Orchestra Student Organizes Benefit Concerts To Feed Families

 

Music feeds the senses, and Chattahoochee High School (CHS) student Sophia Knudsen created a way for music to feed our community, too.

“It is our fundamental responsibility to help our neighbors,” Knudsen says.

Neighbors in Fulton County are in need right now. According to the non-profit Feeding America, 48 million people nationwide are unsure of how they will afford to put food on the table. One in five children in the United States faces food insecurity.

Knudsen says an experience in middle school inspired her to change those statistics. She was attending the Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra in Athens, where she says she was “overwhelmed with the extent of homelessness.”

“I started to imagine how much we could help by playing concerts,” she says.

Fast-forward to 2025, when Knudsen organized ‘Music for Meals,’ a benefit concert featuring performances by Fulton County Schools (FCS) students to raise money for Feeding America. The concert raised enough money to provide 12,000 meals for food banks in Feeding America’s network.

Knudsen knew she had to do more.

“The planning for this year’s benefit concert started last year, after our successful first year of the 'Music for Meals’ concert,” she says. “The organizing was done independently by students who, Knudsen says, “have a shared love of creating music and giving back to their community.”

On the night of March 15, talented musicians from CHS, Northview High School, Johns Creek High School (JCHS), and Alpharetta High School took the stage at the JCHS auditorium. Students shared their skills on the cello, viola, violin, and classical guitar, with something for everyone, ranging from the composer Dvořák to a medley from the movie “La La Land.”

CHS Principal Dr. Michael Todd said, “It was powerful to see students from schools that are often rivals come together with a shared purpose. It reminds us that when we unite for others, we can make a real difference.”

Knudsen says unity is at the heart of it all.

“Knowing that there are kids just like me who aren’t given the opportunity to pursue music but aren’t sure if they’ll have food on the table at home, was a huge motivator in organizing this performance,” she says.

This year’s concert was another success. Combined with last year’s fundraiser, Knudsen and her fellow student musicians have raised more than $3,000 for Feeding America. Knudsen says she plans to continue the benefit concert annually.

“I want everyone to know that they have the power to make a difference in their own communities,” Knudsen says. “Every little bit counts, and together we really can build a better world for everyone.”