Everyone who has ever organized any kind of event, has likely learned that the best two ways to bring people together are over food or through music. This surely rang true for the organizers of Sunday, February 24’s Soup and Symphony, held at All Saints Anglican Church on Rubidge street in Peterborough.

The event was organized by the Kawartha Youth Orchestra in collaboration with the Warming Room to raise money for both of these charitable, not-for-profit, community-focused organizations. The event ran from 12 p.m. until around 3 p.m., and experienced a great deal of success, as those who attended had the pleasure of enjoying gourmet soups – most of which were donated by local restaurants, as well as parents - while listening to the chamber music from the Junior and Senior Kawartha Youth Orchestras.

Organizer John Fautley remarked that the Church Hall actually ran out of chairs, and volunteers had to scramble to find extra chairs for a bursting-at-the-seems crowd.

The event was free to attend, but participants were encouraged to make a donation that would go towards both the Youth Orchestra, and the Warming Room.

The Kawartha Youth Orchestra is an organization that “takes pride in helping young people develop and cultivate a love for music, and to share it with the community.” It is comprised of two groups: the junior and senior orchestras.

The Junior Youth Orchestra is conducted by Marilyn Chalk, and is available to children eight years old and older. For more seasoned young musicians, there is the Senior Youth Orchestra, which “offers young musicians between the ages of 12 and 24 the opportunity to work under the guidance of professional instrumental coaches and to have the experience of playing in an orchestra with their peers.” It is directed and conducted by Michael Newnham, who also conducts for the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.

It is part of their mission statement to “make music accessible to all young musicians in the City of Peterborough and surrounding area” and Fautley spoke to this goal, explaining that while members are asked to pay a fee, the organization does not turn away those who cannot afford the fee.

Fautley said the Soup and Symphony event was a brainchild of the artistic committee within the orchestra who wanted to collaborate with the Warming Room, after hearing about all the good work this organizations does in the community. He told Arthur that due to the overwhelming success of the event, there are plans to make it an annual event, thus ensuring this opportunity to showcase local talent and fundraise for important organizations will continue into the future.