Dear Friends and Supporters,

We have all seen the scenes many times in movies, plays, and theater productions: the crisis passes, whatever it was, and the townspeople cautiously look out their windows, peek out the doors, and tentatively emerge. Sometimes the super-hero has defeated the super-villain, sometimes the storm has passed, sometimes the war is over. In Beethoven’s Fidelio, the prisoners are let out of the dungeon to walk into the sunshine. The question the characters ask, at least metaphorically, is, “Is it safe to come out?”

Though COVID is still with us, the number of new cases in Riverside and in California has been going down for six weeks. Safety protocols are in place.
A high percentage of adults have been vaccinated. Vaccinations for children are now being approved as research shows the COVID vaccine to be safe for them.

Yes, it is time to emerge. It is time to participate in Riverside Children’s Choir, in Riverside Youth Orchestra, and in Mariachi Juvenil de Riverside del Riverside Arts Academy. Our full schedule of programs at Cesar Chavez Community Center are operating. Our Teaching Artists come prepared every week to teach and inspire. We have room for more students in almost every class. Our after-school programs are preparing to start soon in RUSD and AUSD. We have a need for more parents to volunteer to help.

It is time for students to begin their musical adventure in band, strings, mariachi, or choir. If students have drifted away, it is time for them to come back and renew the adventure of participating in live music in an ensemble.

Luke Hilland, Collette Lee and Dr. Nové Deypalan have continued to make presentations to service groups, decision-makers, and schools around Riverside. (I sometimes join them, but the three of them have done many more presentations than I have.) We are supported generously by many individuals, organizations, and corporations in our community. The Gala committee, including Ellie Bennett, Dr. Rich Cardullo, Dr. Nové Deypalan, Kathleen Hartman, Collette Lee, Darla Monks, and Lauren Lee Sawyer, has worked tirelessly to put on a tremendous Spanish Nights program for The Art of Giving Gala. Many of our arts partners are participating in the gala on November 4, 5:30 PM at Cesar Chavez Community Center. You can still purchase tickets online at www.RiversideArtsAcademy.com/Gala

Please encourage eligible students in Riverside to register for our programs. They will benefit in many ways from the experience.

Musically yours,

Steve Posegate, D.M.A.
President
Riverside Arts Academy