Pianist to perform benefit concert

A budding Russian pianist is performing a benefit concert for the Leelanau Youth Ensemble, Aug. 24.

Erica Furmanov will perform at 4:30 p.m. at the Leland Community United Methodist Church.

Why Leland? It was the connection with the Robert and Jill Butryn family to pianist Erika Furmanov that began years ago — not in a concert hall, but at a homeschool conference in Russia, where their son David met the Furmanov family. They became fast friends, and when David returned the following year to speak at the same conference, the bond only grew. Soon, they were family friends too. In 2018, the Butryn family traveled to Russia to visit them.