Special Debut Event For A New Youth Arts Organization On Jan. 4

Local youth founded and organized a nonprofit organization, Eyes Closed Hearts Open, Inc. (E.C.H.O.), to provide students with the opportunity to perform and express themselves in the arts. Now they need your help to raise enough funds to have a theatrical production this coming summer.

Their debut fundraiser, New Voices, Fresh Expressions, will be held this Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:30 PM at the Auditorium at the Universities at Shady Grove. Tickets are only $5 and they are available at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased at echo.ticketleap.com or by calling 240.464.5626.

The impressive list of performances includes:
Wootton High School’s CHAOS, Supertonics and Acabellas
UMD’s Terrapin Theatre Troupe
UMD’s Ballroom Dancing
Original short films by Mark Schoonmaker and John Liu
Violinist Alex Yin
Dancer Emma Lou Hebert
Original theater scene by Rocky Nunzio
Josh Eflin, musician
Soprano, Josi Suslov
plus other Visual Artists, original music compositions, and more!

Readers may remember that I was extremely impressed with Mattia D’Affuso’s performance as Lumiere the candlestick, in Beauty and the Beast, while he was a student at Wootton High School. So impressed that I covered his production of the West Bank Story which he created with Salah Czapary. Then, in the summer of 2009, they founded this nonprofit organization together as co-Executive Directors along with Anna Pham, and Joanna Dong and I’m astounded by their drive and dedication!

Mattia explains:

After we put together the stage adaptation of West Bank Story we started a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called Eyes Closed Hearts Open, Inc. Our organization’s mission is to provide youth the opportunity to perform and express themselves in the arts. ECHO advocates youth initiative and originality. We use the arts as a healthy form of communication to unite the community and beyond. Our organization is completely youth founded, run and organized as of now but we hope to expand to all age categories eventually.

Here’s how he describes the event:

On January 4th, 2011 we will be hosting our debut event at the Universities of Shady Grove in Rockville. The event will introduce the organization to the community and celebrate the talent of young, up-and-coming local guest artists from the Washington Metropolitan Area who represent different branches of the arts such as music, theatre, dance, film, the visual arts, and many more. This event will be a great way to support local artists and to learn more about E.C.H.O.’s goals and future plans.

Take the time to experience, New Voices, Fresh Expressions, their kick-off event, a great way to support them and learn more about E.C.H.O.’s goals and future plans.

Visit E.C.H.O.’s website, eyesclosedheartsopen.org to learn more about the creation of the organization, their projects, and how you can help support them in addition to attending their debut event.

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