On December 14, we celebrated the end of a memorable year with many friends and community members at our 2019 Holiday Fundraising Concert (Harbor Christian Church, Newport Beach, CA).
This was the first time that we featured local youths in our concert. Seeing their musicality and maturity while performing alongside other marimba artists filled us with hope and encouragement to carry on our mission to empower marimba students and artists in their music journeys.
That was a night filled with joy and merriment- we couldn’t ask for a more perfect way to wrap up our 2019!
This year, in addition to our usual concerts, clinics, and masterclasses, we embarked on a new challenge: the International Artist Competition.
We remember feeling doubtful about starting the competition with uncertainty in funding and staffing. We remember feeling excited when applications came in from over ten countries, all high-quality and remarkable. We remember the constant planning, working, and moving all the way up until the very end of the competition – and then the surreal feeling of being abruptly hit by all the emotions we were too busy to feel while it was all going on: excitement, pride, gratitude, and hope.
Now looking back, we are truly grateful for a memorable 2019. From what started as a wish, we have hosted 16 events, large and small, in the forms of concerts, masterclasses, clinics, and an international competition – all in hopes of making professional and community support accessible to as many marimba players as possible.
Thank you everyone who has joined us on this incredible journey! We are so humbled and cannot thank you enough for your support. See you again in 2020 with more free clinics and masterclasses, high-quality marimba concerts, and sneak peeks of our 2021 IAC!
Southern California Marimba 