|
| |
Help out!
| No matter how limited the
time you have to offer, and even if you don't feel comfortable singing
or playing an instrument, you can still help Crescendo bring world class
music here at home in the Berkshires and the Litchfield Hills.
Furthermore, you can learn and have fun in the process!
Here are just a few of the ways you can
help: |
 |
| Volunteer as a
stagehand |
No, Crescendo doesn't normally have
sets to move, but whenever a group sets up to perform, there are
preparations that need to be made. Both of our principal venues are houses
of worship, so people who can handle religious objects reverently yet
efficiently are needed both for setup and breakdown. Risers
need to be moved. Music stands and chairs for the orchestra need
to be arranged. You don't need to be a stevedore to do this work!
If you have access to a pickup truck or van or even a full-sized station wagon, you can
also volunteer to transport equipment. |
| Help with tickets,
CD sales, and ushering |
At every Crescendo performance there
are 200 or more guests who need at least some attention when they arrive.
Their names need to be checked against the list of held tickets.
In some cases, they need to pay for tickets ordered earlier. In
all cases they'll need programs, and some may need assistance in finding
a seat or getting to it. We sell our CDs at our performances, so
someone needs to undertake that responsibility. And we like to
greet our guests warmly and answer any questions about the venue, the
performance, or Crescendo that they may have! There are lots of opportunities to help out here! |
| Help with parking
|
At our Lime Rock venue, there's a
eight acre field available for our guests to park in (our
musicians park there too). Without your talent at sorting things out and
communicating via hand signals, you might be amazed at the traffic jams that can occur!
No background in traffic direction is needed; just an understanding of where the
cars need to go, the ability to communicate this information, and the
good sense to deal with problems and requests as they arise. And a
smile definitely helps, too! |
| Help out with
receptions |
We usually try to have a reception whenever
we have a concert. Our guests enjoy them because they get to meet
the performers and our performers do
too -- because they get to meet the audience. Whenever we can, we serve food prepared by Crescendo people,
like yourself. But even when the reception is catered, we always need people to help set up, and later, to help take down and clean up. People to
pour the beverages, people to get the food onto the buffet to make an
attractive (as well as mouth-watering) display, people to circulate and
make sure our guests are well-supplied are always needed. And
simply circulating during the reception and helping our guests out and
answering their questions is always appreciated! |
| Bring us your own
special skills |
We always need them! We may not
happen to need a sarousaphone player right now, but people with skill in
graphic design, people who can write copy, people with grant-writing
experience, people who know about publicity, people who are comfortable
with the web (and particularly with social media), people who have good office
skills -- all are needed. Many of these tasks don't have to be done
just before, during, or immediately after a concert, and many can be
done from the comfort of your own home! |
| It's fair enough to ask
what (besides the satisfaction of helping Crescendo produce world class
music here at home) the benefit of this kind of volunteering is.
We'll take that challenge! |
| |
--You'll learn how a
serious performing arts
organization works from the inside out
--You'll have the opportunity to meet
local, national, and even international names in the world of early
music
--You'll meet others who share your
interest in world class music in the Berkshires, the Litchfield Hills,
and in nearby New York State
--You'll have stories to share of the
people you met through Crescendo and the out-of-the-ordinary things that
always seem to come up
--Since we're a 501(c)(3)
organization, such expenses as mileage
that you incur when you volunteer for Crescendo are tax deductible according to
current IRS rules |
| Think you might like
to help? Perhaps help in a way that isn't even listed above?
Let us hear from you!! |
|
