Dressed to the nines with lavish jewelry dripping off of them, guests visited the Eleanor R. Baldwin House on Monday, April 20 to welcome famed granddaughter of Maria and Baron von Trapp, Elisabeth von Trapp.

Known for her family’s recognition in “The Sound of Music,” von Trapp was invited by the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters to perform and accept the Making Waves Award.

Guests entered the main room between two spiral staircases, underneath five crystal chandeliers set for mood lighting. There was also not an empty hand in sight – every guest holding either a crab cake hors d’oeuvre or wine spritzer.

People were engaged in light small talk as they waited with anticipation, eventually seating themselves comfortably at their seats, priced at $100 each. The event was underwritten by Marta and Jim Batmasian, with all proceeds benefiting Florida Atlantic’s School of the Arts.

Von Trapp graced the stage around 6:30 p.m.— which was set in close proximity to the audience— and began with the story of how her family crossed the Italian Alps by train in order to have a better life together, and that “collectively they were going to make it – one heart, one mind.”

She then shared a memory of when she was 12 years old and went to the movie theater to see “The Sound of Music” with her father. She remarked that “there is something really wonderful about the story. You need to follow your dreams.”

Accompanied by FAU student and guitarist Juan Pena and trumpet player Mark Greece, von Trapp playfully interacted with the audience by doing a sing-along to the song “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music.” She captured the audience with her interlacing of “I’ll be Seeing You” by Billie Holiday, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland and “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong, complete with interpretive dance hand gestures.

Von Trapp and Greece play alongside each other to close out the night. Max Jackson | Photo Editor

Inspired by poet Robert Frost, she used his poems “The Road Less Traveled” and “Acquainted with the Night” to tell the story of her family’s struggles and her future hopes for our world.

Von Trapp stated that Frost’s poems help her reflect about her life. She said, “He taught me in a roundabout way that I have to enter further, enter further into my songs. I have to enter relationships in a way where I can be transformed.”

She also said that music helps her “be in the moment, be present” when performing, because she has to pay special attention to the tone and the guitar as well as the audience. Her music helps her deal with the troubles in life.

Von Trapp was also presented the Making Waves award for having the von Trapp appearance as a starting point for the new ambassador program for FAU’s School of the Arts, as well as starting an art appreciation fund at FAU.

She views the award as a way to open up a connection to the world about a better way of living, and also as a way of finding herself in doing so.

“It represents you here at the university,” she said. “You acknowledge one another. And when you acknowledge one another that’s how we grow.”

The award is von Trapp’s very first, making FAU and the evening a memorable one for her.

By the end of the night, von Trapp had some audience members in tears, bringing a dynamic energy to some of FAU’s potential beneficiaries. Von Trapp even had President John Kelly feeling nostalgic as he shared memories of his father “playing ‘The Sound of Music’ over and over again.”

Von Trapp will be seen across the country in a select amount of shows this spring. Tour dates and how to order her music can be viewed on her website.