Time to Rock the House
For Kids and a Good Cause
By KIM THOMAS
Central Music Academy is honoring Michael Rintamaa, Director of Music at Central Christian Church, accompanist for numerous UK choirs as well as The Lex Theatre, at their CMA ROCKS THE HOUSE event on October 12 at the Hilton in downtown Lexington.
Rintamaa is receiving the award for his dedication, not only to CMA, but to Lexington’s music community as a whole, and will serve as this year’s CMA Rocks the House Honoree. Michael spent 12 years on CMA’s board, and his infectious joy and passion for music have continually inspired CMA’s staff and students!
The Central Music Academy is in its 13th year of operating as a non-profit music school; giving free music lessons to children whose parents would not otherwise be able to pay for lessons. Since CMA’s inception, they have provided over 35,000 free music lessons to over 950 children.
“I am more than humbled to follow in the footsteps of Dr. George Zack and Dr. Everett McCorvey. I am hardly in their league…”
—Michael Rintamaa, Director of Music at Central Christian Church
CMA board chairman Pam Hammonds recently spoke to the CCC congregation, saying, “This year we have come full circle, with two of our former students now teaching private lessons at CMA. We have 100% high school graduation rate, and 98% of our high school seniors have gone on to college. Currently we give 104 students free lessons; another 93 students are on our waiting list.”
As a non-profit, CMA raises money for lessons from grants, private donations and the CMA Rocks The House Fundraiser. For the past three years at CMA Rocks The House, they have awarded a Gold Record to individuals that contribute to CMA’s mission. This year’s CMA Gold Record recipient will be Central Christian’s Michael Rintamaa.
Hammonds further described Rintamaa’s quiet but determined influence. “Michael was a founding Board member, officer, and visionary of CMA. When told of his selection, Michael said, ‘I am more than humbled to follow in the footsteps of Dr. George Zack and Dr. Everett McCorvey. I am hardly in their league… .’
Michael has encouraged friends, colleagues and students to attend, saying, “’I would love to see YOU there. It would be the best thing you could ever do for me because you would be doing it for the kids… If you can’t attend, please donate in my honor.’
Each week when the chancel choir ends its rehearsal, Rintamaa leads a prayer which says, in part “…grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts; and what we believe in our hearts, we may practice in our lives, so that being doers of the words and not hearers only we may receive everlasting life.”
Michael Rintamaa lives by these words and his actions prove it. He will support a singer or musician in every aspect of their lives and their music — and his enthusiasm is, indeed, everlasting.
CMA ROCKS THE HOUSE event is October 12 at the Hilton in downtown Lexington. Tickets may be purchased in advance online.
This article also appears on page 8 of the October 2018 print edition of Hamburg Journal.
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