MUSIC CHARITY Berkshire Maestros is hoping to inject some joy into the living room with its online extravaganza to see out the year.
On Friday, December 11, it will host Play Your Heart Out – an 11-hour live event on YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/bmaestros) featuring a myriad of music and entertainment.
The broadcast will involve hundreds of youngsters from across Berkshire, with a mixture of solos, group performances, interviews, and some fun moments. There may even be bagpipes.
Dawn Wren, CEO of Berkshire Maestros, said: “We want to see 2020 off in a really positive way to celebrate the amazing things our staff and students have achieved this year despite the incredibly challenging circumstances.
“We are so proud of the resilience, adaptability and determination we’ve seen from everybody to keep the music playing. Play Your Heart Out will be a fantastic chance for everybody to not only showcase their talents but also celebrate that we can do music.”
Berkshire Maestros concerts usually fundraise to develop music education programmes for children across the county.
Play Your Heart Out is no exception – it will be free to watch with requests for donations towards its latest project, which aims to bring a live band into primary schools.
Greenham Trust and fundraising platform The Good Exchange are supporting the event as part of their Double Matched Day initiative.
This means each donation on the day will receive Double MatchedFunding of £2 for £1 pledged — up to a total value of £5,000.
Chris Boulton, chief executive of Greenham Trust, said: “We had so many fantastic applicants this time around that it was difficult to narrow it down to the final 10. We know the positive impact of music on children and young people and felt that local charity Berkshire Maestros’ fundraising project fitted very well with our Double Matched Day selection criteria based on the scope of its project and the strength of their fundraising plan.
“We look forward to working with them on their preparations and show.”
For more information, and to watch the event, visit: youtu.be/vvjhlBCIp2M