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Forest Lake

ABOUT MOVEMENTS THROUGH MUSIC

Movements Through Music is an organization of CNY student musicians founded in May of 2020 by co-Music Directors Elena Fitzgerald and Kira Pawletko. Looking to find ways to make music and support critical justice movements during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kira and Elena organized a benefit concert showcasing high school and college vocalists and instrumentalists. 

The pair have arranged for four previous shows, and are currently in the process of arranging for their fifth. They have also expanded their team to include Producer Becca Fitzgerald, Directors of Communications Bianca Lucas and Jenna Law, Website Designer Meghan Culligan, Outreach Officer Trinity Cotrell and Arranger Max Oppedisano.

Movements Through Music has presented three benefit concerts thus far, and plans to present several more over the course of 2021 and into 2022. You can view their previous concerts by request.
 
If you are interested in viewing their next concert, please check this website in September!

Our First Concert

Movements Through Music: A Benefit Concert

Our first concert was Movements Through Music: A Benefit Concert!

 

It was available to watch on this website from September 4th, 2020 at 7pm ET until September 6th, 2020 at 9:30pm ET.

 

If you did not get the chance to watch it, please feel free to contact us! We can stream the video again for you.

We hope you enjoyed the show!

Charities:​

During this concert, we supported the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ(IA2s)+ rights. This concert was the foundation for Movements Through Music.

 

Please click the links below if you are interested in donating or learning more!

Black Lives Matter: 

Black Lives Matter

LGBTQIA+ Rights: 

The Trevor Project

Charities:

During this performance, we raised awareness of the hunger crisis in the United States. We encouraged both physical food donations and monetary donations throughout the concert! 

If you would like to donate and learn about food banks near you, please click the links below!

Local:

CNY Food Bank

National:

Feeding America

Find your local food bank here!

Our Second Concert 

Movements Through Music: A Holiday Concert

Our second concert was Movements Through Music: A Holiday Concert!

 

It was available to watch on this website from December 18th, 2020 at 7pm ET until December 21st, 2020 at 9:30pm ET.

 

If you did not get the chance to watch it within this window, please contact us! We can stream it again for you.

We hope you enjoyed the show!

Our Third Concert

Movements Through Music: International Women's Day

Our third concert was Movements Through Music: International Women's Day!

 

It was available to watch on this website from March 5th, 2021 until March 8th, 2021,

and again from March 13th, 2021 until March 14th, 2021

 

If you did not get the chance to watch it, please feel free to contact us! We can stream the video again for you.

We hope you enjoyed the show!

Charities:​

In the spirit of International Women's Day, we are highlighted two charities founded by women that actively support women today!

 

Please click the links below if you are interested in donating or learning more!

National Organization for Women

Broadway CARES/Equity Fights AIDS

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

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ELENA FITZGERALD

CO-DIRECTOR

Violin

Audio editor

Elena Fitzgerald: With everything that Covid-19 has brought, I am unbelievably grateful for the start and continuation of Movements Through Music. We have all been given the opportunity to express our passion of music while also raising awareness for charities that do amazing work. I hope that you enjoy the show and learn a little bit more about what is going on in the community as well as in the United States!

I wanted to thank Kira Pawletko and Becca Fitzgerald for their amazing work and dedication. We have all been working on this project for months, and I could not have wished to be a part of such an amazing team. I am already so thrilled to work on our next project together!

I also cannot thank our amazing musicians enough for everything they have done. I have known most of these incredible musicians for years, but I have also met some really inspiring people in the process as well! Each and every one of them are not only insanely talented, they are also amazing people who never stop spreading kindness. Due to Covid-19, it has been a challenge to work on this concert. Even so, everyone has worked hard so that this concert can be presented. I am so grateful to be working for them and I hope that you enjoy watching all of us perform together!   

Lastly, thank you for supporting Movements Through Music by watching the concert! It means a lot to me that people have enjoyed our music and have taken the time to watch our past shows, get to know the musicians, and want to learn more about supporting local and national charities. Thank you for tuning in to Movements Through Music: Gen Z Concert!  

The growth of the Movements Through Music from an idea on a FaceTime call into four full virtual performances has been a remarkable transformation to watch. Without the time, effort, and dedication of our musicians, our producer, my co-director, and all of our friends, family, and community members, this performance would not have been possible. With that, I would like to thank the following people:

I would like to begin by thanking my phenomenal co-director, Elena Fitzgerald. Elena is one of the most organized, compassionate, and determined people I have ever met, and I cannot thank her enough for all of the time and effort she dedicated and continues to dedicate to our projects. Elena has spent countless hours with me on video calls planning, working, and chatting, and our teamwork as music directors in five different productions has been an absolute pleasure. I feel so lucky to know her as the wonderful friend, co-director, and musician she is!

Secondly, I would like to thank our amazing team of officers: Becca Fitzgerald, Jenna Law, Bianca Lucas, Trinity Cottrell, Meghan Culligan, and Max Oppedisano. They have all put great effort into making this performance happen as seamlessly as possible, and Elena and I cannot even begin to express our gratitude for all they do.

I also cannot thank our musicians enough for all of their dedication and hard work — it has truly made this project possible. Each and every one of them have sent in wonderful recordings of their playing, whether it be a melodic violin melody or a harmony glockenspiel part. I am so thankful for their effort, dedication, and excitement throughout this process. 

I would like to thank all of my family members, friends, and community members who have supported Movements Through Music: Gen Z and everyone involved. Without you, we would not have the means to perform music to help protect the earth, and your support and encouragement have kept us going and enabled us to put together this performance. I would specifically like to thank my dad for his countless hours of support and aid with this concert, as without him, this truly would not be possible.

Lastly, I would like to thank our audience for taking the time to watch Movements Through Music: Gen Z, and for donating money to the various organizations listed on our website! I hope you enjoy the show, and stay safe and healthy!

KIRA PAWLETKO

CO-DIRECTOR

Clarinet, Saxophone

Video editor

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BECCA FITZGERALD

PRODUCER

Alto

Hello,

My name is Becca Fitzgerald and I am the producer for Movements for Music. I’ve been
with this project for three concerts now as a vocalist and this is my first as an officer, and I
always enjoy my time working on these shows more than I could imagine. It has been an
absolute pleasure to watch the amazing work Kira and Elena have done to grow the project and keep expanding and adding new ideas to improve our work, including a recent collaboration with At Rise Productions for a live in-person concert for climate justice -- our first live endeavor. We have been working on putting together this Gen Z concert also for environmental causes for several months now. Gen Z seemed a fitting theme for the cause, as the musicians of the future you are about to watch shine will be the future of our politics and our earth. It is so inspiring and fills me with hope to see that even in the trying times we live in, our generation still manages to find the music, joy, humor, and beautiful stories in our sometimes dark situations.

I believe music is one of the greatest builders of empathy, as a musician must sing or
play the words and tune of another and put themselves in their shoes to make the emotion of the story shine through. Empathy is crucial in times of strife, and I hope our generation is able to keep this strong quality as we move forward into adulthood and start to make big decisions about changes in our world. Climate change will have the most devastating effects not on the comfortable suburbs of Syracuse, but in more underprivileged communities like those in poverty, indigenous communities, disabled peoples, and immigrants and refugees. We must not forget about these communities and continue to shed a light on their struggles and let their voices be heard. Thank you to all our hard-working musicians, officers, arrangers, and more for making this possible, and thank you to our viewers! I hope you enjoy, and please consider checking out some of the charities and other resources available to contribute to the fight for climate justice.

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Our logo was created by MTM alum and artist Alice Yi. You can follow her on Instagram @al.uce

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