The Lakeshore Wind Ensemble Association announces the winner of the Wesley Teply Community Service Award in the Arts to the Holy Family Conservatory of Music for their contribution to the arts these past 100 years. The award will be presented to Sister Carol Ann Gambsky and Dr. Stanislava Varshavski, on behalf of the organization, at the March 1, Lakeshore Wind Ensemble “Winds of March: The Best of the Best” concert at the Capitol Civic Centre. Everyone is welcome to attend the concert, tickets are available at cccshows.org. The Holy Family Conservatory of Music, sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, was founded to provide music instruction and performance and will mark its 100th anniversary on December 10, 2025. In September 1925, Sisters Davidica Beschta, Benjamin Eriksen and Celerine Diekemper were sent to live at Saint Boniface Convent to generate musical interest among the students in the school. So many children expressed interest in music lessons that a separate building just for teaching music lessons was urgently needed. After a search to purchase a new place to teach, the previously mentioned sisters and Cecilia Marie Kalous moved into a large brick home on South 11th St. in downtown Manitowoc. Furniture was sparse, but lessons began with just three pianos at the new Holy Family Conservatory of Music. The sisters used piano benches as tables to eat their meals. In the early years music, painting and dance were taught at the Conservatory. From December 10, 1925, until July 2013, the Conservatory was housed in the 11th Street home across from Washington Park. On August 15, 2013, Holy Family Conservatory moved into the newly constructed Franciscan Center for Music Education and Performance, located at 6751 Calumet Avenue. Over the years, more than 13,000 students ages 3-80+ have studied at the Conservatory including lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano, organ, strings, brass, woodwind, percussion, harp, accordion, and handbells. Currently, about 150 children and adults are enrolled at the Conservatory. Two other special programs offered are Music for Tots™ for children ages 1-5 and Children’s Choir ages 7-13 as well as annual summer music camps held in July. The Conservatory hosts several events throughout the year including student recitals, alumni concerts, hand bell ensembles, brass quartets, horn ensembles, a Holocaust Remembrance performance, and art exhibits. Holy Family Conservatory is just one “link in the chain” of so many other individuals and organizations who provide beautiful music, art, dance and theater for the citizens of Manitowoc County and beyond. We at Holy Family Conservatory of Music are honored to be a contributing organization among the countless number of other people and organizations who support and appreciate the arts in so many various ways. Over the years, the Conservatory has been a means to transform the ordinary by fostering the beauty and power of music and the arts through: instruction, appreciation of skills, encouragement and performance, and acts as a venue for area groups and activities while nurturing reverence for all persons. For more information about the Conservatory, visit www.hfconservatory.org or call 920-645-6564