Every now and then you come across someone who absolutely wows you with their talent. This was the case recently for the Dan Cooper team and me when we went to the popular Latitude Restaurant at Dorval and North Service Road to see a young violinist named Leslie Ashworth. What Leslie has accomplished with the violin at just the age of 12 is incredible. Leslie not only plays beautifully, but she composes her own music as well. We were simply blown away by this young lady. I play the guitar so I can appreciate how difficult it is to master a string instrument and to be able to perform at a professional level.
My team and I had gone to Latitude because one of our core values is to support the community, good causes and the efforts of Oakville residents. We wanted to come out and show support for Leslie, and we were well rewarded with an outstanding performance. I know that to be number one in anything, it takes a lot of hard work, total commitment and dedication.
What I also love about Leslie’s new CD is that half of the net proceeds are going to a wonderful organization called Free the Children. The organization empowers children in North America to take action to improve the lives of fellow children overseas. Its local leadership initiatives bring leadership and inspiration to tens of thousands of youth in the U.S. and Canada. Free the Children’s international projects, led by its adopt a village program, have brought over 500 schools and water projects to communities around the world.
“I connected with the founders when playing at a gala that they were also attending and it seemed like a great fit, and as they say, the rest was history,” Leslie says. I have to admire this charitable philosophy from someone so young. As for her music, Leslie began playing the violin at age 4, has won many awards and has composed more than 10 original pieces. In fact she recently dedicated a piece to the founder of Future Aces, Herbert Carnegie, at his 90th birthday. On March 7th, Leslie will be playing with the Symphony Hamilton Orchestra at the Royal Botanical Gardens beginning at 3 p.m. The concert is The Magnificent 7 (composed by Elmer Bernstein) and The Junior Young Artists Winners, featuring winners from a competition last spring which included Leslie. She will play the first movement from the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor.
Leslie’s CD is available at music stores and online at www.leslieashworth.com. You can sample some of her music on YouTube as well as her website. Keep your eye on this talented artist, she is going places.
Dan Cooper is an award winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call the Dan Cooper Team.