I'm Lydia Berry, a 17-year-old cellist organizing benefit concerts that pair young musicians with the environmental groups shaping our city. Two concerts. Two organizations. One conviction: the things we love deserve our hands.
I started playing cello in 4th grade, and somewhere between scales, orchestra rehearsals, and rhythm practice I figured out that music can really bring people together.
I'm a senior at Midtown High School in Atlanta, where I serve as Principal Cellist of the orchestra and play cello in Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra. Playing in orchestral and classical ensembles has not only improved my technical skills but showed me the power of making music together.
Outside of music I care, intensely, about the environment; I care about the trees that line my neighborhood, the shade that has cooled me down on a hot summer day, and the rain that melodically taps on my window every once in a while. Knowing that the environment, the very entity that sustains all of us, is in danger drove me to help in any way I could. In 2025 I started organizing benefit concerts to bring those two worlds, music and the environment, into the same room.
Rhythm & Roots Foundation gathers young musicians to perform benefit concerts for Atlanta's environmental organizations. Every program is a love letter to the canopy, the trails, the parks, and to the idea that the next generation can do more than inherit what's left.
An opportunity for high schoolers to display their talent through a meaningful platform.
Every cent goes to environmental partners doing measurable work in Atlanta.
Performers earn substantial volunteer credit playing music they love, for a cause that matters. With over 100+ hours given to musicians throughout the concerts, they are able to help fulfill their required community service hours to graduate.
We took the music outside where the city meets the park. A six-piece ensemble, cello duet, and a wonderful rendition of Killing Me Softly drew the crowd in with a program that ranged from Georges Bizet to Sia. Every dollar collected went to the Conservancy's stewardship of 189 acres of urban green in the heart of Atlanta.
The concert that started it all, held inside the Kendeda Treehouse, Trees Atlanta's headquarters. I opened the program from the cello, joined by classmates on strings, guitar, and chorus. Every seat in the room belonged to someone who came to hear the city's canopy fight back.
If you're a high-school musician in Atlanta (strings, voice, guitar, ensembles) and you'd like a stage, an audience, and meaningful service hours, send a note. We program around the people who show up!
Inquire →Every dollar Rhythm & Roots Foundation raises is passed straight to our environmental partner. You can give to them anytime.
See partners →If you run an Atlanta-area environmental nonprofit and want to be considered as a future beneficiary, I'd love to hear about your work and your community.
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