Submitted Photo Pictured are musicians who will perform with Project: Music Heals Us at the State University at Fredonia on Sept. 26-27.

The State University at Fredonia School of Music will host a virtual edition of its annual string festival on Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, with Project: Music Heals Us (PMHU) Artists as special guests.

The event is sponsored by the Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities of the Fredonia College Foundation.

All events are free and open to the public, but those who are not current School of Music students are asked to register for the events they would like to attend — and the appropriate links will be sent to them via email on Friday, Sept. 25.

Saturday’s events begin at 3 p.m. with two Music for Community lectures, the second beginning at 4:30 p.m.

During the first lecture, the PMHU directors will lead a discussion about their experiences and community impact in setting up performances and projects with various organizations and institutions through Project: Music Heals Us, from their prison residencies, hospice programs, the Novel Voices Refugee Aid Project, and most recently, the virtual bedside concerts for COVID patients in partnership with hospitals around the country.

The second lecture, in an interactive setting including live playing, PMHU Artists will introduce students to ideas for developing one’s own interactive program, with emphasis on innovative formats for online concert programming. They will discuss how to design and execute outreach programs that address specific audiences and venue needs such as musical programming choices, logistical and administrative preparations, and methods of engaging varied and diverse audiences from the stage.

The day’s events will conclude with a PMHU guest artist concert by the world class chamber musicians at 7 p.m., to be followed by a live Q&A session via Zoom with the artists following the performance.

On Sunday at 2 p.m., a chamber music/strings master class will be held, with PMHU Artists working with various chamber music ensembles and individuals from the School of Music, and at 4 p.m., a Student Community Outreach Concert will be presented, during which Fredonia students will have the opportunity to utilize skills they have learned in the Music for Community lectures, coordinated by artists from PMHU, Fredonia faculty and students.