Hopewell Music Cooperative North will present the 3rd annual “Bach and Chocolate” fundraising concert and gala on Saturday, October 25th. They’ll also be celebrating three years as the only music school in North Minneapolis, and inviting even more community members to join them as students and supporters.
The event, hosted by partner North United Methodist Church, will include a silent auction, concert of Bach works by professional musician friends of Hopewell, and a reception featuring chocolate, other treats and music performed by Hopewell’s talented students. The event is designed to be enjoyed by all ages.
Hopewell Music Cooperative is a non-profit founded in 2012 by professional musicians from North Minneapolis and throughout the Twin Cities to provide high quality, affordable and accessibly music education for the Northside community. The name Hopewell was chosen by Founder Dameun Strange, and draws inspiration from the Hopewell Native Americans that once traveled and lived along the Mississippi River as well as Hopewell Hospital, which once served tuberculosis patients in the Northside’s Camden neighborhood.
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Hopewell Music Cooperative offers private instruction in piano, drums, guitar and bass, violin, brass and voice. In order to be truly accessible, “We base our sliding scale fees on the federal school lunch program [$20, $10, or $0 per half hour lesson], and offer a free instrument rental program,” explained Brianna Farah, Executive Director and a classical vocalist with a Masters in Vocal Performance from the University of Minnesota.
Ensemble participation is entirely free. Classes and rehersals are offered at handicap-accessible locations spread across the Northside for convenience. Most of the current 150 students are under 18, but the Hopewell Community Choir is proof of the school’s commitment to “Music for All”; that choir meets weekly at the Camden Care Center and is primarily made up of elderly singers.
Hopewell’s teachers and staff are all professional musicians that are extremely passionate and dedicated. As an example, Jaette Carpenter, one of the founders, gives weekly lessons to a whopping 37 piano, vocal, and guitar students. At first, all of the staff worked for free for over a year following the school’s founding. Now
“We’ve had so many new students join in the last couple of months, even though we haven’t been doing a lot of recruiting,” said Andrea Myers, a flute instructor and Hopewell is looking for ways to maintain their staff and expand their reach.
Director of Operations. Ms. Farah said, “The word is getting out by word of mouth. People are learning that we do offer free lessons, and that it is affordable even at full price; I think at first they thought it was too good to be true.”
Hopewell has a waiting list of 15 students. “Imagine what we could do if we actually recruited, how many students we could take on tomorrow, if we also had the funds,” mused Farah. In addition to fundraising opportunities, staff are looking for new board members, space for an administrative headquarters, instrument donations and businesses or organizations interested in hiring out their ensembles for events.
In the meantime, Hopewell invites you to celebrate its students’ accomplishments and future at the Bach and Chocolate Gala. Find them on social media or visit www.hopewellmusic.com.
Bach and Chocolate
Saturday, 10/25, 7pm
Tickets: $10/$15 students, $15/$20 adults, under 6 Free
Pre-sale tickets at www.hopewellmusic.com/bach–chocolate
North United Methodist Church
4350 Fremont Ave N, Minneapolis
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