Concerts: The Syn To Play Benefit Concerts & Student Workshops For VA Art/Music Education
In the winter of 2005, Syn founding member Steve Nardelli participated in a long-distance phone interview with his good friend and progressive music fan Steve Sikes-Nova, M.Ed., M.S.W. Sikes-Nova had been a teacher in the rural Gloucester County, Virginia, public schools for over 10 years at the time and had met and befriended Nardelli through his internet radio station. Despite being in San Francisco for a show, Nardelli was committed to sharing his belief in the positive power of music in education both with Sikes-Nova's internet radio audience and with key staff members of Sikes-Nova's school. Nardelli promised that, should The Syn return live to the east coast in the future, they would play a benefit concert for the students of Gloucester County.
"The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of the nation, is close to the center of a nation's purpose - and is a test to the quality of a nation's civilization." John F. Kennedy
Fast-forward three years. On April 27 & 28, 2009, at the beginning of an intensive tour schedule that takes The Syn cross country and through Canada, Nardelli makes good on his promise. The Syn, now Francis Dunnery (ex-It Bites, The Robert Plant Band), Tom Brislin (Yes Symphonic, Spiraling), and both Brett Kull and Paul Ramsey of Echolyn, play Gloucester High School's 800 seat auditorium and will donate 100% of the gate to the rural Virginia school system. 200 seats each night are to be set aside as free seats for Gloucester County students. It turns out that Nardelli's promise could not have been realized at a better moment in time. In this tough economy, the money raised by these two benefit concerts will come in particularly handy towards keeping arts education healthy in Gloucester County. Gloucester County is also the home of tour sponsor Peace Frogs.
In addition to the concerts, Nardelli and The Syn are excited about participating in unique, interactive workshops with GHS students throughout the school day on April 28th. For besides being internationally-known touring musicians, both Nardelli and Francis Dunnery own their own media companies - Umbrello Music Entertainment, LLC, and Aquarian Nation Records, respectively - which opens up workshop topics to include both the artistic and business aspects of making and distributing music in the new millennium. Steve Nardelli states, "Francis, Tom, Brett, Paul and I are really looking forward to talking about what we do directly with the students."
"Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people, it's important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity." - Ted Turner, Turner Broadcasting System
The Gloucester performances and The Syn's "Big Sky Tour 2009" in general will feature songs both from the eclectic new Big Sky album and from The Syn's 2005 progressive rock classic, Syndestructible. Segments of both the concerts and the student workshops will be filmed for broadcast on Nardelli's cutting-edge HD-IPTV portal, Umbrello.tv by both student and professional camera-persons. There will be no shortage of inspiring lyrical and soaring musical content during these concerts. Nardelli says, "Music should both move and inspire young people of all ages."
"Some time, some way, your dreams awaken; You will not be forsaken; And like a phoenix rising, into the midnight skies, you will realize, there's stardust in your eyes. " "Nothing and nobody will fail; Something is happening, right here right now; Nothing's impossible, for me and for you; In the City of Dreams, dreams come true." Steve Nardelli, Syndestructible, 2005, Umbrello Records
[Source: Steve Sikes-Nova, via e-Prog]
