Greetings and My First Culture Crush!

Greetings! I am delighted to be blogging as part of Patch's community. I will mostly focus on Newton's arts and cultural community. Why so? I am an administrator for two of Newton's many non-profit arts organizations, the New Philharmonia Orchestra and the Newton Cultural Alliance. 

I first became involved with Newton's arts scene in 2002 as a musician with the New Phil. I was a student at Boston College and we were invited to join New Phil for their performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This piece was on my "must play" list but I never expected that I'd still be playing (and working) for New Phil ten years later. 

You see, I developed a crush. This little community orchestra goes far beyond performing classical music in stuffy halls. After I found myself wearing Halloween costumes for friendly Family Discovery Concerts and performing demonstrations in urban public schools, I was hooked. To this day, the outreach programs, Family concerts, and community special events are still my favorite parts of this orchestra. 

Because of my experiences with New Phil I am now an arts educator, a Family concert programmer, an emcee, a creative special events pro, a friend of local businesses, a staple on stage, a cheerleader for community spirit and a master of creating glittery signs. You've got to love your job, right?

New Phil's upcoming event, Pub Night & Karaoke Concert, is another event aimed at increasing the community spirit. On St. Patrick's Day (Saturday, March 17) New Phil is mixing it up and offering a program that is a lil' traditional, a lil' unique and a lot o' fun! The concert features the full orchestra performing Celtic music, audience sing-a-longs and other favorites. We'll also be joined by an Irish dancer! There's a party before the concert with traditional Irish fare, a craft beer tasting with The Urban Grape and awesome fundraising activities to benefit New Phil's outreach programs! 

If you want to experience something new, give us a shot and see why I'm still crushing hard on this group! Tickets are only $20 (21+) or $10 (under 21). If you come by, be sure to say hi! I'm one of the emcees. Click here for more information on the New Phil and on Pub Night.

Thanks for reading! I'll be back to highlight other groups, events and arts happenings!

Happy weekend to all!