Metro School of Arts’: Names Winner of Volunteer Award

Metropolitan School of the Arts (MSA) of Alexandria, Virginia, named Larry France of South Riding, Virginia, the winner of the Champion of Young Performers Award for his generous donation of rehearsal time working with Academy students and helping direct MSA’s first online benefit concert. France is an accompanist for cabarets and performances for multiple theatre companies, a choir director at many churches, and founder of Drumfish, a local, modern rock band. Go to www.metropolitanarts.org for more information about the MSA Academy.

MSA created this award two years ago to recognize an outstanding business partner or individual who has practiced extraordinary generosity towards MSA students and their performing arts experiences at MSA.

“We wanted to establish a way to honor the volunteers and donors that have helped make MSA the amazing arts community it has become, and we created this award to celebrate some of our ‘champions’ moving forward,” said Heidi Seiffert, MSA’s director of development and community relations in Alexandria, Virginia.

"Volunteers and donors are the heart of our community that makes MSA so special, and we are so honored to honor Larry this year,” said Michelle Collier, MSA co-executive director.

France recently donated more than 50 hours of rehearsal time working with MSA’s Academy students preparing for a live outdoor cabaret, which he has done three times during the past several years, along with helping direct MSA’s first online benefit concert and accompanying a charity performance for National Children’s Hospital. France also donates the use of his audio equipment and instruments regularly.

France founded a men’s A Capella group in at St. Mary’s College, where he earned his bachelor’s in music composition, and was also part of pit band for RENT, Be More Chill for Studio Bleu in Ashburn, Virginia.

As a non-profit organization, Metropolitan School of the Arts relies on the generous donations of sponsors and the community to sustain operations for its Academy and studio programming.

The Academy at Metropolitan School of the Arts is a college preparatory performing arts school for emerging young artists, grades 7 to 12, who are dedicated to a rigorous academic experience in a pre-professional performing arts conservatory environment. Their cross-curricular approach to arts training fills each young artist’s toolbox with the dance, music and acting skills necessary to be a triple threat in the arts world. Metropolitan School of the Arts approach to education is designed to develop independent, self-motivated and skilled learners. The school offers a post-high school graduate program as well, for those students who desire an extra year to prepare for admittance into a performing arts university.