Gainesville ProMusica
- 770-531-7776
- www.promusicaconcertseries.com (new Web site coming soon)
It’s kind of like the story of "The Little Engine That Could."
For 60 years, the local nonprofit ProMusica has chugged along, delivering quality music performances to the Hall County area. But as the economy slowed, the train started to sputter — and so, Jack Bell, the executive director of the organization, decided to change gears entirely.
Traditionally, ProMusica provided chamber music concerts to the community, offering students free admission to the concerts. In the last couple of years, ProMusica added an educational component with one of the concerts, bringing an artist to a local school for a personal lesson with the students or providing a separate concert for students and their parents.
But this season, the three concerts ProMusica has put together broaden the scope of the organization to the extent that Bell decided a new motto and philosophy was in order. And with that, the "little engine" starts to climb the mountain again.
"Our new motto is now ‘great music and community outreach,’" Bell said. "We have a new philosophy to sustain us. The philosophy is two sentences: ‘For over half a century, ProMusica has endeavored to nurture mind and soul with inspiring music. Our expanded mission also focuses on partnering with organizations that provide basic human needs.’"
This new partnership stretches the traditional role of an arts organizations into one of community support. Each concert planned for this season includes components such as a family concert with transportation provided, along with a translator; a food drive to benefit the Georgia Mountain Food Bank; and artwork and writings from students as part of the concert experience.
"Each of the concerts will have a specific community outreach goal that’s attached to it," said Bell, citing last year’s school-based concerts where musicians performed at McEver Road Elementary School and Gainesville Middle School.
"We’re using the same concept but we’re maintaining two of our primary values — families and children."
Part of that is keeping ticket prices low — it’s $40 for an adult ticket for all three concerts, and children are admitted free at the door. Individual prices are $15 for adults. This means a night out to see, say, a classical guitarist for a parent and a couple of kids could still cost less than a movie.
But, Bell said, "That’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as maintaining our core family values."
For example, the first concert of the season on Oct. 27, a performance by the Merling Trio, will include free transportation to the concert for more than 100 children and parents and a translator. On Feb. 21, an afternoon concert at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church will not only feature classical guitarist Alejandro Cote, but also will include writing, posters and other artwork by children at McEver elementary and a performance by the school’s choir. There may even be additional student performances and events added as the date gets closer.
"The church has opened themselves up to us," Bell said. "We hope the community and the parents of the children at the school can enjoy the artwork, and it’s all centralized through the performance of the classical guitarist."
The third concert on March 7 at First Presbyterian Church brings in the touring group of the Spivey Hall Children’s Choir and partners with the Georgia Mountain Food Bank and The Arts Council for a large-scale food drive. A 24-foot truck parked outside the church all weekend will collect the food for what Bell said he hopes to be one of the largest food drives in Gainesville.
"It’s based on basic survival in today’s economic community," Bell said. "I believe that any musical organization can’t continue to survive at the level it has, to only offer programming, without integrating themselves culturally with other nonprofit organizations that offer community support and community outreach."
Kay Blackstock, executive director of the Georgia Mountain Food Bank, said when ProMusica approached her organization about teaming up for a concert it made perfect sense.
"For me, it was the idea of charitable organizations collaborating to improve quality of life in a community," said Blackstock. "I’ve read about and seen, even, particularly here in this community, projects like that, and so it is a win-win situation for everybody that’s involved."
In our area, she said, one in five children younger than age 18 live in a "food insecure" household, meaning that parents stretch food for multiple meals or sometimes skip a meal to make ends meet.
By teaming up to join forces, she said, it furthers the mission of both organizations.
"It’s so great to have those kind of community partnerships where we can get out and talk about our mission and then promote their organization at the same time," she said. "I’m of the belief that in a community, especially a giving community like we live in, you have people who are going to support arts or educational institutions. ... But if we can help promote an arts organization, it’s the complete package."
Bell said the climb up the mountain — expanding from simply providing an arts event to one of arts reaching out — was an internal motivation, but one he and his small staff feel is vital to the organization and the community.
"It’s a social decision," Bell said. "We’re small but we have very large dreams as to what we might provide for the community."