On behalf of the entire PCA board of directors, I wish the whole PCA community a very happy new year, filled with interesting musical and artistic experiences.
Shortly before the holidays, I attended a classical Indian concert with a friend. He mentioned to me that his love of classical music grew from concerts he attended with his father as a child. To be clear, he did not choose to attend those concerts - rather, having been exposed to live concerts at an early age taught him to appreciate the music for the rest of his life. This is exactly why the PCA’s Classical Sundays concerts are free or almost free to children and young adults.
As adults, we control how we spend our precious spare time and money. While generally this is a good thing, I wonder how many of us miss out on novel experiences that might otherwise enrich our life or challenge preconceived notions. Just in the past couple of years, I have attended (at the PCA) a personal tribute to Karen Carpenter by Judy Pancoast, a PCA benefit featuring popular hits of the jazz age by Connie Diamond, and a classical guitar program of Cuban composers by Jose Lezcano. Besides being great musical events, these programs introduced me to music I had only heard occasionally or not at all. For some time after the Karen Carpenter tribute, I was streaming her hits on repeat, to my wife’s annoyance (I also learned Karen was a fantastic drummer and actually played drums while singing - videos on YouTube prove it!).
So for the new year, I challenge you to check the PCA event schedule on our home page and try something completely new - perhaps a Celtic concert, South Asian Karaoke night, Bluegrass Jam, or Sunday Jazz Jam. If you know a child or young adult, bring them to one of our Classical Sunday piano, guitar, or chamber music recitals. You never know how you might affect that child’s life.
If you are looking to get more actively involved as a volunteer, there are numerous ways to do so. As a volunteer-driven arts center, we look to the community to help us organize events and propose and execute new programming. The upcoming Westford Regional Art Event would be a great place to start.We welcome anyone who is drawn to our mission of fostering a community centered on the visual and performing arts.
As always, our mission is only possible due to the generosity of our members, donors and sponsors. As a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization, most of the funds we raise go toward infrastructure and operating expenses such as insurance, utilities, maintenance and repairs. If you haven’t already done so, Please consider renewing your tax-deductible membership for this season by visiting our website at www.pcawestford.org.
Raj Puranik
President, Board of Directors
Parish Center for the Arts
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