Buffett Performance Saturday will Benefit Local Arts Education
FRESNO – Emmy Award-winning composer, philanthropist and New York Times best-selling author Peter Buffett took time Friday to visit students and faculty in arts programs at local schools and prepare for his “A Concert & Conversation” performance at Fresno City College Saturday evening.
Willie Najera, a student at Edison Bethune Charter Academy in Fresno, shows Peter Buffett his violin-playing skills. Buffett will be performing “A Concert & Conversation” at Fresno City College Saturday evening, with the money benefiting local educational arts programs.
The benefit performance is expected to raise between $150,000 – $200,000 for arts education programs in Fresno County. This morning, Buffett chatted with students in the Accent on Access violin program as well as a visual arts class at Edison Bethune Charter Academy in Fresno before he made his way to meet with other arts program participants at Fresno State and Fresno City College.
“It’s great to see kids that have a love of playing an instrument and a connection to something that keeps them feeling alive,” Buffett said after watching the young violinists play.
Buffett’s father, renowned investor Warren Buffet, encouraged him to be involved in the arts and music at a young age. He remembers seeing The Beatles appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the ‘60s, and says his mother and older sister made sure the house was alive with rock-and-roll and soul music. Buffett was a pianist early on, and since 1987 has released 16 albums and has even written a New York Times best-selling book titled “Life is What You Make It.”
Bob Bullwinkel, visual and performing arts coordinator for the Fresno County Office of Education, said local educational arts programs have a significant impact on the lives of students in the area.
“They raise student test scores, they improve behavior, they prevent dropouts, they result in better attendance for kids,” he said.
Tickets for “A Concert & Conversation,” to be held in the Old Administration Building Auditorium at Fresno City College at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, are still on sale. They are priced at $100, $65, and $45, and are available for purchase at http://www.fresnostate.edu/artshum/buffett.
