Fundraisers

Saturday February 11, 2012- Red and White Ball at Washington Duke Inn

2012 Red and White Ball Invitation

Previous 2011-2012 Fundraisers

Shop December 9th, 2011 and support the DSO

(This fundraiser is closed) Shop at One World Market, 811 9th St # 100 Durham, NC on Friday, December 9th between 5 – 9 PM and 10% of your total purchase will go to support the Durham Symphony.

One Wold Market is Durham’s only non-profit store devoted to the mission of fair trade. Shop local and support your home town orchestra.

2011 Durham Symphony Painted Violins Fundraiser

(This fundraiser is closed) Three outstanding local artists donated their talents to create one of a kind of masterpieces, see them below. Thanks to the following shops for their support of this fundraiser!

High Strung Violins & Guitars 1116 Broad Street, Durham, NC (919) 286-3801

Encore Boutique 3401 University Dr, Durham, NC (919) 403-0495

(click an image to enlarge)

‘Heartstrings’ by Steven Ray Miller www.ArtWithHearts.com

Having described myself as “the world’s worst sculptor”, it was a delightful challenge to paint a 3-dimensional object! “Hidden hearts” are a feature of my paintings – I decided the violin would be ENTIRELY composed (pun intended) of hearts. There was a moment of hesitation before starting to apply the acrylic paint. It was enjoyable holding the violin in a wide variety of positions in order to make sure that the entire surface was covered with hearts. It was fun to “bend” the hearts around the edges of the violin, both front and back. For those who like to count, there are 24 painted hearts on this violin. Hope these Heartstrings make your heart sing!

‘Sounds Delicious to Me’ by Eric McRay www.mcraystudios.com

When I first chose my violin to paint, immediately I thought, “What a beautiful instrument.” I can’t completely cover up the warm color and delicate wood patterns of this violin. In quintessential “McRay” fashion, I intertwined some of my personal iconography into the composition of the instrument. So, away I went painting images from my “Not-So-Still Life” series. As I looked, the concept of delicious melodies came to me. Thus the title, “Sounds Delicious to Me” was born. To the wise soul who collects this piece, I say “Imagine delicious sounds and savor this tasty visual delicacy.”

‘The King’s Music’ by Paula MacLeod www.flowersoup.com

I had a strong urge to create this violin in a rococo style. I love the ornate nature of rococo design and the Baroque style of music. The curves of the violin presented the first area where I could maximize my idea. I built up the edges with gesso, then gilded them. This created a “frame” for the center of the violin where I planned to paint. For the painting, I looked up photos of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, a wonderful romantic companion for the rococo accent. I used oils and built up the colors for another layer of opulence. The neck is covered in transparent Byzantine glass in a gold color. Each piece is laid tight, with no spaces, to capture and reflect as much light as possible and create another “gold” accent. I truly enjoyed transforming this violin and even though it is not used for playing now, I hope that it evokes the music that came from it.