Poco a Poco in Streator to host 2 sampler events on April 5

Poco a Poco hosts its third annual Sampler Fundraiser Event from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, at Park Presbyterian Church, 201 N Vermillion St., Streator.

Tickets are $100 each. Thanks to the donated time, travel and talents of this year’s artists, 100% of the proceeds raised will support directly Poco a Poco’s ninth annual Summer Music Fest, June 7-14.

Tickets can be purchased online at Poco a Poco’s website: https://pocoapoco.org/events

Tickets can also be purchased by emailing the organization at: info@pocoapoco.org

For those unable to attend, but still wanting to support the 501c(3) organization, checks can be made payable to Poco a Poco and mailed to PO Box 843, Streator, IL 61364. Poco a Poco’s fiscal year runs Aug 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025. In order to guarantee recognition in the 2025 Summer Music Fest program booklet, send donations by June 1, 2025.

Poco a Poco was founded in 2017 by Streator native and professional singer Kate Tombaugh. Their premiere flagship program, Summer Music Fest, hosts free community music events alongside training programs for young musicians. Additionally, instrumentalists and vocalists of all ages and all levels are encouraged to join the Community Choir, Community Instrumental Ensemble and attend the festival’s Friday night Jam Session.

This year’s featured artists will include guitarist Ascher Taylor-Schroeder, vocalists Kate Tombaugh and Olivia Yedinak, pianist Kathy Tombaugh, organist Nancy Mueller and quilter Jennifer Rexius. As one of only two annual fundraisers, Poco a Poco’s Sampler Event combines mini concerts, visual arts displays and sampler desserts with behind-the-scenes interviews in an intimate environment. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions about these instruments, the performers behind them and the world of music.

Later that evening, Poco a Poco will host a second event, free and open to the public. Ascher Taylor-Schroeder, guitarist, will lead a Jam Session, returning by popular demand after a successful first Jam Session during Poco’s eighth Summer Music Fest last summer. Taylor-Schroeder is traveling to Streator from Louisville, Kentucky where he is the guitar department director at the Youth Performing Arts School, conductor and music director of the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra, president of the Louisville Guitar Society and a member of the Chimera Quartet. He has been on the Poco a Poco staff and faculty since 2019 and will return in 2025 to teach private guitar and more.

All ages, all instruments and all levels of skill are welcomed to join the 6 to 8 p.m. event, also at Park Presbyterian Church. Listeners are welcome, also.

The Poco a Poco Jam Session will return again this June during Poco a Poco’s ninth annual Summer Music Fest. Other community opportunities include the Community Choir and Community Instrumental ensembles, conducted by Streator native Shelbie Wahl-Fouts.

Poco a Poco is accepting applications for its six-day intensive Young Artist training program for musicians in eighth and 12th grades. All Young Artists receive core lessons in voice, choir, piano, theory and guitar (optional), and sing in both the Festival and Community Choirs. Tuition is $300 with financial assistance available. An introductory program is open for students currently in fifth and seventh grades Junior High level. Check Poco a Poco’s website for more details at https://pocoapoco.org/learn-more