Lake Norman band director gathers musicians, holds benefit concert for Helene relief

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — North Carolinians are banding together to help those affected by Helene.

Sunday afternoon, hundreds of musicians from across the Tar Heel state gathered to play music and raise money for people in western North Carolina.

“You just show up and you play and you make music with people and, you know, you make a difference by doing something,” said Lily Loughnane, an Appalachian State student, who came home to Mooresville for the benefit concert.

From sixth graders to retirees, in this band, it doesn’t matter your age.

PREVIOUS: Lake Norman HS hosting concert to benefit Helene victims

“Some people don’t even know anyone here just so that they can play music and raise awareness, raise money for people,” said Loughnane. “It’s really beautiful to me.”

Loughnane plays the saxophone and trumpet. She came to play at her alma mater, Lake Norman High School, over the weekend.

“At first it was, it was just hard to believe,” she said.

She was in Boone when Helene came through, flooding King Street and destroying neighboring mountain towns.

“It was really hard to sit there and see all these images, but I couldn’t look away because it was real,” she said. “There were real people in my life that were being affected by it.”

Her former band director, Chris Brown, is from Asheville and he also wanted to do something to help.

“It’s really awful because a lot of the places that I know and love and had grown up around and seen are just absolutely devastated,” said Brow, the band director at Lake Norman High.

So they did what they do best — make music. Brown organized a benefit concert, gathering musicians from all over the state to play together. In exchange for the free concert, people brought supplies and donated money, all of which will go to Samaritan’s Purse.

“Even though we’re pretty far away from the mountains, we want to contribute,” said Amy McBride, who attended the event.

Those in attendance were in awe of what they heard.

“What really blows my mind is they got this music less than two weeks ago,” said Scott Hesketh, who came out to support. “It sounded phenomenal.”

The band will continue collecting money for Hurricane Helene relief. Click here to donate.

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