ORONO — The Bangor Humane Society was honored to be chosen as this year’s charity recipient for Concert for a Cause, to be held at the Collins Center for the Arts.
The University of Maine Concert Band has been partnering with Leonard Middle School since 2018 for “Concert for a Cause.” Each year, the two ensembles combine and invite another area ensemble to share the stage. This year, Reeds Brook Middle School will be joining the performance, which traditionally benefits a local charity. “Our students asked if we could use this year’s concert to benefit the Bangor Humane Society, which we thought was a great idea,” said Philip Edelman, conductor of the UMaine Concert Band.
Each ensemble will play a short set before combining into the “Concert for a Cause Massed Band: Bangor Humane Society Edition.” The groups only get to rehearse their combined pieces once, about an hour before the concert. This year’s program will include “Adventures of Daring Dog,” which Edelman says is dedicated to all animals on their journeys to their forever homes.
Staff and volunteers from Bangor Humane Society will join the groups to speak briefly about the work of the shelter, and to showcase a few pets who are still in need of homes. Kathryn Ravenscraft, director of Development and Communications for the shelter, shared, “We were very touched when Philip reached out to ask if we’d like to participate. The chance to bring dogs out into the community and talk about our work always gets our tails wagging, and knowing how much the students wanted to support the pets was especially heartwarming.”
The concert will take place on Tuesday, March 7 at 7 p.m. Admission to the event is free, but donations are encouraged. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to support the work of the Bangor Humane Society, which provides shelter and care for more than 2,000 pets each year.
The Bangor Humane Society is an independent, non-profit organization, funded by local contributions and donations. Each year the BHS cares for and works to find forever homes for homeless pets. Finding safe homes for animals is not just our mission, it’s our tradition, and we thank the community for helping us accomplish this goal each day.