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Danbury Music Centre Tunes Up Campaign To Keep Summer Program Alive

DANBURY, Conn. -- The Danbury Music Centre is appealing to the public to help fund its popular summer program, which fell on hard times last year.

An Indiegogo campaign is raising money for the Danbury Music Centre's popular summer program.

An Indiegogo campaign is raising money for the Danbury Music Centre's popular summer program.

Photo Credit: Danbury Music Centre Facebook
An Indiegogo campaign is raising money for the Danbury Music Centre's popular summer program.

An Indiegogo campaign is raising money for the Danbury Music Centre's popular summer program.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The nonprofit Music Centre has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise $10,000.

The Music Centre, which is responsible for helping a number of local musicians get their start, depends on donations to keep the doors open. Most of its programs run off site at churches and schools to minimize costs.

When last year's Summer Festival was about to start at one of the city's schools, the school wound up needing a new roof, and the Centre had to look for alternative space at the last minute.

A venue was secured at Western Connecticut State University, but it cost $10,000, which was over budget.

Danbury Music Centre Executive Director Mary Larew said the money raised in the fundraising campaign will be used to recoup the cost of last year's program.

"Most of what we offer the community is free. These summer programs have tuition, but it is very affordable and there are scholarships available. Nobody gets turned away over the inability to pay," she told Daily Voice.

"It's a wonderful, welcoming and excellent experience for young people and adults, whether they're new to their instrument or already perform music at a very high level. Many form lifelong friendships and credit their careers in music to the time they spent in this program," said Larew.

Composer Paul Frucht, a doctoral candidate at Juilliard, spent many years in the DMC's programs and went on to start a new program called Chamber Music Intensive there.

"Paul started out in the summer program as a percussionist," Larew said.

While the venue has not been picked yet for summer 2017, the program will "absolutely" run, she said.

It typically draws 100 students from elementary school age to adults.

"There is something for anyone, from beginning strings and beginning band for those who never played, and others who want to be professionals," Larew said.

To date, $2,250 has been raised by 22 donors on the Indiegogo page.

Click here to make a donation.

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