And welcome back Chad Home Show on 98.9 WXC Oak.
As we continue this morning, let's get back into the rhythm of things.
I'm very happy to welcome across the table again.
We've had on a number of times over the last couple of years, Brenton Kines from the Boston Conservatory Music, one of the hats that you wear.
And that's what we're going to be talking about a great event going on with Conservatory Brenton.
Thanks again for coming on by.
Thanks for having me, Chad.
Well,
Coming up in early March, it's a I mean you love I actually I love the idea again of a really special kind of a big event and this feels like a big event You're gonna be holding at the wasa country club lots of entertainment lots of great food.
Let's get the basics What is happening with the conservatory on March the 7th?
Yeah, so it's our annual fundraiser gala and what's special about this year?
It's our 45th anniversary You know last time we had our big anniversary year 40 years.
It was 2021.
So it was kind of still a COVID year
So we just did like a half hour video thinking it was nice having some legacy faculty members in the video but this time we actually get to celebrate and The theme is the enchanted garden and it's really focusing on the conservatories roots within the community and how our Students they grow out sometimes they go out of the community and they do bigger and better things But really it just stems from the power of music and how it
It's instilled in everybody and everyone has that talent.
You just got to come out and find that potential.
And the thing about it that I think is so impressive and of course we'll talk about how this money goes towards scholarships and tuition assistance for the students.
You talk about the incredible talent that we have here in Central Wisconsin that you're nurturing and then go on to really big things, but it's not just that.
It's about anyone who has that love of music to be able to learn a little bit more.
It is a wide variety of people that come through the doors.
conservatory, right?
Yeah, we have three months old to about 95 years old.
We hear that all the time.
That's always one of the great things.
That's right.
It's a wide range.
And you know, it's what's great about this fundraiser is all the proceeds go towards our tuition assistance and scholarship program, which is huge for us.
We give out more than $50,000 in tuition assistance and scholarships.
And music is somewhat of a form of
therapy for some people.
It's a nice form of medicine, you know, for some people who may not be able to afford certain procedures or just types of therapy.
It's other way of finding an outlet for themselves and giving them some time out of their day, out of their lives to just enjoy the power of music and learn something too, right?
Education goes just beyond school age kids.
It's a
anyone can learn music at any time.
Again, you're picking up an old hobby or learning something new.
That's what's great about music.
Again, maybe I'm off on this, but it has to feel the conservatory of something that you would get maybe in a bigger city.
To have it here in Wausau, to have the Wausau Conservatory music here in our community, I think, is such an important aspect.
You don't have to travel to get this kind of talent that you do have within the walls of the conservatory in terms of teaching.
Right, yes.
The majority of our concerts and recitals are free to the public, which is great, giving people an outlet to come and see the talent.
We just had our faculty recital a couple of weeks ago, and that was free.
If you were in another bigger city, you would have to pay money to see
that, but
here we offer that free.
And we also work with Marathon County Head Start for kids.
who are within the under the federal poverty line.
So
giving them an opportunity to explore music with one of our faculty members who goes there each month and has a good experience with them and they can
take something with them.
Again,
we're talking to Brent Kines, Wausau Conservatory of Music, their fundraiser Gala, the Enchanted Garden coming up on March the 7th at the Wausau Country Club.
There's a lot going on that evening.
great food, great entertainment, and great talent isn't there.
What are you gonna get if you decide to go on?
Well, I'll tell you
this, the dinner is spectacular.
This isn't your usual chicken or beef type dinner.
This is, the menu is crafted for the evening.
So they don't have this, they don't serve any of this food throughout the year during the country club.
It's special for that night.
So it's a lot of farm to table ingredients and recipes put together.
So it's gonna be a great dinner for course dinner.
There's gonna be our dervs live music from students and faculty members and there'll be a lot of opportunities for people to win the raffle items and bid on silent auction items and again, we have a lot of great prizes and Sometimes you can't find these prizes anywhere else in town.
There's a lot of fundraisers in that but we're able to acquire some really special prizes and
You don't have to be in attendance also to bid in the silent auction we offer online silent auction and that will be opening on
March 4th.
So people who can't attend, they can check that out.
Otherwise, they can just make a donation if they can't attend as well.
To get the tickets.
And I know that we've talked about this in the past.
It's important to try to get that number as early as possible.
So you like to have folks who are interested in coming get the tickets early,
correct?
Right, yeah.
The deadline for tickets is Friday, February 20th.
And that's really just to
Get our food countdowns, you know, we're prepared for the evening and just ensuring it's a great night So people have until Friday, February 20th to get those tickets
How can they get the tickets
so they can get the tickets at wasa conservatory org slash gala or they can stop by the conservatory a Monday through Friday and we'll be able to
Get them tickets for them.
And again, we will have, as part of our show notes, the links in order to get these tickets, where you can get them.
But again, the best place to start is going to the Wassa Conservatory website, wassaconservatory.org.
And again, get those tickets by February the 20th.
Again, just an outstanding event, or a four-course dinner, student performances to celebrate the 45th anniversary.
Coming up on Saturday, March the 7th at the Wassa Country Club from 5.30 p.m.
until 9 p.m.
Anything we're missing here, Brenton, before we wrap it
up.
I'd just like to thank our sponsors, WSAW News Channel 7, UMR, and Incredible Bank.
It's great to make this event happen.
And again, it helps us.
keep more funds to our tuition assistance and scholarship program, so we appreciate that.
45 years, pretty amazing, isn't it?
That's right, yes.
I mean, really it is.
It's a fantastic piece of our community, and it's a great event, and so many incredible talents have gone through your doors over the years.
Brenton, again, thank you for coming on in.
Best of luck as this event gets closer and closer, and I'm sure we'll be talking to you again sometime soon.
Absolutely, thank you, Chad.
That is Brenton Keneath, Wausau Conservatory of Music.
Again, coming up, join us online after 9 o'clock at 906 YouTube, youtube.com and the 98.9 WXCO channel or at wxco.fm and the Civic Media app Sports2Stream.
There's a lot to talk about here as we start off the new work week.
It's Monday, February the 2nd, Groundhog Day with Ian Welsh.
I am Chad Holmes.
Chad Holmes show 98.9 WXCO.
