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NEWS
RELEASE
Contact: Robert Currie
(908) 273-3509
Katrina
Benefit Concert Raises Funds for Rebuilding of Gulf Coast Region
Musicians Donate Talents to Show “No One Is
Alone”
SUMMIT,
N.J. – Joining together to offer a hand the way it knows best, the Clan
Currie Society brought together musicians from its annual, award-winning
Pipes of Christmas concerts to perform together with the Summit Music
Festival for “No One is Alone – A Concert of Hope.” The concert was held
on October 7 at Central Presbyterian Church, which generously hosted the
event.
The
roster of performers included champion fiddler Paul Woodiel, soprano
soloist Valerie Bernhardt, Celtic harpist Odarka Stockert, the Solid Brass
ensemble and the Kearny Caledonian Pipe Band.
On an
appropriately Scottish evening of mist and soft rain, the concert raised
nearly $6,000, all of which went to hurricane relief aid in the Gulf Coast
region devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in September. Inspired by
an email conversation with clan member Arlene Torrens, of La Grange,
Kentucky, who works for the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and
Universities, the Clan Currie Society quickly put together the concert
with local partners and performers.
Robert
Currie, president of the Clan Currie Society explained that Torrens had
responded to the Society’s broadcast email message to its worldwide
membership asking members to keep those in the Gulf Coast region in their
thoughts and prayers and to respond “however
best meets your individual ability.” Torrens, who flew in to New Jersey to
attend the concert, responded letting him know that there were several
Currie families in the 65 Presbyterian churches that were left unable to
function after Katrina.
“I was
incredibly proud of how everyone gathered together for those who are in
such need,” said Torrens. “I was proud to be a Currie.”
An
evening that began with soft melodic sounds of harp and fiddle concluded
with a boisterous rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” In
between, the crowd was treated to a “musical jambalaya” including Scottish
pipes and drums, sprightly jigs and reels, and comforting hymns and
anthems, the later being led by Music Festival Artistic Director, Jason
Tramm.
For Noel
Werner, Minister of Music at Central Presbyterian Church, “The concert was
a wonderful demonstration of what it means to be part of the Summit
community and the larger New Jersey musical community. It shows what we
can accomplish when we come together for an important humanitarian
effort.”
Summit
Common Council President Frank Macioce attended the concert with his wife
Helen. "The evening produced a wonderful program of great music for a
very worthy cause."
For Pipe Major Matt Nonnemacher of the Kevin
Ray Blandford Memorial Pipe Band of Redlands, CA, the concert was an
opportunity to do something for family who were evacuated from the Gulf
Coast. “Not only was it personal,” he said, “but it’s the honorable thing
to do. People need help, and you want to do give them what you can.”
Though few concerts he participates compare to
the Pipes of Christmas, Nonnemacher said “No One Is Alone” was special.
“You’re always trying to do your best, but this is going to help my family
and possibly to help the family of someone in the audience,” he said. “It
doesn’t sound different, but it definitely feels different.”
###
Photo
Captions:
Celtic Harpist Odarka Stockert of Millburn performs at “No One Is Alone,”
the community fundraising concert to support hurricane relief efforts.
(Photo by Warren Westura)
Members of the Kearny Caledonian Pipe Band provide a bit of Scottish
pageantry to the evening. (Photo by Warren Westura)
Solid Brass concluded the evening with a rousing rendition of “When the
Saints Go Marching In.” (Photo by Warren Westura)
About
The Clan Currie Society
The Clan
Currie Society, an international, non-profit cultural and educational
organization, is active in preserving and promoting highland heritage at
Scottish Games, ethnic festivals, as well as community groups and
classrooms. The organization started as a family name society in Glasgow,
Scotland in 1959 to further the knowledge and appreciation of the
MacMhuirich bardic dynasty. The MacMhuirichs (the Gaelic name for Currie)
served for over 700 years as professional poets to the Lords of the Isles
and later to the MacDonalds of Clanranald.
Today,
the organization is a leading American-based foundation that focuses on
celebrating the Scots-Gaelic origins of the Currie name as well as
producing programs and events to honor Scotland’s rich culture and
ancestry. Amongst their many activities, the Society hosts the annual
Tartan Day celebrations at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and
produces the annual “Pipes of Christmas” concert. The 2005 concert is
scheduled for December 17, 2005. For further information, visit
www.clancurrie.com.
About
The Summit Music Festival
The
Summit Music Festival was formed in 2002 to provide a high quality summer
musical experience for the many Summit area musicians who sing in other
choirs and choral groups during the year. Under the leadership of
Artistic Director Jason Tramm the Festival has presented four annual
concerts featuring masterworks by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and
Mendelssohn.
The 60
voice choir is chosen by competitive audition each season and performs
with professional orchestras and soloists. All four concerts played to
capacity crowds in the Sanctuary of Central Presbyterian Church which
co-sponsors the Festival. Pre-concert lectures are held at the Summit
Free Public Library. Last December a Chamber Choir from the SMF was
chosen to perform in the Clan Currie Society’s “Pipes of Christmas”
concert. The Summit Music Festival is run by a volunteer Board and
supported through the generosity of its donors and friends. For 2006, the
Festival will present Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” For further
information, visit
www.summitmusicfestivalnj.com. |
