Many Fairfax County arts organizations and artists have shared recent initiatives and success stories with us. Please keep them coming! Sharing successes with peers is inspiring and helps improve the field as a whole.

Our arts organizations are reaching out to their communities and collaborating with businesses and partners in innovative and creative ways, and we intend to publicize these activities through this special feature. We have selected a few to post, and we plan to continue and even expand this feature in the future. See more stories here.

Virginia Chamber Orchestra — A vice president at the ManTech International Corporation heard about the Virginia Chamber Orchestra (VCO) Special Audience Outreach, which couples complimentary concert tickets with complimentary post concert dinners for fifty underserved people per concert.  He suggested that we include Wounded Warriors and their families.  This attracted the interest of our Military Kids, who are now attending as well.  Several of the participating Wounded Warriors are suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome.  VCO volunteers made them feel so comfortable and welcome that they were the last ones to leave the dinner. When they returned to their base they told their supervisor: “We had a ball!” ManTech has provided a concert sponsorship for two successive seasons and also funded small ensembles from the orchestra that serenade patients at area military bases during their lunch hour.  

Photo Credit: VCO president Joan Braitsch presents a plaque to Gala Honoree Eric Eifert, from ManTech International Corporation; Photo Credit: Louis Sica