A cocktail party with a difference is being planned as a fundraiser for the Manning music program of the Australian Children’s Music Foundation.
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To be held at the Manning Entertainment Centre on Thursday December 7 at 6pm, Cocktails at the MEC is a combined program of the Rotary Clubs of the Manning Valley.
It is planned that up to 120 guests will mill around on the theatre stage while enjoying a drink and hors d'oeuvres and being entertained by performers in their midst or on the flytower.
Musical conductor George Ellis has been confirmed as a special guest and there will be performances by The Kaleidoscope Pops Orchestra and others.
The event will finish with everyone moving offstage so George can conduct a local string orchestra, reminiscent of the last Rotary Manning Valley Schools Spectacular finale.
In addition to George, two other high profile guests are expected.
Tickets are $45 a head and are available online from the Manning Entertainment Centre, at the MEC box office or from any of the Rotary clubs in the Manning Valley.
The Manning Music Program employs professional musicians to attend five local schools; Taree High School, Chatham High School, Taree Primary School, Chatham Public School and Manning Gardens School to engage with the students and find and promote musical talent.
The program was founded by Don Spencer of Play School fame.
Don started taking his guitar into remand centres for teenagers and demonstrated that everyone responds to music.
He then decided to take the program into schools with the aim of reaching these students before they ended up in custody. Thus was born the Australian Children's Music Foundation.
The Rotary clubs of the Manning Valley have combined together for the past five years to financially support this program.
Because of a lack of funding, the program was this year reduced to one school locally.
However with Rotary support and additional funding, the ACMF agreed to restore the program to all of the five local schools by the fourth term of this year.