Piano, Folk Music Fills Kent Library

At least twice a year Sarah Wilsman, Children's Department Manager at , orchestrates a concert for young musicians.

Usually, there's a piano concert in the fall and a performance for instruments of the musician's choosing in the spring. The concerts are open to performers ages 17 and under.

On Saturday, the featured 11 children. About 40 people were in attendance to hear the performances. The youngest pianist was 5 years old.

Wilsman encouraged each performer to introduce him- or herself and to announce the name of the songs they would play. At the end of the concert, Wilsman congratulated everyone for a job well done.

The performers, in order of appearance, were Clara MacPherson, Megan Moser, Dawson Moore, Megan Schinker, Zac Commons, Camryn Parsons, Brett Parson, Jaiyi Weng, Liwei Zhu, Chris Cowles, and Will Stresing.

While Wilsman admits that she doesn't play an instrument, she knows the concerts are popular with the children and their families. Many of the performers brought friends to hear them play, and several families stayed to hear a folk music performance by Rock, Salt & Nails, held on the second floor balcony after the piano concert.

Wilsman noted that the library is well-suited to a variety of different events, like the concerts held on Saturday, saying gatherings such as those "make this more of a community center, which is what a library is."

The library's schedule of events is posted on its website.