Thank You from Roots of American Music
On Oct 1, so many of you joined us in celebrating another year of ROOTS music programming. We are deeply grateful to everyone who took part in celebrating the community that makes the work of Roots of American Music (ROOTS) possible. With a full house, wonderful food inspired by the flavors of New Orleans, a musical raffle, a silent auction, and programming, together we filled the space with music, connection, and a shared belief in the power of the arts. The evening was a beautiful reminder of what can happen when people gather around a shared purpose.
The name Deeply Woven meant to reflect how we are all connected. Our supporters, our teaching artists, our musicians, our partners, and the people and communities we serve are each essential parts of a larger story, woven together through music. It’s because of you that we are able to make meaningful impact. Throughout the year every contribution, every performance, and every act of generosity strengthens our impact and our mission.
Above Photos by: Mairmademogul
The performances were a meaningful reflection of the woven concept, with performers representing many chapters of ROOTS’s story. The evening started with music from Taylor Lamborn, former Teaching Artist and now Executive Director, joined by a talented and valued supporter, Kevin Kruszenski. We also featured music from one of the newest members from our Teaching Artist roster, Ruby Rose Weston, joined on stage by Nate Bocchicchio. And finally, long time teaching artist, Kari Rutushin took the stage with ROOTS founder, Kevin Richards. The evening closed with Taylor, Ruby, and Kari joining together to sings a few songs - a wonderful program showing the woven concept in action. The evening also marked the first gathering of this kind in this new chapter of ROOTS. It offered an opportunity to meet, reconnect, share stories, and celebrate the work ROOTS has been doing since 1999, and how that work continues to grow to meet needs and communities across Northeast Ohio.
For more than 25 years, ROOTS has worked to make music education and live musical experiences accessible to people throughout Greater Cleveland and beyond. From our current flagship “Blues Is the Backbone” program to “Youth Sing Out” songwriting workshops connected to the Maltz Museum's Stop the Hate initiative, and music programming in senior centers and other community spaces, we use the rich traditions of American roots music to educate, inspire, and connect. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the joy, creativity, and sense of belonging that music can bring.
Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm surrounding Deeply Woven, we are pleased to share that the evening's fundraising results exceeded our goals. We are intentionally looking beyond a single night's success, however. Like so many nonprofits, we know that sustaining and expanding meaningful programming requires continued investment. There is more work to do, more communities to reach, and more opportunities to make music education accessible throughout Northeast Ohio.
That is why your support matters so much. Whether you attended the event, contributed to the raffle or silent auction, sponsored the evening, shared your talents, or helped make the gathering possible, you played a part in carrying this mission forward.
A special thank-you to the people and organizations who made Deeply Woven possible:
Presenting Sponsor: Tyler Village
Additional Sponsors: Grover Trophy Music Group, Gotta Groove Records, Josh Walsh and the Jazz-Library.com, R.H.E.M.A Yes, Hooley House, Yorktown Lanes, Mander Marketing, Lynne and Tim Winings, Randy & Molly Markey, Rich & Betsy Stovsky, Bob & Kristen Saada, John & Eliza Saada, Kevin Kruszenski, The Ganesh Family, and Dana Lusardo.
Additional thanks to Brothers Lounge for hosting, Chef Wynn for preparing the special menu, the ROOTS board, Hugh, Greg, Bob, Joe, Stella, Tam, Charlie, Kennedy, and all our other volunteers.
We were also thrilled to have teaching artists, and performers volunteering and in the audience.
As we reflect on the evening, we are reminded that ROOTS is strengthened by a community of people who believe music can bring us closer together and make a lasting difference in people's lives. To everyone who joined us at Deeply Woven, thank you for filling the room, sharing in the celebration, and helping weave the next chapter of ROOTS' story. We left the evening feeling grateful for the community around us and energized by what we can continue to accomplish together.
With gratitude,
Roots of American Music
Connecting communities through music education and performance.