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Show here with twin-gabled roofs BeaufortLifestyle.com | February 2025 15RED CARPET PERFORMANCE Area residents %u2014 and the thousands of film aficionados in town for the annual Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF) %u2014 will have a unique opportunity this year to experience a new community collaboration for the BSO: a special movie-themed concert at the festival%u2019s opening night reception. Think soundtracks from blockbusters, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Amadeus, The Lion King, and Titanic. It%u2019s a natural fit, considering the key role music plays in movies. %u201cWithout music, Titanic would just be two nice-looking kids hanging onto the side of a boat with water lapping,%u201d Fred laughs. %u201cI watch all the BIFF movies, and we%u2019re excited for the opportunity to participate with the BIFF and its patrons,%u201d says Greta Sandberg, president of BSO%u2019s board of directors, who was instrumental in connecting the two groups. %u201cWe watch the movies and listen to the music that can make the movie or scene, and this is a perfect opportunity to hear some of the more beloved pieces live. We%u2019re happy we can perform in front of folks who may not even know Beaufort has its own symphony. This could be a new audience for us.%u201dIN TUNE WITH TEACHING In fact, teaching has always played a major chord in Fred%u2019s music career. In addition to his work with the BSO, he%u2019s been a private violin teacher and continues to serve as orchestra director for Saint Andrew's School, an independent college preparatory school in Savannah. In 1999, Fred also realized his dream of forming a youth orchestra. In the quarter century since a nucleus of young players presented the first concert, the Beaufort Symphony Youth Orchestra (BSYO) has grown to dozens of members and attracts students from Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head, and Savannah, playing six concerts a year. Under Fred%u2019s direction, the BSYO strives to inspire students to develop a passion for and love of music, learn that hard work is critical to success, and to contribute to the community by sharing their time and talent. BSYO students are frequently spotted as members of music quartets and performing at local festivals, city celebrations, charities, and houses of worship. In turn, the BSO board provides scholarships for talented young musicians to access private lessons and summer music programs.HARMONY BETWEEN TALENT AND DISCIPLINE Whether working with youth or adults, Fred says he has the same goal. %u201cI try to marry talent to discipline. There are lots of talented people out there, but ours are also quite disciplined. The BSO plays with a lot of heart and commitment. It means the world to them. They%u2019re doing the best they possibly can every time. And they support each other. When the violins nail a challenging section, the winds and brass start cheering for them. One of the best compliments I ever got was after a former teacher heard us play and told me, %u2018Fred, your orchestra plays for you.%u2019%u201d The love clearly goes both ways. %u201cI think of the BSO as a jewel. You can go to a %u2018real%u2019 concert and hear top-flight soloists. We don%u2019t dumb it down %u2014 it%u2019s the real deal. The BSO plays some of the greatest music ever written, music some people wouldn%u2019t otherwise listen to. Our performances are completely authentic and purposeful. %u201cMusic doesn%u2019t depict emotions, it embodies them. Music can do things words cannot.%u201d