The Annual Friends of Music Donors Circle Concert, the music department’s first concert of the fall 2010 semester, will take place at 3 p.m. on Sept. 26 in Hoag Hall.

The concert gives the campus community an opportunity to see everything the department has to offer, said Tamra Axworthy, administrative assistant to the music department.

“The good thing about this (concert) is that it brings in something from every area,” Axworthy said. “It’s a chance for the community to come and get a broader perspective on what the music department has to offer versus coming to just one of the specialty concerts.”

Last year, the annual concert served as a motivator for students and faculty to start the semester off right, Axworthy said.

 “The concert went really well. It kept the momentum going throughout the semester,” she said. “CSU-Pueblo, as President Garcia has said, is gaining a reputation. That (reputation) is still growing and it’s these kinds of things that get the word out there.”

Upperclassmen who have completed or are currently working on a recital will perform in the concert, as well as faculty performers including Zahari Metchkov, the new piano instructor for the department.

Metchkov, who is originally from Bulgaria, received his undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland. Serving as a teacher of piano ensemble and music theory, Axworthy said Metchkov also takes time out to enjoy the outdoors.

“He’s totally loving Colorado,” Axworthy said. “He’s an avid hiker and mountain climber.”  

The Annual Friends of Music Donors Circle Concert also serves in conjunction with the Friends of CSU-Pueblo Department of Music – Annual Giving Circle fundraising campaign.

The campaign, started in 2009, aims to raise money for the department’s Caroline Cramer-Voss Music Scholarship Fund and for the remodeling of Room 205 in the Art and Music Building.

Money donated toward remodeling Room 205 will be used to turn the room into a secondary performance area, Axworthy said, allowing it to function as a small recital hall, in addition to its use as a classroom.

“It’ll be for the small recitals, vocalists and small ensembles,” she said. “We’ll have an alternative to the massive Hoag Hall.”

The cost to complete the remodeling is estimated at $62,000, Axworthy said, and is expected to be finished by the end of the semester.

Last year’s Friends of Music Donors Circle Concert raised more than $43,000 from 76 donors, 15 of which who are CSU-Pueblo alumni. The entire music department faculty also donated, Axworthy said, but individual donors wished to stay anonymous.

Donations ranged from $5 to $20,000. The largest contribution resulted from a challenge by a donor who promised to donate $20,000 if the department could raise at least that amount.

The department expects this year’s donations to be significantly lower, Axworthy said, but their goal is to raise between $8,000 and $10,000.

Everyone who donates to the Friends of CSU-Pueblo Department of Music – Annual Giving Circle receives recognition in all of the department’s programs and publications for the calendar school year. The idea to start the fundraising campaign was spurred by an alumnus’ family who saw the need in the music department, Axworthy said.

The Friends of Music Donors Circle concert has free admission and is open to the public. Audience turnout for the event is expected to be between 75 and 100 people.

A reception will follow the event commemorating members of the fundraising campaign that donated last year, as well as opening up donations for this year. Roy Sonnema, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, will function as a guest speaker at the reception.

Those looking for more information about the concert or to donate to the music department may contact Axworthy at 719-549-2552.