By Khalida Sarwari
There is a famous Chinese saying: “Good things come in pairs.” Taking that to heart, Judy Wely’s class will present not one, but two Kids Helping Kids concerts on June 30.
This year’s concerts will be held at the theater at West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave. in Saratoga. The first performance will be held at 1 p.m., followed by a second at 4 p.m.
The concert, now in its ninth year, will feature more than 60 local musicians, most of whom train with Campbell-based piano instructor Judy Wely or did in the past. The performers range in age from 4 to 24 and in skill level from beginner to highly advanced.
One of the most unique aspects of the concert is that it allows the audience to hear the sounds of 10 pianists playing together.
“It’s been described as synchronized swimming, except drier and with pianos,” said Preeya Janakiraman, a 14-year-old resident of Los Altos and eighth-grader at Cupertino Middle School.
Another unique aspect is the audience participation that’s encouraged during some of the numbers, like stomping feet or making sounds.
Some of the most notable pieces performed by the pianists include Mozart’s Alla Turca; Debussy’s Clair de Lune, with harps and cellos; a Bach prelude; Ave Maria; and Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Minor.
Wely, who has been teaching music for more than 40 years, held the first Kids Helping Kids concert in 1999 to give her students an opportunity to work together and give back to the community. The concert has always benefited family and youth-focused charities, with proceeds from the past six events donated to Sunday Friends, a nonprofit founded by Los Gatos resident Janis Baron that is dedicated to empowering low-income families to break out of poverty.
Last year, around 500 people attended the program and helped raise $17,000.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Preeya. “There’s audience participation and it’s also for a good cause.”
While the concert is free, Wely’s class asks for attendees to donate or participate in a silent auction before and after the concert. The items up for auction include gift certificates to local restaurants, a cruise voucher, tickets to the San Francisco Ballet and the San Francisco Symphony and a 49ers football.
To cover the cost of putting on the concert, Wely and her students raised funds by holding car washes and bake sales throughout the year.
For more information, visit sundayfriends.org/kidshelpingkids.
