will be limited
performance time availability. Entry fees may apply to participating vendors.
Sponsor,
business partnership and individual support opportunities are also available.
For more information, please visit rvaeastendfest.com or call 804.788.4717.
CONTACT:
Scott Dodson, Richmond Symphony
(804) 788.4717 ext. 120 /sdodson@richmondsymphony.com
Carol Billingsley, Bon Secours Richmond
Health System
(804) 287-7402 /carol_billingsley@bshsi.org
To date, festival sponsors
include:
Bon Secours Richmond Health System
The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter
Foundation
The City of Richmond
The Richard and Caroline T. Gwathmey
Memorial Trust Stone Brewery
To date partners include:
31st Street Baptist Church
Ashbury United Methodist Church
Bon Secours Richmond Health System
Boys and Girls Club Metro Richmond
Church Hill Activities & Tutoring
Church Hill Association
Church Hill Central Civic Association
Church Hill Residents
City of Richmond – Office of Mayor
Dwight C. Jones
City of Richmond – Office of
Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille
City of Richmond – Parks, Recreation,
and Community Facilities
Creighton Count Tenant Association
East End Fellowship
EnRichmond
Friends Association for Children
Friends of Chimborazo Park
Fulton Civic Association,
Neighborhood Resource Center
Good Shepherd Baptist Church
Holy Rosary Church
Mosby Court Tenant Association
Mount Olivet Baptist Church
New Light Baptist Church
New Visions
Peter Paul Development Center
Richmond Hill
Richmond Public Schools
Richmond Public Schools Education
Foundation
Robinson Community Arts Theater
Rotary Club of Church Hill
Rotary Club of Richmond
Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club
St. John’s Church
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Union Hill Civic Association
Unity Civic League
WCVE Ready to Learn
About the Richmond Symphony
Founded in 1957, the Richmond
Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The
organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the
150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 260 students in the Richmond
Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 200,000 members of
the community enjoy concerts, radio broadcasts, and educational outreach
programs. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission
for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
About Bon Secours Richmond Health
System
Bon Secours Richmond is part of Bon
Secours Virginia, which provides good help to thousands of Virginians through a
network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, ambulatory care
sites and continuing care facilities across the Commonwealth. The
not-for-profit health system employs more than 8,400 people, including nearly
420 providers as part of the Bon Secours Medical Group.
The fourth largest and only
faith-based health system in Virginia, Bon Secours Virginia offers a full range
of services including cardiac, women’s, children’s, orthopaedics, oncology,
neurosciences and surgery at eight award-winning hospitals.
Bon Secours Richmond is St. Mary’s
Hospital, Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond Community Hospital,
Rappahannock General Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center.
Bon Secours Hampton Roads is Maryview
Medical Center, DePaul Medical Center and Mary Immaculate Hospital.
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