Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — The Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation (PASF), a nonprofit that supports music education and scholarships for local students, is hosting a luncheon to gather input from Santa Barbara-area music organizations, schools and teachers.
The event, which is by invitation only, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the La Cumbre Country Club from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Invitations have been sent to more than a dozen schools, colleges, teachers and music education groups involved in training junior instrumental, adult instrumental and adult vocal students.
Deborah Bertling, the foundation’s president, said the goal of the luncheon is to find out how PASF can better serve young musicians in the Santa Barbara community, as well as to thank music educators for their work. Participants will be invited to answer questions and offer feedback about what PASF can do to strengthen and cultivate local musicianship.
“We have been a non-profit for over 40 years now, and the world has changed, and is changing,” Bertling said. “We value the perspectives and insights of our local music educators as we plan how the foundation should move forward in the coming years.”
PASF has sent invitations to members of the following schools and organizations: Santa Barbara Music Teachers Association, Santa Barbara Unified School District (junior and senior high), Goleta Union School District (junior and senior high), Montecito Union School District, Santa Barbara Community College, UC Santa Barbara, Westmont College, Santa Barbara Strings, Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, the Grace Fisher Foundation, The Notre Dame School, Hope Elementary School District, Crane Country Day School, Laguna Blanca School, and numerous private instrumental and vocal teachers.
Established in 1982, the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation encourages young musicians to strive for excellence and supports them in their growth as performers. The foundation hosts an annual music competition and supports music educational outreach in Santa Barbara. Scholarship applicants range in age from 10 to 30 and the competition pays out up to $35,000 annually in prizes and Encouragement Awards. Recipients say the competition provides a support system that has served as a bridge to their professional careers.
— For more information about PASF, visit pasfsb.org.