Shoreline donor and designers decorate Benaroya Hall for the Ten Grands concert

Benaroya Hall was decorated with roses from a Shoreline donor.

The “Ten Grands” Seattle concert is held annually to raise funds for The Snowman Foundation. The concert features ten grand pianos and ten talented musicians, all on the dramatically lit and decorated stage at Benaroya Hall. The program includes classical, jazz, blues, boogie woogie and pop pieces, with musicians playing as soloists and in various combinations.

Proceeds benefit The Snowman Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization established in Portland, Oregon in 1999 in response to budget cuts affecting K-12 and community-based music programs.

Fourteen Puget Sound-area groups received grants from proceeds from the Seattle concert last year. “Ten Grands” concerts are also held in Portland, with proceeds distributed to groups in that region.

Each year there is a competition to identify talented young pianists. Cosponsored by KING FM and RBC Wealth Management, the finalists play in the concert, with the winner playing a solo. A Lake Forest Park girl was a finalist in last year's competition. (see story) 

Designers Judy Allen, Merike Muld, Sharon Snapper, Diane Haveman

This year, an anonymous Shoreline donor donated 192 dozen roses to decorate the stage for the concert. A team of four designers, including Shoreline resident Judy Allen, and Merike Muld, Sharon Snapper and Diane Haveman, used the 2300 blooms to fill the Benaroya stage with bouquets for the Friday night concert.

ROTC soldiers place the roses on veterans' graves

On Saturday morning, the roses were delivered to Evergreen Washelli Cemetery on Aurora, where a troop of Army ROTC soldiers from Seattle University placed them on Veterans' graves.