The Gift of Music
In life, there are the watchers and the do-ers. Local violinist and composer Fiona Pears most certainly fits into the latter, perhaps best illustrated by her upcoming concert, from which all proceeds are going to support our city’s most vulnerable.
Long recognising the increasing number of homeless in Christchurch, Fiona decided to utilise her own skills to do what she could to help. “For years now, I have felt sad seeing the amount of homeless people in our city,” she says.
“At the end of last year, I decided that instead of feeling sad I would do something about it.”
Calling on her musical friends, she has put together a beautiful concert to raise much-needed funds. Featuring the New Zealand Army Band, Graham Wardrop and Fiona Pears herself, backed by some of Christchurch’s best musicians, the charity concert is being held at 7pm on 30 March at the Transitional Cathedral with 100 percent of the proceeds going to support the city’s most vulnerable.
“Everyone involved is giving their time for free, to enable us to raise as much as possible.”
“The concert is called ‘The Gift of Music’ and I wanted the money raised to go towards medical expenses to help our street whānau through the winter of 2019,” Fiona says. Registered charity Street Wise has come on board to manage the funding and the organisation has already found doctors who will be able to provide the service at a lowered cost.
“Everyone involved is giving their time for free, to enable us to raise as much as possible on the night. The cathedral has donated the venue for the evening and I have friends putting up posters and working on the production for the night.
“The support already is amazing but we need to let people know about it.”
For more information, visit www.fionapears.com or www.facebook.com/streetwisenz.
