Though the town is relatively small, with about 7,000 residents, it is home to popular annual accordion and jazz festivals. So perhaps it isn't surprising that a few years ago, members of the Cotati city council began wondering out loud why the town didn't have an orchestra. Soon after, the city manager invited Sakakeeny to speak at a council meeting about the possibility of making it happen. You can't make an orchestra happen unless the community gets involved. So people meet each other, business deals happen, the town becomes known as a place of culture, and people start moving in.
Orchestras are good for local economies.
That's the kind of pitch that resonates with elected officials. For Sakakeeny, the answer is simple. And yet, we don't have that many opportunities to do it. Most of us in the orchestra have day jobs. But there's something special that comes from volunteering.