DOWAGIAC — A special benefit concert by the Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 in the theatre of the Dale A. Lyons Building on the Dowagiac campus. Tickets are $12 per person.

The Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band was founded in 1992 by Dr. Jonathan Korzun, director of bands at SMC. The band is composed of area band directors, community members, and SMC students and is modeled after brass bands popular throughout Europe. Carolyn Tarwacki (then Carolyn McKnight) performed as a member of the tuba section during the band’s first concert.

On Feb. 5, 2010, Carolyn Tarwacki and her husband John were tragically killed. Carolyn was a long time member of the SMC Brass Band, and a friend, classmate, colleague, and mentor to hundreds if not thousands in the SMC community.

To honor Carolyn and John, and their devotion to music, a scholarship fund has been established at SMC in their name. Scholarships will be awarded each year to deserving students attending SMC who are active in music. To date, three students have benefitted from the scholarship.

If you wish to make a contribution, please make the check payable to Southwestern Michigan College Foundation and indicate it is for the Carolyn McKnight-Tarwacki Scholarship Fund. You may give your check to a member of the Box Office staff, or you may mail it to:

Southwestern Michigan College Foundation

58900 Cherry Grove Road

Dowagiac, MI 49047.

All donations to an SMC scholarship fund, up to $25,000 annually, are matched dollar-for-dollar by the Southwestern Michigan College Foundation. All proceeds from the benefit concert performance will be deposited in the Carolyn McKnight-Tarwacki Scholarship Fund.

For more information, call 269-782-1301 or email her at giving@swmich.edu.