CLEVELAND — It's a concert for a cause, as members of the Cleveland Institute of Music as well as the Cleveland Orchestra came together to try and lift up those in need.
"It's a relatively short piece," master's student Haig Hovsepian said, "but it's filled with so much color and so much vibrancy. It kind of creates this quilt of Armenia, which I think is so special."
Hovsepian is 1/3 of the trio that performed a number from Armenia composer Gayane Chebotaryan at a benefit concert Wednesday night.
"Her work is never really performed all that often, especially here in the United States," Hovsepian explained, "so it's really such an honor to be able to bring to light her music."
While the honor of playing is felt by every performer on stage, the bigger attraction for this concert was who they were helping in the process.
"It's really important to be a part of your community and use your music for the greater good," Karen Ferry, president of student government at CIM, said, "not just for concerts that benefit yourself."
The Music for Food concert is something the Institute has been doing since 2018, with all the proceeds going to a local food bank or food pantry. It's also part of a 20-city network of concerts that to date have raised enough for 1.5 million meals.
"As of this morning, we've raised $10,000, which is as much as we raised for the concert last year," Ferry said. "We're hoping to blow that number out of the water."
This year, they've added onto the program by including a silent auction with the goal of raising $50,000 in total for the Cleveland Kosher Food Pantry, hopefully proving in the process that music truly can be "Food for the soul."
"It's very empowering to use something that I've worked my whole life at for the greater good," Ferry declared, "to help bring food to families who otherwise may not have it."
"Art, in general, can go so far beyond just entertainment and visual," Hovsepian added. "It can really be used for doing things in our communities and helping others and making real differences."
CIM's support for the Kosher Food Pantry didn't end on the stage Wednesday night; they're going to rebroadcast the performances online twice in March and are accepting donations to their GoFundMe page through March 20. If you'd like to help their cause, you can donate here.