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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 24, 2015 | 22 Serenade by the Lake at the Holcim Estate The Oakville Chamber Orchestra (OCO) will host a lakeside fundraiser at the Holcim Estate, 2700 Lakeshore Rd. W. Sunday (July 26) to benefit the organization's youth program. Dubbed Serenade by the Lake, the fundraiser, which runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., gives residents the opportunity to spend a summer afternoon with the musicians, friends and patrons of the OCO. Those who attend will enjoy food and wine and be entertained with performances from past OCO Youth Concerto Competition winners Emma Meinrenken (violin), Leslie Bickle (soprano), Tessa LaengertRuta (soprano) and Leslie Ashworth (violin). The afternoon will also see a performance from concertmaster and Juno Award-winner Alex Gajic and his band, as well as the performance of work composed by the late Amice Calverley. The Oakville resident, adventurer, Egyptologist and aunt of Joshua Creek Centre founder Sybil Rampen went to Egypt in 1927 and was renowned for her archaeological illustrations. She played the piano and would host chamber music events in her home that were the talk of the town. Calverley died in 1959. This is a rare opportunity to hear her music performed live, featuring Tessa Laengert-Ruta (soprano). The event benefits the OCO's youth program, including the Youth Concerto Competition and the Oakville Public Library Cushion Concerts. The Youth Concerto Competition celebrates excellence in student music achievement and is now entering its fourth year. The Oakville Public Library Cushion Concerts are free interactive concerts, based on literary classics, that introduce children of all ages to classical music and musical instruments. Both of these programs are presented by Manulife Securities. The OCO is now in its 33rd year. OCO patron Hugo Powell is matching the revenues from ticket purchases at the fundraiser. Tickets cost $100 and can be purchased online at www. oakvillechamber.org/event/serenadeby-the-lake. For more information, visit www. oakvillechamber.org or phone 905483-OPUS (6787). Artscene "Connected to your Community" Soprano Leslie Bickle, left, and local violinist Leslie Ashworth, right, will be among the performers featured in the Oakville Chamber Orchestra's lakeside fundraising gala, Serenade by the Lake. Sunday's concert is being held on the grounds of the Holcim Estate, home to former beer baron Hugo Powell. | photos courtesy of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra (OCO) For more news, visit www.insidehalton.com Talent for Syria at The Meeting House by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver Wonho Chung | Talent for Syria Artists from the Greater Toronto Area will be showcasing their skills in Oakville tomorrow (July 25) to help Syrian refugees get an education. The Talent for Syria benefit concert will include performances from local and GTA-based entertainers, and promote youth involvement and artistic expression in an effort to unite the community towards a cause. Taking place at The Meeting House, 2700 Bristol Circle, the show will raise funds to cover the operating costs of Al Salam School, which teaches Syrian refugee children in Turkey. Bayan Khatib, communications manager for Oakvillebased UOSSM-Canada (Union of Medical Aid and Relief Organizations), said the refugee crisis is the biggest humanitarian disaster since the Second World War -- with half of the Syrian population either displaced or seeking asylum in neighbouring countries. "The UN (United Nations) has run out of funds to support the refugees. So it's really fallen on us to lend support. The UN, charities...everybody is doing what they can, but they cannot keep up with the enormous demand because of what's happening there," said Khatib. Organizers are hoping the event will fetch at least $100,000, which will also assist in enrolling refugee children and facilitate the building of a free medical clinic in the school, as many students have minimal or no access to medical care. "Some of the kids have been out of school for more than four years now because schools have been targeted in Syria and have been used as prisons as the regime detains hundreds of thousands of people," said Khatib. The communications manager visited the refugees years see Concert on p.23