January 5, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Kennett Symphony hosting youth competition

The Kennett Symphony of Chester County will hold a Junior Instrumental Competition for students in grades four through eight, including instruments normally found in an orchestra or band.

Three winners in the grades 4-6 category and three winners in the grades 7-8 category will be chosen, with awards in each category of $100, $50, and $25. Presentation of the prizes will be made at the Kennett Symphony’s Family Concert on March 8 at West Chester University’s Asplundh Hall.

The Kennett Symphony of Chester County is looking for talented young musicians.

The winning selections will be based on auditions scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7, in the auditorium of Kendal at Longwood in Kennett Square. Each student will perform one intermediate (or higher) composition lasting no longer than five minutes. Memorization is encouraged, but not required.

All participants will receive feedback from the judges’ comments. This program is intended as a serious music student’s introduction to the competitive experience, with the opportunity to gain knowledge and familiarity with the format of competitions.

Additional information and applications may be obtained at www.kennettsymphony.org or from the Kennett Symphony office at 610-444-6363. All applications should be postmarked no later than Jan. 24, and sent to Kennett Symphony Jr. Instrumental Competition, c/o Paul Merluzzi, 1445 Grand Oak Lane. West Chester, Pa., 19380.

Begun in 1940 as a community volunteer orchestra for Kennett Square residents, the Kennett Symphony of Chester County has evolved into Chester County’s only fully professional symphony orchestra. Subscriptions, as well as individual concert tickets, are now available for the current season. For more information, call 610-444-6363 or go to www.kennettsymphony.org.

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Public invited to help solve homeless problem

Local News

Chester County is inviting the public to become part of the solution to end homelessness. Volunteers are being sought for the annual Point in Time Count, a one-night census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in shelters or sleeping in places not meant for human habitation.

This assemblage of broken furniture and construction debris served as a shelter for a homeless man in West Chester.

On Wednesday, Jan. 28, volunteers will walk the streets of West Chester, Kennett Square, Coatesville, Oxford, Phoenixville and other areas in small groups with flashlights and reflective vests, searching for the makeshift huts that typically signal the presence of someone without proper shelter. Assessing the scope of the problem will assist in remedying it, according to county officials.

Organizers stress that the goal is to count people, not to report them to authorities. Volunteers will be given food, blankets and other resources to distribute to those who want it. In past years, several of the homeless have availed themselves of the help and proceeded to reverse their fortunes.

This year’s count – a national effort sponsored by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to quantify the homeless problem – will occur in two shifts: 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 a.m.

Last year in Chester County, one of the most affluent counties in the nation, 684 people were identified without permanent, appropriate shelter. The 2013 figure was 625.

In 2012, similar numbers led to the launch of Decade to Doorways, an ambitious 10-year plan for getting people into permanent housing as quickly as possible and intervening before homelessness occurs. Studies have shown that focusing on permanency with appropriate supportive services is more cost-effective than keeping people in shelters.

For more information about the Point in Time Count, contact Gene Suski at 610-344-6900 or chescopit@gmail.com, or visit the event’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chescopit. Anyone interested in volunteering should register online by Jan. 16 at www.decadetodoorways.org.

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