American orchestras, inspired by the film The Soloist staring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, mobilized to feed the hungry. The movie which I have mentioned in the past tells the true story of a friendship between a Los Angeles Times columnist (played by Downey) and a homeless, schizophrenic Julliard-trained cellist (Foxx).
At least 163 orchestras participated in food drives before the movie's recent release. Participating orchestras included New York Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The food was distributed to local assistance organizations associated with the group Feeding America, which provides food to more than 25 million Americans a year.
"The story of The Soloist reminds us that classical music has the power to sustain spirits and change lives, even under the most difficult circumstances," says Jesse Rosen, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, a national service organization that organized many of the food drives.
Downey Jr. is also a singer, songwriter, and pianist, who has released an album, The Futurist. Before his acting career, Foxx played the piano professionally, and studied classical piano and music theory on scholarship at San Diego's US International University.
Amazing what orchestras can and could do and what music can do for people.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment