December 9, 2002

Oscar-Nominated Documentary about Famed Music Teacher at MASS MoCA

(North Adams, Mass.) Small Wonders is a documentary about real-life music teacher Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras who started her own foundation when her job was cut from the New York City schools. A graduate of the State University of New York and Boston University, Guaspari-Tzavaras sought private donations and the help of stellar musicians to bring the arts to children in spite of devastating funding cuts. Today she chooses 150 students at random from hundreds of young applicants and teaches them music and discipline. MASS MoCA will screen this Oscar-nominated film at 8 P.M. on Thursday, January 9, as part of its Cinema Lounge series. According to The Washington Post, "Small Wonders affirms the power of the arts to affect lives, underscore self-worth and teach self-discipline - as well as the lasting impact of a great teacher."

"Uplifting!" according to the San Francisco Gate, which goes on to call it "a rousing show - better than Mr. Holland's Opus because it's real." The film follows first-time students (as young as five years old) from their first few notes through months of grueling rehearsals learning music, focus, and discipline until they play a benefit at Carnegie Hall alongside some of the world's greatest violinists including Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern and Midori. Guaspari-Tzavaras's students have also played with the New York Symphony, at the Julliard School's Music Advancement Program, and at the White House, and they regularly play the anthem at New York Knicks' games. Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras' story inspired a 1999 film based on her life, Music of the Heart starring Meryl Streep.

Small Wonders is part of MASS MoCA's Cinema Lounge series sponsored by Berkshire Gas in the redesigned B-10 Theater. Instead of traditional theater seats on risers, the lounge includes couches, cafˇ tables and chairs, and a long bar running along the back of the room complete with bar stools. Food and drink courtesy of Lickety Split will be available before, during, and after the films. Doors will open at 7 P.M. The Cinema Lounge series will focus this winter on music documentaries, including The Last Waltz, This is Spinal Tap, and Benjamin Smoke.

Tickets for Small Wonders are $5.50. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available from the MASS MoCA Box Office at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Monday. Reservations can also be made over the phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

MASS MoCA 1040 MASS MoCA Way North Adams, MA 01247 413.MOCA.111 www.massmoca.org

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org