Rachael Zhang '28
Apr 25, 2025
Last Friday, the charity concert “Save the Music” fundraiser was held in the Simon
Theatre. The event showcased a variety of musical acts, including vocal performances and purely instrumental music. The concert was organized and hosted by Claire Chow ’26. A notable highlight was the appearance of a special guest, former music teacher Bryan Morgan ’07.
Chow explained, “I've had the same singing teacher since I was six in Hong Kong, and she was like a second mother to me. She had a very big impact on my life... because she was always there for me and encouraging me. Last spring break, her daughter passed away... and so I came up with this idea in a way to remember her.”
As the main faculty organizers, Burgin Center Director of Operations Jessica Doubell and Director of Experimental Education Emily Parsons had a clear vision for the event.
“Even here in Mercersburg, at the elementary school, they cut the strings program because they don't have the funds, they don't have a teacher. So music education everywhere is at risk of not existing anymore,” said Doubell.
Parsons brought her fundraising expertise to the table. She said, “Claire did a great job... I don't know how much she's raised so far, but it's at least $800. I think she's gonna hit $1,000 pretty easily.”
For the performers, it was also an amazing experience. The show-stealing band ‘The Daves’, composed of Bella Levina ’25, Ethan Stiffler ’25, Billy Quick ’25, Phuong Vo ’27, and physics teacher Dave Holzwarth, elicited laughs from the audience as they performed in colorful Hawaiian shirts and baseball caps, a nod to Holzwarth’s signature look.
The group faced challenges while preparing for the concert. Levina commented, “We met only a total of two times before we had to perform.” Despite limited rehearsals, the performance still went smoothly. Quick added, “I didn't play just to have fun, but because personally, it made me really happy to see that Dave was really happy to play with all of us. I also just enjoyed playing music for other people.”
Another highlight was a duet featuring Addie Heldman ’25 and Pedro Abranches ’26 who performed a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” reminiscent of Dylan’s own duets with folk legend Joan Baez.
Other performers, such as Annie Wu ’27 and Alli Caretti ’26, also shared impressive performances. Their incentives for getting up on stage differed however.
Wu, a guzheng player, said, “I wanted to let people know what this [traditional Chinese] instrument is.”
Caretti simply hoped that the audience “got to hear some new songs that they may have not heard before and can appreciate all the work everyone who was a part of the show put in. I also hope they realized the impact that music can have on young kids and maybe even have been moved to donate. And had fun of course.”
In the end, Chow reports raising over $1000 from the concert with donations continuing to pour in. She looks to repeat this initiative next year, saying, “I hope that people can take away from this experience the importance of music education, and how even small donations or efforts can make a big difference in other people's lives. Music can truly change someone's life and impact them in ways beyond imagination.”