Owyn Darrell-Sterbak, right, and Nella Darrell-Sterbak are shown in a recent performance at Literacy Volunteers in Fredonia.

Through the universal language of music, one Fredonia cellist has launched a fundraising initiative to encourage her community to support free literacy instruction in Chautauqua County. This fundraiser, “Harmony!: A Concert to Fund Community Literacy” supports the Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County, and will culminate in a benefit concert performed by local student musicians on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 10:30 a.m., at The Next Chapter Bookstore.

Recently returned from a semester in France, cellist Owyn Darrell-Sterbak is a rising senior at Fredonia High School and a cello student of Dr. Natasha Farny, professor of Cello at SUNY Fredonia. Darrell-Sterbak is involved in the music scene at her high school and in her community; she founded the Summer Chamber Music Concert Series at the Next Chapter Bookstore, and is a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, as well as the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra.

Her love for language and music was further ignited during her time as an exchange student, as she was fully immersed in the complexities of language learning, in addition to having had the opportunity to continue her cello studies abroad. Returning to the U.S. with a newfound appreciation for community, communication, and the power of both language and music, she was inspired to support the mission of the Literacy Volunteers’ program.

Darrell-Sterbak mentions that while music is often described as a “universal language,” that unifies and communicates through emotional and melodic cues, “I realize lack of language and literacy skills can create barriers within communities. So, I hope this concert will help fund free literacy instruction for the people of Chautauqua County.”

Student enrollment with Literacy Volunteers is expanding throughout the county, and has recently doubled in Jamestown. Instruction includes reading, writing, and speaking in English, as well as workplace preparation and life skills — education which Darrell-Sterbak considers to be crucial in the creation of a stronger, more capable community.

Performers at the benefit concert will include student musicians from Fredonia’s high school and university.

To help encourage the diversification of the public’s consumption of classical music, “listening suggestion packets” with pieces by an all-inclusive array of composers will be available at the concert! All proceeds are tax-deductible and go directly to the Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County. The concert is free and open to the public. Donations are greatly appreciated, and can be made prior to the event, online at https://gofund.me/89d30d89, or in-person at the concert.