Arts Council will continue to provide music for Forsyth County Health Department vaccination site
Published 9:47 am Monday, April 5, 2021
- Josephine Greenwald came to UNCSA from Scottsdale, Arizona, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in cello performance as a student of Brooks Whitehouse. She is a recipient of the Kenan Excellence Scholarship and has performed in many UNCSA productions, including Tchaikovsky’s "The Nutcracker," Bernstein’s "MASS" and Collage. Greenwald is also an avid chamber musician; she has attended the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont, and the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy. She performed in chamber recitals at both festivals. In addition to performing, Greenwald is passionate about music education. Prior teaching experience includes the Tetra String Quartet’s Chamber Music Workshop in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Interlochen Arts Camp.
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20 local musicians have performed
WINSTON-SALEM — For weeks, Forsyth County residents arriving at the Fairgrounds COVID vaccination site have been greeted by welcoming and efficient volunteers and medical professionals and, thanks, to The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, music. It’s been a pleasant surprise for many people with appointments during morning hours, lowering stress levels and helping time pass as they are processed through.
At the request of the Forsyth County Health Department, The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County will be extending the performances at the fairgrounds until the end of April. Musicians will be performing between 9-11 a.m. on the days the site is open, currently, all days except Wednesdays and Sundays.
Because most live performance venues have been closed due to the COVID virus, musicians have lost income and been disproportionately affected. Twenty local musicians have performed thus far and have reached an estimated 8,000 people. Each artist has received an honorarium from The Arts Council’s Artist Relief Fund. Favorable comments have showed up on Facebook and other social media platforms.
“In March, when we first started the music here in Forsyth County, we were unaware of any similar effort to take the arts to vaccination sites,” said Chase Law, president and CEO of The Arts Council. “We are the first and oldest Arts Council in America, and we intend to continue being on the cutting edge. Community outreach — taking the arts into our community — is a top priority. Right now, a lot of people are at vaccination sites, and this was a great opportunity to showcase the arts in a new way and get our artists back to work.”
Winston-Salem City Council member Kevin Mundy — an avid arts advocate — said in a Facebook post, “One more reason we call Winston-Salem the “City of Arts and Innovation” — live musicians orchestrated through the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County to entertain and reduce any potential stress or anxiety as people wait in line for their COVID vaccines. I recognized and enjoyed every number this simple flute and acoustic guitar duo played. And they could be heard throughout the fairground’s rather large Educational Building. Kudos to the Arts Council and for these and other performers who have taken part in this initiative.”
