The North Carolina Youth Classical Arts for Charity (NCYCAC.org) organized a two-day long charity music festival on Saturday August 31, 2013 and Sunday, September 1, 2013. The festival was held in Seasons at Tandoor Banquet Hall, 5410 NC Hwy 55, Durham, NC.
This 4th annual Youth Music Festival was organized by school and college going youth from Wake and Orange counties of North Carolina State. These youth leaders have invested their talent and efforts to positively benefit the poor and the deprived. In 2010 we established NCYCAC, which creates opportunities for youth artists
to display their prowess in South Asian classical music. Each year, youth artists from all over the United States and North Carolina perform their talents in chamber concerts and showcase indigenous musical instruments. During the annual festival, NCYCAC youth members collect donations and dedicate the funds to a community service agency. So far, during the past three events, NCYCAC has contributed over $34,000 toward educating oppressed children and providing essential healthcare, food and basic necessities to impoverished and destitute people in the third world. As one can see, this initiative is a prime example of how even college and high school students can make a specific impact in the local and world communities. This year raised $15,000 for Vibha, which strives to uplift poor youth and empower them to succeed and impact the society in a positive way.

This 4th annual Youth Music Festival hosted over 100 youth artists who performed to help raise funds for Vibha. We scheduled really special events in line with this year’s theme to highlight instrumental music. We organized two main instrumental concerts on Saturday and Sunday evenings. One featured an ensemble of Veena (South Indian string precursor to the sitar), Venu (Bamboo flute), and violin, and the other concert featured a violin duet. This year’s festival gave exposure to vocal and instrumental aspects of the unique Carnatic music of South India, and also showcased how globalization and technology have enabled the children of South Indian diaspora in the US to maintain our rich artistic history by learning these art forms remotely from Gurus living in India and in the US.
Written by Sudarshan
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNVBOHtoJ8Q