COVID may have put a stop to the Huntsville Suzuki School of Music’s annual in-person Indian dinner fundraiser for now, but a virtual version means you don’t have to miss out on the delicious food this year.
Philip Kashap, the school’s artistic director and violin/viola teacher, typically facilitates a dinner that feeds more than 300 people authentic Indian food while they enjoy a night of music and a silent auction.
Kashap’s dad is from India so he was taught at a young age how to cook authentic Indian food, and for the last nine years he has been using his talents to help raise money for Suzuki.
The school uses this money to purchase music and provide a space for the kids to learn, as well as facilitates music opportunities and events for the students.
Since the school relies on this fundraiser each year, Tanya Sprathoff, chair of the board, and Kashap decided to organize a virtual cooking night where he will teach viewers how to make their own food via Zoom.
The event will 1-1.5 hours and a household ticket will give you Kashap’s recipes for each dish, the shopping list, and pre-dinner preparation instructions.
Together everyone will be making Timatar Murghi (spiced chicken with tomatoes), Aloo Chana (chickpeas with potatoes), Fragrant Basmati Rice, and Cucumber Raita (spiced yoghurt with cucumber).
“We picked dishes that aren’t super complicated but still have amazing flavours,” said Sprathoff. “Yes, you have to sit down in your own home but we wanted to create a little bit of a sense of community during these times.”
Kashap will have two camera angles going during the event, one on him cooking and one on the stove top, and there will be an interactive chat so you can ask questions throughout.
“It’s critical that every community has an outlet for kids who gravitate towards theatre, art, and music and Huntsville is really lucky because we have the Suzuki School of Music,” said Sprathoff. “Supporting arts and culture, especially during the pandemic, is so important.”
The Huntsville Suzuki School usually rents space at Bethel Church in Huntsville but with the pandemic they have had to stop all groups lessons and are just running private lessons over Zoom. They are hoping to get back to their usual method of teaching, which focuses on togetherness and community, in September.
“Music is very powerful for the brain,” said Sprathoff. “When you learn to play music you improve math, literacy, and communication skills. In this town we are a sport town and while that isn’t a bad thing at all, group music lessons are another way to learn many incredible skills. These kids find a home in music and become a part of something very special.”
The event will be held on the evening on April 10th and you can find tickets here.
To learn more about Huntsville Suzuki School of Music, visit huntsvillesuzuki.org.
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