Thank you so much for being here tonight. You are our closest friends, our extended family. I know almost all of you by your first names. The fact that you are here means that you share my belief that a world without music is inconceivable. I think it means that you will do whatever you can to keep music alive and nearby, and part of your lives. And that means the world to me.

Music is different from a lot of other causes vying for your attention. It doesn't feed the hungry or cure the sick. And thats why it can be difficult to find support from Banks and Businesses.  But music feeds our hunger in other ways, our hunger and need for beauty. For me, and I think for you, too, it nourishes our hearts and souls.

I recently heard an interview on NPR about the world-renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks who has written a book called Musicophilia, a group of studies about music and the brain. He tells stories of people who have been struck by lightning and suddenly found a lifelong passion to compose; of people stricken by Parkinson's disease, who literally cannot move except when listening to music. His research shows that music occupies more areas of the brain than language does, which means it is probably older than language. There is some fascinating data which shows that musicians brains are different from others in important ways. If you were to examine the brains of 50 people, you would not be able to tell which ones were doctors, lawyers, accountants or artists, but you would be able to tell which ones were musicians.

Music has been a huge part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. I remember the first time I heard and fell in love with every important piece of chamber music and how each one made me feel at the time. When I was undergoing treatments for breast cancer, I smiled politely when people gave me meditation tapes or anti-stress bath salts but it was closing my eyes and listening to my favorite slow movements of Schubert or Beethoven that got me thru it.  I doubt I could have come out the other side as healthy as I am without that.

Countless audience members from our concerts have sent me e-mails and letters telling me that having music in the community has changed their lives. Some used to go to the symphony but can't drive the distance anymore. Some have lost a loved one, and find attending our concerts helps them reconnect to others in the community. They tell us how the music transports them, makes their lives richer, and reminds them what is important.

For children, music's influence can be even more powerful, because their minds are still open to the world, the iPods and video games compete for their attention. School budgets have been so cut back, with the focus now placed so heavily on what they call basic skills, that many children never discover the joys of playing a simple tune on their recorder or singing a two part song in a chorus. We're trying to do something about that through our music classes at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club, and its gratifying to see how eagerly the children there absorb everything we can give them.

And so my friends, we need you to keep helping us spread the word that music is indispensable to our lives. It is not an extra. It is our water and our air.

Before I close I want to thank four people who really made this event possible. Catherine O'Donnell, Leslie Kaplan, Jeanne Bourland, and most of all Leslie Malis who have all worked tirelessly to bring it together.

Finally I want to thank these wonderful musicians, who have volunteered their time today. You won't find better, more accomplished, musicians or more wonderful human beings anywhere, and I'm incredibly touched that they were willing to come today to support our cause.

Julie