For more than 61 years, the Music Club of Hollywood has enriched the art and entertainment culture of Hollywood by providing music education classes, offering musical performances and awarding scholarships to students pursuing a degree in music.
Robert Coopman, president of the Music Club of Hollywood, said the nonprofit organization offers a variety of programs – which are open to the public – for anyone of any age and of any musical talent to participate in. Every Monday, for example, the Club hosts “Music Study Mondays,” an adult music appreciate class in which music enthusiasts meet to discuss composers and compositions, such as those by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. They play these classic pieces and engage in lively discussions about them.
In addition to the music education classes, the Music Club of Hollywood also offers regular member meetings on the first Saturday of each month. At these meetings, which are open to the public, Broward and Dade County residents have the opportunity to either perform their music, whether vocal or instrumental, in front of an audience, or have the opportunity to simply watch performances by talented local residents.
“Music is very important,” Coopman said. “The Music Club of Hollywood supports music programs, and it enriches everyone who participates in them. The members of the Club are very enthusiastic about music.”
Coopman said the meetings attract performers of all ages, from 6-year-old pianists to professionals in the industry, and they even have sing-along songs at each meeting. In March, the Club will sing along to Irish ballads.
And in an attempt to promote music among younger generations, the Club offers various scholarships to students seeking a way to make their musical aspirations a reality. The Club awards college-level students scholarships to attend universities (they receive $2,000 per semester for four years) and also awards younger students $500 scholarships to attend music camps during the summer. Recipients audition for these scholarships, and Coopman said there’s never a lack of talent.
“The music departments in schools have a tough time making it,” Coopman said. “These scholarships help support children interested in the arts, and we would love to award more of them.”
The 2010-2011 scholarship students include Renee Henley, a violinist who attends Northwestern University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois; Catherine Spitzer, a vocalist who attends Roosevelt University College of the Performing Arts in Chicago, Illinois; Laine Schubert, a vocalist who attends Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey; Kimberly Zipoli, a flutist who attends the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida; and Adam Friedman, a guitarist who attends Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
The Club will hold auditions for scholarships on April 9 at the Piano Music Center, 1950 SW 30th Ave., and Coopman encourages anyone with an inclination for music to audition.
The Club will also host a Spring Gala Fundraiser on March 26 to help raise money to support the nonprofit organization. The event, which takes place at the Orangebrook Golf & Country Club from 6 to 9 p.m., will include an Italian buffet, a silent auction and a one-man band. Tickets cost $25.
The Music Club of Hollywood imagines a world that values music and the musician, according to its website, and Coopman said Hollywood is the perfect place for them to start.
“People come and visit Hollywood because there are a lot of musical events taking place,” he said. “Hollywood is a city of the arts.”
For more information, visit www.musicclubofhollywoodflorida.org. And for more information about auditions, call Howard Rosen at 954-983-8470 or e-mail him at howard_rosen@att.net.
