Princeton resident starts non-profit to hold classical music concert series for people with special needs.
PRINCETON - Lea Petri was inspired by her love of music to find a way to connect those with special needs to her muse.
In June, she launched the non-profit Classical Music for All, Inc. to serve as a gateway for people to not only experience classical music live, but also perform it.
A violin and viola teacher, Petri, 25, created the organization to serve people with special needs in part because her 26-year-old sister is developmentally-delayed and could not easily attend her performances.
Petri is working with Jim Gaven, music coordinator and director of Allies, Inc. in Hamilton. He runs the Mercer Day Program at JC Strings in Lawrenceville, which also began in June, where people are presently learning how to play instruments so they can take part in an upcoming concert on Oct. 2 that will benefit Classic Music For All.
"It was a stroke of luck that we sort of touched base," Gaven said.
Petri said that even before meeting Gaven, she knew she wanted to start this concert series, but did not know how to go about it. Petri said she had been using JC Strings as a space to teach her students and, while there, heard about Gaven, who had just begun bringing participants in the Mercer Day Program to JC Strings.
James Sikora of Ewing, left, listens to, and records, Lea Petri, founder of the non-profit Classical Music for All in Lawrenceville, as she plays violin on September 11, 2015. (Keith A. Muccilli/ For The Times of Trenton) "I just showed up one day and decided to volunteer," Petri said.
Now, Petri said she goes every Friday to JC Strings to teach some of Gaven's students the violin while he teaches other instruments, such as the guitar and piano.
Gavin has color-coded his instruments so students learn notes by color. "My piano looks like a big rainbow," Gaven said. "So they don't have to learn notes, they learn colors. The A note is red because A is for apple."
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Both Petri and Gaven said their students appreciate having the opportunity to play classical music.
"One of the guys in the program, I got really emotional, because he was blind and I played some music for him and after he was so happy, he gave me a hug," Petri said.
"I've been in the field for five years," Gaven said. "Let's face it, music is not considered a necessity, but in a lot of ways it is because I couldn't imagine going through a day without listening to the radio or playing my guitar."
Petri said she hopes to raise $6,000 from the upcoming benefit concert to hold four themed-concerts, including a Christmas performance.
The first fundraiser, the Chamber Music Benefit Concert, features world-renowned Violist Toby Appel, Cellist Edward Arron and Violinist Paul Huang and will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church from 7-8 p.m. on Oct. 2.
General admission tickets are $50 per person, with a discount of $25 to seniors, veterans, disabled, students and military personnel, and are available on Facebook, Eventbrite or email classicalmusicforall@yahoo.com. A reception with the artists will follow from 8-9 p.m. at a cost of $150. A $1,000 per-person entry fee for a private dinner with the artists at the Mediterra Restaurant and Taverna in Princeton will be held from 9-11 p.m.
Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
