Stanford Thompson, a trumpet player and graduate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program and The Curtis Institute of Music, will perform and narrate a special “Concert for Kenya” with pianist Sharon Berenson on June 28 to spread the word about a new educational program in Kenya. The concert, at Emory University’s Schwartz Center, will cover details of the program: the Kenya Instrumental Music Project through the Kenya Urithi Education Fund. Thompson leaves on June 30 for Meru, Kenya, where will spend eight weeks writing a music curriculum for the Bishop Lawi Imathiu Secondary School (BLISS) and developing a community-music program at three primary schools. The BLISS program was started two years ago by Larry Dittmar, a retired music teacher from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who gathered more than 80 donated instruments to deliver to Meru in February 2009. The BLISS school currently has 257 students, who participate in music courses as part of the curriculum. During his eight weeks in Meru, Thompson will observe the existing program, assess needs, and plan a summer music camp. A native of Decatur, Georgia, Thompson is founding artistic director of the Reading (Pennsylvania) Summer Music Institute for winds, brass, and percussion; he also serves as director of operations for the Atlanta Trumpet Festival and teaches at Atlanta Academy of Music and Symphony in C Summer Camp.
Posted June 26, 2009
