Below you will find a letter from Virginians for the Arts. As we move into the final week of budget sessions,  it is important that your legislators hears back from you that arts are important.

By Kali Schumitz; Fairfax County Times; Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Annandale-based American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras has been grooming promising young musicians from Northern Virginia since 1964.

But one line item in the state budget could wipe out about 18 percent of the nonprofit organization's budget, forcing it to pull back some of its services. The music education group brought in about $600,000 in 2008, according to its most recent tax filing.

The Arts Council of Fairfax County’s International Children’s Festival and the Reston Multicultural Festival will jointly host auditions for local performing arts groups of all ages and cultures.  The International Children’s Festival will be held at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on September 18 and 19, 2010 and the Reston Multicultural Festival will be held at the Lake Anne Village Center in Reston on September 25, 2010.

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra’s rescheduled Valentine’s Pops Gala takes place on Friday March 5th, 2010.  Click here to learn more details.

ArtSpace has collaborated with artists to create a theme around a collection of exhibition panels on 'The Classical World 'through photographic images chosen from the permanent collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond.