Charlotte Symphony and Community School of the Arts Present Winterfield Community Festival

In celebration of Welcoming Week, the Charlotte Symphony (CSO) and Community School of the Arts (CSA), in collaboration with Winterfield Elementary School, will present a community festival to promote inclusion and diversity to residents of east Charlotte’s Winterfield neighborhood.

The festival will take place the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 24, with events at the school, nearby Sheffield Park, and the Winterfield Community Garden.

Welcoming Week is an annual series of events during which communities around the nation bring together immigrants and U.S.-born residents in the spirit of unity to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone.

Winterfield is a very diverse community with new Americans hailing from many different parts of the world, including a large population from Central and South America.

From 1 to 4 p.m., CSA will bring in local artists to guide community members through art activities of cultural significance in Sheffield Park. In addition to engaging community members through the creation of artwork, CSA will provide an array of local professional musicians, including CSA instructors.

These live performances will be representative of the cultural diversity present in the neighborhood. Park activities will also include crafts by the CSO education department. At the same time as the park activities are taking place, the Winterfield Community Garden across the street will be open to members of the community.

At 4 p.m., the festival will culminate with a performance by the Charlotte Symphony in the gym at Winterfield Elementary. Music Director Christopher Warren-Green will conduct the program, which will run approximately an hour long and include musical selections representing cultures from around the world.

Charlotte Symphony musicians often teach and perform at Winterfield during each season as part of the Symphony’s after-school youth orchestra, but this event will mark the first time the full orchestra has played at the school.

Live artwork by CSA during the performance will mimic the rhythm of the music, visually depicting the cultures represented in the concert.

The concert will be followed by a meet-and-greet, allowing audience members to mingle and visit with some of the musicians, the conductor, and CSA artists.

This community event is free and open to the public. The festival is sponsored by the Arts and Science Council in partnership with the Culture Blocks program.