Musicians often pay to play. We use our paychecks to have pieces commissioned or donate our time for free to be able to have performance opportunities. The US Guitar Orchestra was a vision I shared with my alum, Ethan Lodics in 2018. Together, we made the dream a reality and took 40 guitarists from 23 states to Carnegie Hall followed by a tour of France. next year we're doing the same thing launching in NYC and touring Spain. Luckily, the wonderful Aaron Shearer Foundation is giving the support we need for this trip to happen, but each player is paying to play. The trip costs a significant amount of money. We need a videographer, guest artist, commissions, food, etc. Ethan and I spend our own money on advertising and gladly offer ourselves as trip managers and organizers without pay. But many of the players don't have the luxury of having full-time positions. They are high school students getting ready for college, undergraduates getting ready for grad school, or recently graduated grad students looking for work. Many will sacrifice a lot to be able to go. This fundraiser is to offer some small amount of scholarships and to ease the burden. Please consider helping these musicians do what they love. This opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime for many of them. Thank you for your consideration and support of the arts.