Love makes people do crazy things like raising over $2000 in a few weeks, which is exactly what sophomores Janis Jin (Sage Hill School) and Jennifer Lee (Woodbridge High School) did.

On March 16, they co-hosted a fundraising concert at the Sage Hill School Black Box to support the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles (PSYE) – demonstrating their deep passion for music and dedication to their ensemble.

About 230 students are involved in the PSYE, but their tuitions only cover 57% of the program’s expenses. Many people involved in this need financial aid as well. To allow more musicians to have this experience and to build a stronger budget, the company presented Play Across Orange County, a program that encouraged individuals like Janis and Jennifer to organize concerts to raise funds.

“When I was in middle school, it was always a dream of any band kid to make PSYE,” said Jin. “It’s given me a place to play with people who are just as passionate about music as I am.”

Their goal was to make $1500, and together they rounded up 19 musicians from various high schools (including Sage Hill) to perform their talents in this show. All of them were contributing to this cause due to their fervor of this art.

“It felt great to raise money and play music in this concert,” said sophomore John Cha, who played the cello. “It’s for a good cause, and we get bring joy to others through our music. Everyone wins.”

Despite the fact that this entire event was created, assembled and executed within a month, it was an absolute success. Over 70 students, parents, teachers and other music lovers filled the audience, enthusiastically listening to jazz, classical and pop music for an hour. The performers were relieved to have finally showed off their pieces after working so hard to improve them.

The real stars of the show, however, were Janis and Jennifer, whose driving determination and diligence allowed them to raise a good amount of money to help their music ensembles.

“PSYE requires a lot of funding for things that aren’t covered in our tuitions, and I wanted to help raise funds to help PSYE continue to grow and become an even bigger and better program for musicians like me,” said Janis. “I was so proud of how much money we raised for something that I love very much.”

Sophomore Janis Jin plays the French Horn during her concert, accompanied by fellow sophomores Jaclyn Gerschultz (piano) and Sarah Yang