SPOTLIGHT:Students use classical music to raise money for area homeless

Brian Fan certainly has changed. As an elementary school child, he was not the model student, sometimes pushing snow up the exhaust pipe of his piano teacher's car. Now, he's the piano teacher, hoping to be a role model and to provide guidance for the homeless people in the community. "I don't know why I'm so community minded," Fan said. "I had been lucky enough to have my parents pay for music school and college education. If in any way what I did could change one kid, it would be worth it." While growing up in Manhattan, Fan attended "regular" high school during the week and the prestigious Juilliard School of Music -- which he entered when he was seven years old -- on the weekends. "I had no regular weekends in 10 years," Fan said. And when Fan entered the University, he was unaccustomed to the free-time he had on the weekends and wanted to continue playing classical music. But he was without an outlet for his creative endeavors. "There were extremely limited opportunities for student musicians," Fan explained. "I wanted to change that." Since founding the group, it has expanded to twenty members performing two concerts a year on campus -- including this Saturday -- and in soup kitchens. All the money raised in the performances is then donated to the University City Hospitality Coalition. Jung-Eun Lee, a College junior, also joined the group as a freshman adding that she was attracted to the group because it enabled her to continue playing classical violin. "The group was totally new," Lee said. "No one had ever done this." Other members said that they are hopeful that the group can continue to expand and provide a valuable community service. "Brian and I were taking care of everything," Nursing senior Yvonne Ruddy said. "But this year we got a lot of very talented freshman." Fan, however, downplays his role in the group, often praising the administration and students who helped the project succeed. "I got a lot of help from students," he said earlier this week. "Without them the group would have never gotten off the ground. There were so many times I just wanted to give up, but in the back of my mind I knew it would succeed if I just kept trying." But the group's success has even surprised some members who never expected each concert to raise approximately $600. "I was really surprised at our first concert," Lee said. "I thought it would take a few years to get a following." Penn Musicians Against Homelessness will perform this Saturday at the Church of the Saviour on 38th and Chestnut streets at 8:00 p.m. Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

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