Soprano and oboe combine in concert to raise money for local music education

Local musicians will gather at the Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, at 4 p.m. Sun., Nov. 9, for a memorial concert honoring former Sigma Alpha Iota national president, the late Patricia Stenberg. The fraternity holds this concert every year to raise money to provide music education opportunities for those who might not otherwise be able to pursue such studies, an issue Stenberg was passionate about. The concert will feature lyric-coloratura soprano Francesca Veglia and oboist Ian Shafer, a former student of Stenberg’s who is now on the precollege faculty at the Manhattan School of Music. Bonnie Wolfgram, organist/choirmaster at Palma Sola Presbyterian Church in Bradenton, and Ann Stephenson-Moe, organist/choirmaster for Redeemer, will perform on organ and piano. A ticket donation of $20 is requested, and a reception will follow the concert in Redeemer’s Gillespie Hall.

Stenberg (1935-2002) opened the Sarasota-Manatee Alumnae chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, an international women’s music fraternity, in 1978. In addition to her work with the organization, Stenberg performed as the principal oboe for the Sarasota Orchestra and was a conductor with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. Sigma Alpha Iota connects women who are interested in music on college campuses around the world, and works to encourage female musicians of all ages, races and nationalities, while cultivating excellence in music performance.

For more information about the concert or Redeemer, visit redeemersarasota.org or call 941-955-4263.