Redwood Shores is fortunate to be home to a large and talented group of student musicians and teachers.  For the past few years, our young pianists, violinists and trumpeters have performed in recitals held at the beautiful Community Room at the Redwood Shores Branch Library.  It has been a wonderful convenience for our local musicians and their families to be able to perform close to home, and these recitals have also added to the range of cultural activities offered at our Library.

The centerpiece of this music-making is a gleaming, black Yamaha grand piano leased by the Library.  The Library now has the opportunity to purchase this fine instrument for $12,000, which equals the original price of the piano discounted by the lease payments made by the Library.  However, given the budget challenges faced by Redwood City, it is unlikely the Library can come up with this amount of money on its own.

Because we recognize the value of the piano to our Library and young musicians, and welcome the opportunity to have a great instrument available for community concerts, meetings and receptions, the Redwood City Library Foundation, RSCA, and local music teachers have joined in a campaign to raise funds for the purchase.  So far, we have made great progress – for example, more than $5,000 has already been given by parents of music students of Redwood Shores resident, Sumi Nagasawa.

Please join us in supporting music in the Shores by making a tax-deductible donation of any amount to the Redwood City Library Foundation, noting on your check that it is for the ” Redwood Shores Library Piano.”  As an incentive, the Library will recognize donors of $500 or more on a plaque prominently displayed in the Library, and RSCA has agreed to a dollar for dollar match for donations of up to $250, up to a total of $2500.

You can mail your contribution to the Library Foundation at 1044 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA 94063, or drop your contribution off at the Redwood Shores Library at the front desk.  RSCA will match your donations based on information retained by the Foundation.

— By Doug Crisman, RSCA Past President