November, 2011 Dear Friends of Noontime Concerts, Our 23rd Anniversary celebration is bittersweet. On the one hand, the past performance season has been Noontime Concerts' most challenging year. On the other, your heartfelt generosity in response to the financial threat facing Noontime's survival has been overwhelming. Your investment in Noontime Concerts has confirmed our unique community service as one of the Bay Area's most important cultural assets. As such, Noontime's midday respite is both enlivening and entertaining. But in the broadest sense, it also helps us to identify our position in the universe, provide wisdom, guidance and healing. In effect, music defines the human experience. It was during our Russian Music Festival this year, that the LEE DUO, Caroline and Aeri Lee stunned us with the tragic, yet triumphal self-portrait of the distinguished Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Encapsulating Shostakovich's whole life, his final composition, the Sonata, Op. 147, is a testament to the strength of the human spirit to overcome adversity. Pianist Aryo Wicaksono demonstrated that music is globally trans-cultural. Born and raised in Indonesia, he is the first Western classical music artist to hold residency at the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. More importantly, he is "a virtuoso talent in the Western sense of the word," as music critic Stephen Smoliar put it. His performance of Bach and Liszt on September 13, 2011 was met with critical acclaim and an extended standing ovation. We begin our 23rd season struggling, with ever dwindling resources, to keep the music safe and easily accessible to those who need its sustenance. To preserve the cultural treasure that is Noontime Concerts, a group of dedicated music lovers have come forward establishing the Leadership Challenge Fund. With a goal of $10,000.00, the Fund will match donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $2,500.00. Donate now and every time you contribute, until we reach $2,500.00, your tax-deductible donations are doubled. In these gray times, when economic fear seeps through our community like a San Francisco fog, we are asking you for an investment the future of Noontime Concerts that not only sustains us but also enables us to thrive again. As you read this, please consider all the benefits that Noontime brings to you and our community, and make a generous, tax-deductible donation. May we count on your matching gift of $50, $100, $500 or more? Thank you for your support and your commitment to the success of Noontime Concerts. Sincerely, James Rittell
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