Samo's orchestra hosts successful Spaghetti & Strings fundraiser

This year, guests of Samo orchestra's yearly fundraiser, Spaghetti & Strings, which includes a dinner served by Il Forno accompanied by performances from the Symphony and Philharmonic levels of orchestra, were surprised to find pairs of sunglasses gracing the tables of the event. Thanks to a donation from Shab Bahadori, the mother of Symphony member Layla Parvis ('15), every attendee of Spaghetti and Strings not only was treated to an evening of left with a pair of sunglasses valued at $95.

The event was held in the cafeteria and included silent auctions of gift certificates to popular eateries, antique jewelry and artwork as well as a raffle ticket drawing for three prizes: $100 cash, Dr. Dre: Beats headphones, and an iPad with a Smart Cover

According to Parvis, her mother works as the operations manager at English Laundry, a men's fashion company.

“My mom asked her boss for a donation and instead of a monetary donation, he donated 400 pairs of glasses,” Parvis said. “We were grateful because they made a great giveaway item, and we still have some left for next year.”

The sunglasses, however, were but an accessory to the night of fundraising. Akira Nagao (‘15) said that students must clean the cafeteria the day before, sign up for shifts in waiting tables, set up and post-event clean up. Every year the event also features a new theme that is reflected in the decorations.

“It’s interesting to see what the students and parents come up with every year,” said Swenson. “This year it looks really cute.”

Paper dragon heads and red lanterns were hung in the halls of Samo’s cafeteria as this year’s theme was Chinese New Year; the holiday coincided with the date of the fundraiser. The large collective student and volunteer effort involved successfully made the night a big success, impressing not only parents, but also Samo admin.

“It was an incredibly well orchestrated event,” math teacher Kelly John Okla said. “It was like walking onto the first class section of an airplane. Bacchanale, the piece performed by Philharmonic was haunting and beautifully done. Haunting in a positive way, of course.”

Nagao said that he got a lot out of the hard work that he put into the event.

“It’s a fun fundraiser,” Nagao said. “We usually perform pieces that we’ve learned months in advance.”

According to Assistant Music Director Jason Aiello, about 80 percent of the funds raised from Spaghetti and Strings goes towards scholarship and other needs for the yearly tour either Philharmonic or Symphony goes on each year, while the other 20 percent goes into the orchestra fund.

Okla said that he enjoyed seeing his students perform, particularly praising the the professionalism of the event. 

“When I see my students performing, they become more than just students,” said Okla. “My job becomes more instrumental.”

The night of fundraising closed with a performance of a medley of tunes from Gershwin’s  American opera, Porgy and Bess, and of course each guest leaving with their new shades.

“The sunglasses were a nice finishing touch to the event," said Nagao.cchang@thesamohi.com