Sound Waves

Rock band performing at Sound Waves 2014.
Rock band performing at Sound Waves 2014.

A benefit concert for the Asheville Music School.

There’s no shortage of musical talent at the Asheville Music School. Some 35 professional musicians and teaching artists train more than 600 students of all ages in using an array of instruments each year.

The sessions are primarily one-on-one, yet what you might not know about AMS is that since late 2012 the school has operated as a nonprofit. It has provided hundreds of music scholarships to underserved youth and adults through the Paul Thorpe Music Education Fund, and operates the Sound Education Outreach Program, comprised of six ensembles that perform free of charge for youth, seniors and people living with disabilities at community sites throughout Buncombe County.

“It’s all an effort to further the school’s mission of strengthening our communities through music education and outreach,” says Director Amy Rae Stupka.

On Thursday, April 9, 2015, AMS presents the Sound Effects benefit concert at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall in West Asheville. The concert is a showcase of the school’s talented students and faculty, and a fundraiser for its scholarship and outreach programs. There will also be a special performance by guest artists acclaimed percussionist River Guerguerian and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser of Free Planet Radio, plus a raffle of gift certificates, artworks, event tickets, and more. A portion of the night’s dinner sales also goes back to the school.

Sound Effects brings good tunes to the stage for a good cause. Sponsored in part by Mark Fields Real Estate and 98.1 The River.

If You Go: Sound Effects: A Benefit Concert for the Asheville Music School, Thursday, April 9, 2015 from 6-9 p.m. $12 advance at isisasheville.com or AMS; $15 door. Isis Restaurant & Music Hall, 743 Haywood Rd., Asheville. For more information, call (828) 252-6244 or visit ashevillemusicschool.org