Over the weekend, a Youth Piano Benefit Concert was held at Christ Church Santa Fe.
The event was free and was also accepting donations that were being given to CASA First, a local non profit organization.
The concert featured 5 students from Santa Fe Prep playing original classical compositions.
Nandita Ganesan, 17, was a leading organizer of this event and was also one of the musicians performing.
She has been playing the piano for 10 years.
Ganesan explains her motive with this concert.
"A girl that graduated from the class above me put on a similar recital for CASA First and I was playing pieces from other composers. I wanted to do something similar for them. I know [Annie Rasquin] really well and I love this charity. I think what they do is a great thing and I wanted to help them."
She wanted to make a composition because music is an important outlet of expression.
“I wanted to make a composition as well because I think music is a great way for people to express themselves, especially youth. I know that I've put a lot of my feelings and emotions into music and I think it's something that many people can do. By making a composition I was hoping to inspire more people to not just play music but to really put their own emotion and their own spin into that music.”
Annie Rasquin, Executive director of CASA First, felt the event was impactful.
“Wow, it makes me so happy and so moved. Especially when we have youth advocating for other youth. We have youth sharing their talent and art to benefit other youth, I think that’s beautiful. I love seeing how proud they are that they have done that, both with their talent, something they've worked really hard at but knowing that they're doing it to help other kids.”
Prita Ganesan, Nandita’s mother, said her family is from India and they have been in Santa Fe for 20 years. She said the event was great.
“This is a great event to help the youth that need assistance , I'm very happy that Nandita helped organize this event.”
CASA First is the Court Appointed Special Advocates of the First District of New Mexico, to help children in the foster system and they offer other programs to support children as well.
