Student works to feed musical hunger of poor
Adriana Lombard rounds up an ensemble of pros for a benefit concert to start an instrument lending library.
By Avery Yale Kamila akamila@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Adriana Lombard discovered the joy of the violin when she was 8. Now a senior at the University of Southern Maine, where she's studying biology and pursuing music as a hobby, she's keenly aware that many kids don't have the means to buy or rent instruments, which they need if they want to play in school and community bands.
To help eliminate that barrier, Lombard has organized a concert to raise money to start a lending library for musical instruments.
"Playing it Forward," scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at the Orion Performing Arts Center in Topsham, will feature a symphony orchestra of musicians from throughout New England. Tickets, to be sold at the door, cost $15 for adults and $7 for kids.
All 55 musicians and conductor Shawn Cabey, former conductor of the New England Youth Chamber Ensemble and co-founder of the Youth Musicians Ensemble of Loma Linda, Calif., have volunteered to participate.
"When I was trying to round up a whole symphony, I started e-mailing people, and I can't believe how generous people were with their time," said Lombard, who lives in Freeport.
Lombard is forming a nonprofit, but doesn't yet have a name for it. She's calling the volunteer symphony the Camerata Musica of New England.
The concert will include selections from Mozart, Vivaldi, Dvorak, Prokofiev and Bach. "We specifically chose the music to be pleasing to a wide range of people," Lombard said.
The first school that will be helped by the effort is in Argentina. When she was 17, Lombard was an exchange student at Instituto Juan Bautista Alberdi, in the province of Misiones. During the time she was there, she was surprised to learn that the small school had the desire, but not the funds, to start a music program.
The experience gave her the idea for the charitable effort. Lombard envisions the organization functioning like a library. Any student who wants to borrow from its collection would fill out a contract and return the instrument once the agreement expires.
She is now contacting local schools to determine whether there is any interest in such a program.
Her brother Peter Lombard, who owns a group travel company called Insouciance Abroad, is helping with the logistics of shipping the instruments internationally.
In addition to attending Sunday's concert, people who want to contribute to the effort can donate used instruments. So far, Lombard has amassed a small collection of second-hand flutes, plus a guitar, an oboe, a violin and a cello.
To donate an instrument, contact Lombard at 239-2389.
Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at: akamila@pressherald.com
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4 COMMENTS
cjbverizon said...
The first recipient is a school in Argentina? What about all the Maine kids (and adults!) who'd love to play, but can't afford to buy an instrument...? How will the kids in Argentina *return* the loaned instrument at the end of the "contract"? To me, truly "playing it forward" is to *give* the instrument toward a lifelong gift of making one's own music.
July 7, 2010 at 5:42 AM Report abuse
middleone said...
I appreciate her efforts to help others, that is commendable. But, I wonder if she knows how hard it is for Maine kids to get instruments and lessons? With music programs on the chopping block, she might want to consider having the next concert raise money for Maine kids.
July 7, 2010 at 6:50 AM Report abuse
YWxvbWJhcmQ%3D said...
I am glad to see all of your concern for children Maine and the New England area! Serving these children is actually the goal of the whole endeavor, but in an act of appreciation I am sending 3 instruments to Argentina. For legal reasons, I cannot comment on the names of the schools in the area that we are in talks with until things have been settled, but this area is where almost all of the instruments are going to go. And as for the contract-based program, it may have been slightly misunderstood, as there is no plan to "take back" instruments from children unless they have become able to afford one of their own at a later date, or have decided to stop playing for some reason. This just ensures that no instrument will be left unused, and that, because some amount of accountability is required, the instruments will be treated more carefully. Thank you for you interest and be assured that, having lived here since the age of 5, children in Maine are my first and greatest priority! :-)
July 7, 2010 at 8:08 AM Report abuse
Haiku said...
The last time I checked, which was on the opening day of the newly renovated Portland Public Library, PPL's director informed me at the event that he failed to include in its renovations a music practice room due to lack of space. I'd like to know, does Ms. Lombard -- now famous subject of "Adriana Lombard rounds up an ensemble of pros for a benefit concert to start an instrument lending library" news -- know about PPL's failure to continue that generations-old music practice space? Will she trust a better library elsewhere should she expand her yet-begun instrument lending library someday?!
July 7, 2010 at 2:59 PM Report abuse