Strathmore's Artist in Residence class prepares for debut concert

Strathmore's Artists in Residence class of 2027 is getting ready to make their official debut with a very special performance. The residence program supports the incredible talent of the DMV and can be a major stepping stone for their careers. Our Gwen Talbert is live in Rockville with more. Oh, I hear the beautiful music behind you, Gwen. Well, I'm telling you, there is beautiful music, but look at these empty seats. Not empty for long, because tomorrow night, these seats are going to be full. You want to make sure you get your ticket. An amazing program, a lot of talent here. With me now is Rochelle Rice, who is the director. This is exciting. I mean, I'm sure you're excited. How long has Strathmore been doing this, and how did they find a need and why? We've had the Strathmore Artists in Residence program for over 21 years to serve emerging artists really looking to build out structure for their brands and their businesses. And I'm sure it's very competitive. Like, how many applicants do you get? And tell me about the process. We get around 50 applicants. In fact, the application opens next week. And then a portion of those applicants are selected for the live audition. And then we have to adjudicate and decide who will be that final six. And I'm telling you, there's a whole different genre of music going on. Tell me about that. Yes, we have a wide variety of genres. All are welcome. We have classical, gospel, folk, jazz. The only requirement is that they compose music. Okay, well, let's listen to them a bit and share this with our viewers. So let's hear some of this talent. Amazing what we're hearing here. Thank you very much. You are the music director here, but also an alumni. You must be excited. How proud are you of this group? They're incredible. You hear this? I mean, they've come together in such a short amount of time and have created magic. They found the magic from the jump. So it's going to be amazing. Now, you've been in their place before. What do you want them to know going on that stage tomorrow? They're right where they need to be. Right now, and there's so much more in store. Okay, and it's all happening tomorrow. Just go to Strathmore's website to get the tickets. You definitely want to come and support them and say that you saw them when, because you don't know where they're headed to. Back to you, Homa.