By Taylor Thomas, Community School of the Arts

It isn’t easy being February.  Despite the various celebrations—of love, of presidents, of our nation’s rich black history—January is simply a tough act to follow.  This first month is like caffeine, loved by all for its ability to jolt us into a new year.  February, on the other hand, functions more like chamomile, mellowing along the final days of winter.

Yes, this month may sometimes catch us in our post-January lulls, but thanks to the Knight Artistic Engagement Fund, February 2013 is anything but slow for Community School of the Arts’ financial aid and outreach students.  This spring, our families are continuing to be able to attend local performances by some of Charlotte’s leading art organizations.  January marked the year’s kick-off of events, with Opera Carolina’s showcase of The Magic Flute and Charlotte Concert’s invitation to experience the China National Symphony Orchestra.

These two performances alone resulted in an influx of positive feedback from both students and their family members.  When asked to respond to the possibility of attending more events in the future, one student kept it short, simple, and spirited: “Yes (yes, yes)!”  We are grateful that the Knight Fund will allow us to provide for this student, and the many others who share the same eagerness.

Access to concerts will continue for the months of February-May, and museum visits will be available until the end of the year.  With this series of opportunities, we can’t help but celebrate February, and every month to come:

The CSA Orchestra January performance

FEBRUARY

• Ongoing-March 16: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Antoni Tápies: Texture and Image
• February 23-June 16: Mint Museum; Sociales: Débora Arrango Arrives Today
• February 8-9:  Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Tchaikovsky No. 5
  • Christopher Warren-Green, conducting
  • Rebekah Newman, viola
  • VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis
  • WALTON Viola Concerto
  • TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5
• February 22-23: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Tiempo Libre

• March 1-2: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Brahms Symphony No. 3
  • Larry Rachleff, conducting
  • Susan Lorette Dunn, soprano
  • BRAHMS Symphony No. 3
  • CANTELOUBE Chants d’Auvergne
  • RAVEL La Valse
• March 2-July 7: Mint Museum; F.O.O.D. (Food, Objects, Objectives, Design)
• March 2-May 26: Mint Museum; Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamato
• March 15: Charlotte Concerts; The Eroica Trio
• March 15-16: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Brahms Violin Concerto
  • Christopher Warren-Green, conducting
  • Augustin Dumay, violin
  • BRAHMS Violin Concerto
  • SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

• April 19: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; American Music Masters and Pioneers
• April 21: Opera Carolina; Pearl Fishers
• April 26-27: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Mendelssohn “Italian” Symphony
  • Christopher Warren-Green, Conducting
  • Arthur Jussen, piano
  • Lucas Jussen, piano
  • STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
  • MOZART Concerto No. 10 for Two Pianos
  • MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4, “Italian”

• May 11-12: Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
  • Christopher Warren-Green, Conducting
  • Oratorio Singers of Charlotte
  • BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9

• Bechtler Museum of Modern Art: Permanent Collection
• Mint Museum:
  • American Ceramics, 1825-1875
  • Classically Inspired: European Ceramics Circa 1800
  • The American Art Tile: 1880-1940
  • The Transformed Self: Performance Masks of Mexico
  • Fashionable Silhouettes
  • Threads of Identity: Contemporary Maya Textiles