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Like most non-profit organizations, Astraios absolutely could not run without the support of our varied network of volunteers. From our Board of Directors (Carolyn England Ritchie, Laura Cox, Christopher Curtis, Emily McKay and Emily Kluesener Spaulding) who watch over our financial decisions and brainstorm new ways to take our organization forward…to the high school volunteers who earn service hours handing out programs and ushering…to the musicians’ families who babysit during rehearsals…to friends and family who haul boxes of programs in and out of concerts…we rely on our volunteers’ every move!
The day of our concerts is an incredibly busy one. Two hours before our program begins, the Astraios team is ready to go. Our latest concert in March found volunteers Heba Abdelghani and Aaron Bath assembling our stage banners while the musicians did a last minute sound check. Meanwhile, our high school volunteers, Sharon Lui and Lucinda Su, helped Natasha Merchant set up for our post-concert reception. Sharon and Lucinda added their own special flare by arranging the soda cans just right:
Once the audience began to arrive, Aaron Bath was in charge of our box office and CD sales. Our ushers handed out programs, directed the audience around the venue and collected donations. Jon Kuhns, Astraios’s resident horn player, kindly filled the role of front-of-house manager and coordinated between
…Read More...Astraios presented our second Dallas concert on March 23rd. The Cirrus Quartet performed works by Mozart, Purcell, Schubert and more, with Christopher Curtis leading the audience in activities to learn about each work.
Eric and Claudia Jones demonstrate the difference in size between a violin and a viola.
Ruth Ann Ritchie and Michael Jones perform a duet by Villa-Lobos. We compared chamber music to the hand-clap games played by children: you may know the pattern, but you still have to be ready for anything your partner throws at you!
The Cirrus Quartet did a dramatic reading of the text to Schubert’s “Die Erlkonig” before performing the work. Each instrument played a different character, and the audience got to perform the role of the horse!
The audience enjoyed a post-concert reception with the musicians. The most difficult decision was–which of the five cupcake flavors to choose from?!
If you missed our March concert, never fear! We will return to the Frisco Discovery Center on May 11 for a performance with The August Winds. (That’s the day before Mother’s Day–come enjoy a fun afternoon with your mom!) See you again soon!
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