SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT

Concert and Swing Bands, and she’d like to speak to you.”

“Mrs. Vargas told the Villages Concert Band about the honor you’ve received, and I talked with the board of both bands,” Jean says. “We are presenting you with a check from both bands for $4,000. We hope you have a wonderful trip and congratulations from the Villages Concert Band and Villages Swing Band.”

In addition to donations like this, the band will receive proceeds from a partner benefi t concert with The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra. Gabe was excited to share that Villagers David van de Velde and David Lewis donated the salaries for the orchestra, which means all the funds from the evening go directly to the band.

“Everything comes off each other,” van de Velde said in a recent interview. “Everyone can be part of this event that focuses on Leesburg. Pasquale Valerio came down to hear the band, and that starts the buzz.”

“At fi rst we thought the students might play with the orchestra, but they’d need to play at a professional level,” Gabe says. “Now they will serve as hosts and there will be some music prior to the concert from the Brass Choir.” The concert will be in the Leesburg High School auditorium, which seats 863 people, on Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $13 to $40 dollars, depending on seating location. Founder and conductor, Pasquale Valerio, directs The Villages Philharmonic.

For more information about the event and to purchase tickets, go to www.band2dc.com. Donations can also be made through this page, or you can complete a form to become a sponsor of the trip.

“When folks do something like this, it’s tremendous,” Gabe says. “This will help every single one of us get there, and it’s very meaningful.”