By: Jeffrey Stauffer – Executive Director of the Elville Center for the Creative Arts, Inc.
I hope this message finds everyone well as we move into springtime. I have a few updates about the Elville Center I’d like to share with you!
Car Magnets for Sale
After a long wait, Elville Center-branded car magnets are available for purchase through our website. These are a great way to show your support for the charity! They are 4-1/4” in diameter and easily fit on your car or refrigerator. Consider showing your support for the Elville Center by purchasing one today for $10 by visiting https://elvillecenter.org/purchase-a-charity-car-magnet/. Shipping is free!
More Free Tickets Available from the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra Courtesy of the Elville Center
Based on our longstanding relationship with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra here at the Elville Center and through Elville and Associates, we are fortunate to have received more free tickets to an upcoming ASO concert at Strathmore on Sunday, April 10th at 3 p.m. Information on obtaining tickets is below in red. Tickets are limited to two per household and are going very quickly!
From the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra:
“The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra would like to offer you two (2) complimentary tickets to Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, at Strathmore Music Center on April 10th, 2022 at 3 pm.
Florence Price: Mississippi River Suite | Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin ~ with Leticia Moreno, violin | Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
How to redeem your tickets:
1) Click Here to go to Strathmore’s website.
2) Click the orange box “Buy Tickets”
3) Enter the promo code TEMPO in the “Promo Code” box and click “Apply”
4) Select the number of tickets (this code is only valid for up to 2 tickets per order)
5) Choose your seats on the seating chart and “Checkout” OR select “Quick Checkout”
6) Check the box to acknowledge Strathmore’s COVID policy. (Click Here for full policy)
7) “Complete My Order” and enter your account information or register for an account
Please call Strathmore’s Box office at 301-581-5100 if you have any questions on how to use the complimentary promo code.”
The ASO’s Recent Visit to the Elville Center
First, some background … back in November, Steve Elville and I were afforded the opportunity to meet with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Executive Director Dr. Edgar Herrera, Annapolis Symphony Academy Director Dr. Netanel Draiblate, and ASA Program Coordinator Julie Nolan at the ASA’s home at Temple Beth Shalom in Arnold to learn more about the ASO’s recent activities and initiatives. We also wanted to learn how our support could be make the biggest impact for the ASO community, not just now but over the next several years. After that meeting, we were so moved by what we heard and saw that the next day we signed a five-year major sponsorship agreement with the Annapolis Symphony to support its educational initiatives within the communities it serves.
We learned the ASA is the educational arm to the ASO and has expanded from 20 students at its inception to over 60 in just over a few years. I think it is expressed best by ASO Music Director Jose-Luis Nov and Dr. Draiblate in the ASA’s introductory video. In the video they said, among other thoughts, “We have some exciting news to share. ASA launched three years ago and has experienced exponential growth. Students experience private lessons, orchestral training, guest workshops, and access to Annapolis Symphony Orchestra rehearsals and concerts. Teachers are actual ASO musicians, and it is extremely rare to be afforded this opportunity to learn from such experienced teachers. The ASO is equal opportunity to all and has a diverse student body, and financial aid is available. Music is vital to any child’s development, developing and enhancing brain activity and further developing brain activity and allowing better language skills, leadership abilities, and academic abilities. Albert Einstein, Neil Armstrong, and Thomas Edison are just a few examples of incredible individuals who played musical instruments.” Dr. Draiblate’s and Maestro Novo’s full message can be found at www.TunedToYouth.org and I strongly encourage you to check it out!

Netanal Draiblate, Kimberly Valerio, and David Perkel of the ASO visit the Elville Center to select instruments for the Annapolis Symphony
Since then, Dr. Draiblate and his fellow musicians in the Orchestra, Ms. Kimberly Valerio (flute) and Mr. David Perkel (trombone) have visited the Elville Center two times, including a visit last week, and left with a total of 35 instruments for its expanding Annapolis Symphony Academy programs. They were overwhelmed at the selection of instruments we had on hand and the quality of the instruments, which were all fully refurbished and in like-new playing condition.
What a wonderful success story for the Elville Center, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Annapolis Symphony Academy! And, most importantly, the students in the Academy Orchestras and Ensembles!
The Elville Center needs your support to further its important work and help develop and further new relationships such as the Annapolis Symphony Academy that are depending on the charity. Virtually every single one of the refurbished instruments and equipment the Elville Center provides are not possible without donor support. We need those instruments that you don’t use anymore and are taking up space.
And, most importantly, we need your monetary support to help refurbish those instruments, purchase supplies, and facilitate cultural learning experiences for student musicians in need such as those students that participate in the Annapolis Symphony Academy.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, all donations made to the Elville Center are tax-deductible. Right now is an ideal time to consider a donation – it feels good to know you made a difference!
To learn even more about the Elville Center for the Creative Arts, please visit www.elvillecenter.org, contact Executive Director Jeff Stauffer at jeff@elvillecenter.org, or call 443-676- 9691. Or, to donate through Paypal or Venmo (@elvillecenter), visit https://elvillecenter.org/donate. We value and appreciate your support!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Stauffer
Executive Director
Elville Center for the Creative Arts, Inc.
7100 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 190
Columbia, Maryland 21046
P: 443-393-7696 (Main)