Upcoming
Show!
| Erica
Reynolds and Anthony Lombard in concert, performing
works from Mozart, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gounod,
et al, with accompaniment by Jeanette LaVoy.
Erica and Anthony won Best Female and Male
Vocalist awards respectively at Booker VPA
last year and appeared together last in Guys
and Dolls in April 2008. This is your chance
to see them together again. We will also be
presenting new dances by Ana Fiore, one of
the finest dancers to graduate from Booker.
Admission is free and open to the public.
We encourage and appreciate donations, small
or large. Twenty-five percent of proceeds
will be donated to the music and arts programs
at Booker VPA and Gocio Elementary and the
rest will go to pay the performers college
tuition and educational expenses. |
|
 We
Made It!
September
4, 2008
I
just flew up to Boston with Erica and dropped
her off at The Boston Conservatory and after helping
her move in, realized there wasn't too much more
she needed from her dad except my occasional encouragement
and cooking ;) - she will excel there, we have
no doubt and I look forward to seeing her on stage
in Boston and beyond. You all have been a community
of support beyond compare and our thanks go out
to all of you, we couldn't have done it without
you! When she gets her head above water in a couple
of weeks i will ask her to write us a note about
beginning conservatory studies... She will be
back in Sarasota for a month over Christmas and
no doubt will fit in a show or two for us all
;) -
Just
before she left she performed (along with her
mentor and accompanist Jeanette LaVoy) to a very
appreciative crowd at the Waterside Retirement
Estates here in Sarasota - here is a picture from
that show-
After
an incredible summer of performing and thanks
to the generous patronage of you all, Erica was
able to raise about $20,000! You should all be
very proud to be part of this. She still needs
to raise about $8,000 to cover the remainder of
her tuition payments in the spring, so please
consider a donation here.
Note
from Erica - August 2 , 2008
Dear music lovers,
I
am very grateful for your support and appreciation.
I will be attending the Boston Conservatory this
fall, and I need your help to make my dreams a
reality. I am now a graduate of the Visual and
Performing Arts Program at Booker High School
where I appeared in the musicals Guys and Dolls,
Hello Dolly, The Secret Garden, and others. This
year I won the award for Best Female Vocalist
(Syesha Mercado, our Sarasota finalist on American
Idol, took this award in 2005). I have been training
privately in Sarasota for four years with Jeanette
LaVoy, a wonderful mentor, trainer, and vocalist.
Throughout this time, she has helped me discover
my passion for opera and classical voice. I sing
in Italian, French and German from an array of
operas by Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti and others.
In
February 2007, I performed a debut recital and
raised the funds to attend a Summer Intensive
at Carnegie Mellon University. For this, I am
truly grateful to my community, family, friends
and supporters. This year I will attend the Boston
Conservatory and continue my studies in voice
and opera. I have received grants, loans, and
contributions from my family, covering half of
the $48,000 tuition for this year. The rest is
up to me. Every donation I receive goes directly
to pay my tuition payments. If you would grant
me this opportunity to sing for you, it would
give me great pleasure. This event is free to
all, and I encourage all opera and vocal music
lovers to attend. The program will include arias
and musical theatre pieces from Le Nozze di Figaro,
Romeo et Juliette, La Bohème, Don Giovanni,
Phantom of the Opera, Kismet and more!
Sincerely,
Erica
Reynolds |
|
Update
on recitals: as of 9/2/08
We
have raised about twenty thousand dollars through concerts
and donations!
The
total cost for the Boston Conservatory is $50,000.
I have received $10,231 in Financial Aid
I have raised about $20,000 at two recitals last month
My dad is contributing $1,000 a month for the next year
I'm getting closer!
Why
you should donate |
| We
have arranged a monthly payment plan for the full amount
minus the financial aid. This comes to $3676 a month
for ten months. So this may make it more convenient
for your generous donations and for my family!
Click
here to send an opera singer to school!
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June 14, 2008 - A letter
to the newspapers:
Here
is a copy of the letter I have been sending to newspapers
including creative loafing, Anything Arts, and the Sarasota
Herald. Look for me in your local press!
My
name is Erica Reynolds, a recent graduate of Booker
High School and the VPA program (visual performing arts).
For the last four years, I have appeared in many shows
including leads in Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly, and
The Secret Garden. I have also won the award for Best
Female Vocalist 08’ (Syesha Mercado took this
award in 05’). I have been training privately
for three and a half years in Sarasota with Jeanette
LaVoy, a wonderful mentor, trainer, and singer. Throughout
this time, she has helped me discover my passion for
opera and classical voice. Opera provides me with challenging
and rewarding material. I sing in Italian, French and
German from an array of operas by Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti
and others.
In February 07’, I performed a debut recital and
raised $8,000 in one night to attend a Summer Intensive
at Carnegie Mellon University, an accomplishment that
makes me very proud. I have been accepted to The Boston
Conservatory, a four-year conservatory program where
I will continue my studies in voice and opera this fall.
Since receiving a bill for $48,000 (!!!) for one-year
tuition, room, and board, I have been raising money
to ensure that I will be on a plane to Boston by September
2. Including grants, loans and money I have raised I
am slightly more than halfway to my goal. I have done
this by performing two recitals in May, as well received
as my first. My supporters have been very helpful thus
far and I need to extend my network deeper into the
community. If you would grant me this opportunity it
would be a huge help in raising the funds I need. Thank
you so much!
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