A Feast for the Ears

As the concertmaster of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, a sought-after concerto soloist, and associate professor of violin at Florida State University, Corinne Stillwell has a lot on her plate. As founder of the local Music for Food initiative, she works to ensure that others have enough on theirs.

Music for Food Tallahassee is an all-volunteer, musician-led initiative to fight hunger in our community. It’s part of a national organization founded in 2010 that now has 22 chapters in the United States, Canada, and Taiwan. More than 350 international artists have performed in Music for Food concerts worldwide.

The local volunteer performers are primarily FSU alumni, retired faculty, and faculty spouses. Currently, more than 40 artists contribute their time and talents. All of them are professional musicians who assemble in ensembles of varying sizes to give four concerts each year to eager and supportive audiences.

“Our series is based around stringed instruments, so we do a lot of stringed chamber music, meaning one performer on a part, with no conductor,” Stillwell shares. “The concerts always have a theme, and there’s always some kind of big work that anchors the program.”

The concerts are free, but attendees are asked to bring nonperishable food items and make monetary donations to benefit the FSU Food for Thought Pantry and the students who rely on it. During the 2023-2024 academic year, 3,239 unique students accessed pantry services, an increase of nearly 58 percent from the previous academic year.

Photo by Lois Griffin Courtesy of Music for Food

Music for Food Tallahassee helps meet that growing need, and Stillwell notes that it offers the participating musicians a chance to give back to the community.

“We also get to engage with each other and play chamber music, so artistically, it is very fulfilling,” she says. “The musicians are willing to do this as a volunteer effort, and they’re on board for the cause.”

Most of the performers have come to Tallahassee because of FSU’s College of Music, Stillwell adds. At the age of 10, she was selected to enter The Juilliard School, where she studied violin for 15 years. Though she has taught and performed all over the world, she has chosen Tallahassee as her home, much like the other members of Music for Food Tallahassee.

“The musicians who have done their schooling here and have decided to stay here are contributing to our community in so many different ways,” Stillwell explains.

The organization recently hit a major philanthropic milestone, having raised more than $10,000—all of which has been donated to the Food for Thought Pantry, along with an estimated 1,000 nonperishable items. As exciting as that is, Stillwell is equally excited about the current season of concerts, which is being hosted at Grace Lutheran Church on Miccosukee Road. The next two performances are scheduled for May 18 and July 27.

“I love putting these programs together, coming up with the themes and the strings-based repertoire,” Stillwell says. “Some of it is very standard, and some of it is new and interesting. A recent piece included triangle and tambourine, and I just thought it was cool. I’m looking for under-represented composers and trying to diversify what we’re presenting. That also makes it interesting for the musicians, but it’s definitely with the audience in mind. We’re not programming avant-garde stuff, but this is programming that everyone’s going to love.” 

Stillwell invites all to “come out in support of music to nourish our souls and food to nourish our community. There’s connection in coming together and sharing something that can uplift us,” and feed our mind, body, and spirit. 

To learn more about Music for Food Tallahassee’s current season, visit the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/musicforfoodtallahassee or email musicforfoodtally@gmail.com.