Thanks to the Tarandi Foundation, young people across Oswego County will meet and learn from professional artists who visit SUNY Oswego for the Artswego performing arts series.

A $5,000 Tarandi Foundation grant will support educational encounters for youth in Fulton, Oswego and Hannibal.

In February, performer/playwright Paul Rajeckas takes his powerful "Notes to the Motherland" production to Hannibal High School and violist Simon Roland-Jones will work with young string players in the Oswego Community Youth Orchestra. A visit to Fulton High School by Grammy-winning jazz composer Billy Childs and the American Brass Quintet will follow in April.

"It is important that as a community we continue to create opportunities to expose our youth to music and the performing arts," said Neelesh Shah, director of the Tarandi Foundation. "The work that Artswego is doing is critical in meeting that need and we are happy that we have the opportunity to help."

Artswego Coordinator Mary Avrakotos welcomed the support for community outreach. "This generous gift from the Shah family will help build a creative bridge between our campus and surrounding communities," Avrakotos said. "These programs will bring the experience of world-class artists to students across Oswego County."

The Tarandi Foundation is a philanthropic organization that was established by Oswego physicians Ravindra and Manjula Shah in the early 1990s to support and promote education and community service. The foundation was named for Tara, Manjula's mother, and Anandi, Ravindra's mother.

The Shahs perished in a plane crash near Boston in 2003. Their children, Dr. Monica Ravindra Shah and Neelesh Ravindra Shah, have carried on the work of the Tarandi Foundation and have made substantial contributions in Oswego County over the past three years.

— John Shaffer

Photo captions:
Upper Photo: Performer/playwright Paul Rajeckas took his powerful "Notes to the Motherland" production to Hannibal High School through a grant from the Tarandi Foundation.

Lower Photo: The Shah family's gift will help violist Simon Roland-Jones (right) work with young string players in the Oswego Community Youth Orchestra.

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