Youth Voices Through Art & Music

Our 2026 Beyond the Blues fundraiser showcased youth, the arts and its’ impact on mental health. Our mid-event program featured two students, Yazmin Fernandez from PIUS High School and now a freshman at Alverno College, along with Alex Chen from Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and freshman at The University of Wisconsin – Madison. Yazmin presented her artwork created in expression of her past childhood trauma and Alex played a beautiful piece on his Violin. They both shared with our guests the impact of art and music on improving their mental wellness. We are grateful for their personal stories which were eye-opening for those in attendance.

Violins of Hope

“Wherever there was music – there was hope.”

We also want to thank our CEKF Board Members, Thayre Faust and Linda Edelstein from MYSO for bringing Violins of Hope to our event. This unique project is based on a private collection of violins, violas and cellos, all collected since World War 2. Many of the instruments belonged to Jews before and during the war. They were able to bring a few of these incredibly meaningful instruments to BTB and share the message of “Wherever there was music – there was hope”. Visit violins-of-hope.com for more information on this powerful project. We were honored to present them at Beyond the Blues!

BTB is our signature fundraiser each year. Discovery World Pier Wisconsin set the stage again for a beautiful evening on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Our sponsors, Blues Backers and guests helped us raise over $233,000! We couldn’t be more grateful as this incredible result will go right back into our communities in the form of mental health initiative funding. We thank you all!

See you in September for BTB 2026!