Mission Statement
"TempoVivo Concerts is dedicated to raising money for various local charities and youth orchestras. We proudly showcase professional musicians along with accomplished non-professional and student performers, all of whom share their talents with the community in order to raise money for deserving organizations."

OUR HISTORY
AIDS/Lifecycle Concert Series launched in 2008 as a project to raise funds for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. We presented eight concerts, showcasing a number of Bay Area musicians, both amateur and professional, who volunteered their time and talent for this cause. In 2009 we presented eleven concerts and added some new beneficiaries. During 2009 Lifemark Group Arts, Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, and the Piedmont Piano Company all came on board as sponsors. Chapel of the Chimes became our home base for the season, while Piedmont Piano Company lent a hand-built Fazioli piano for our April 26th piano concert. Since 2008 we have been able to raise over $40,000 for our beneficiaries. A number of prominent Bay Area musicians, radio and television personalities, and corporate officers, including Dr. Michael Morgan, Artistic and Music Director of the Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra, Bryan Nies, conductor of the Oakland Youth Orchestra. Maria Lopez (Smooth Jazz Radio), John Evans (KDFC Classical Radio), NBC-11 News anchor Craig Herrera, and several non-profit CEOs have appeared as guest hosts on our programs.

GOALS
Our primary goal of course has been to raise as much money as possible to benefit our four principal charities and non-profit groups. Our current beneficiaries are:
San Francisco AIDS Foundation, serving the Bay Area with AIDS awareness, education, prevention and counseling for health issues. http://www.sfaf.org/aboutsfaf/

Young People's Symphony Orchestra (YPSO), one of the oldest and best youth orchestras in the nation. The concerts help provide scholarships for many of its members and also in funding national and international tours. http://www.ypsomusic.net/index.php

Healing Waters, a whitewater rafting program for people living with HIV and AIDS. They sponsor Camp Liquid, an annual, week-long kayaking camp for HIV-positive teens from around the country. www.hwaters.org/index.html

Oakland-East Bay Gay Mens Chorus, one of the best-known and most active gay arts organizations in Oakland and the East Bay. http://oebmgc.org./

The second goal of the concert series has been to provide an opportunity for talented local musicians to share their talents in public performance, in both solo and ensemble settings. Our list of alumni now spans over 350 performers, including members of the Young People's Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Youth Orchestra, Oakland East Bay Symphony, SF Symphony, Professors, Teachers and many others. Several concerts were held in collaboration with The Young People's Symphony Orchestra and featured performances by members of the youth orchestra as well as some of its Board of Directors. 2009 also featured two special Piano Concerts, in which several excellent local pianists performed solos and duets.

We have enjoyed the sponsorship and support of a large number of Bay Area churches, including St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Orinda Community Church, Northbrae Community Church, Lakeside Presbyterian Church,
Unitarian-Universalist Church of Berkeley, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, St. Dominic's Catholic Church, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church and others.

If you would be interested in participating as a sponsor or performing, please contact me at at (510) 449-4402, or email me at STNG21@Yahoo.com, so we may meet and discuss our needs in further detail.

The Future
One of the many challenges coming up will be to find a new home base for the concert series, increase our visibility through marketing/outreach efforts and become a 501c non-profit foundation. With our new status, comes a new name. Starting 2011 we will change our name to "GIVING CONCERTS" which better fits what we represent. We rely entirely on the volunteers, local merchants and members of the local communities to help keep the concert series running, since all monies raised go directly to the charities/organizations we support.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE FOUNDER
In the BEGINNING, There was an IDEA, then a DREAM, and finally the REALITY. It is a great pleasure and an honor for me to present the new TempoVivo Concert Series. Our deepest thanks to all the performers, sponsors and our small group of volunteers who have helped make this dream and concert series a reality. Putting these concerts together has often been overwhelming, but the support from our sponsors and performers has been wonderful, and has always made the work a joy.

Valdez Hill, TempoVivo and AIDS/Lifecycle Concert Series Founder
Blaine Gorman, AIDS/Lifecycle Concert Series Co-Founder 2008

www.tempovivoconcerts.org