Two violins handpainted by gifted north county artists will be auctioned April 14 at “An Evening in Vienna,” a fundraising gala for the Santa Rosa Youth Orchestra’s European concert tour this summer.
The local artists, Teresa DeLao and John Farnsworth, transformed broken and unusable instruments into “whimsical, elegant and fanciful works of art worthy of display by the most stylish Viennese royalty,” said Elizabeth Kern, who chairs the gala fundraiser.
The event will showcase 25 violins and will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. at Shone Farm in Forestville, 7450 Steve Olson Lane. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Corrick’s in Santa Rosa, 637 4th Street, or online at the organization’s website, srsymphonyleague.org/an-evening-in-vienna.
Wendy Cilman, director of education for the Santa Rosa Symphony, said the European concert tour is a trip of a lifetime for the young musicians. Eight of the youth orchestra members are from Windsor and one is from Cloverdale.
“They get the experience of playing in the places where the great masters have performed,” she said.
The 70 students, ranging in age from 10 to 23, will have the opportunity to experience Vienna, the birthplace of western classical music and expand their understanding of world culture. The cost for each student to attend the June tour is $4,400 and the tour also includes stops in Salzburg and Budapest.
“We want every student in the orchestra to be able to do this whether they can afford it or not,” Cilman said. “We have substantial funds to raise to be able to make that happen.”
The works of art that will be auctioned off each have their own unique themes. Two of the violins depict renewal and healing from the October wildfires, while another pays homage to the destroyed Fountaingrove Round Barn.
One of the artists worked in papier-mache, executing a theme that celebrated the Chinese Year of the Dog. Another artist paid tribute to her sister who played in the youth orchestra. Instrumental strings once used to play music were repurposed to suspend one of the violins.
Kern said the gala attendees will be transported to Vienna, known as the City of Music, as they listen to romantic melodies played by youth orchestra members, taste wine and champagne and enjoy mouthwatering pastries and sweets, watch pros demonstrate the waltz and don a boa and top hat for a keepsake photo.
A drawing for a trip to London or Paris will be held at this event. There will be a silent auction that includes a seven-day vacation rental in Vermont, season tickets to the Santa Rosa Symphony and a luxurious hotel weekend in Palo Alto.
The gala is a joint project of the Santa Rosa Symphony League and the parents of the Santa Rosa Youth Orchestra. For those who cannot attend, donations can be made by check and sent to the Santa Rosa Symphony.
