Lifting Voices in Song for Those in Need
Source: Rackham Symphony Choir
Sunday, March 14
Voices for the Homeless: A Concert for Hope and Help
Detroit, Michigan, February 22, 2010…The homeless represent an underclass virtually without representation. In an effort to raise awareness and provide financial assistance for those challenged by homelessness, Rackham Symphony Choir presents a benefit performance, Voices for the Homeless: A Concert for Hope and Help, at 3PM on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at Metropolitan United Methodist Church, 8000 Woodward Avenue in Detroit.
Tickets are $25 for General Admission and $50 for Patron Tickets which include reserved seating and an Afterglow with Artists and Composer. Tickets can be purchased at www.rackhamchoir.org and by phone at (313) 404-0222.
Proceeds from this multi-faceted program will be donated to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen; S.A.Y. -- a non-profit organization responsible for the nation's first free health clinic for homeless children; and MCREST -- an emergency shelter team that rotates among Macomb County churches.
Voices for the Homeless: A Concert for Hope and Help features the renowned Rackham Symphony Choir (RSC) and a chamber orchestra conducted by Suzanne Mallare Acton, in the Michigan premiere of Henry Mollicone's Beatitude Mass (for the Homeless).
Mr. Mollicone is known for several one-act operas, including Emperor Norton, Starbird, The Face on the Barroom Floor, and The Mask of Evil. His Beatitude Mass (for the Homeless), written with added text by playwright William Luce, has had several performances in the US and England and was recently presented at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception's Crypt Church in Washington, DC under the composer's direction. It was cited in The Monterey County Weekly as a musical exaltation of "...The simple, anguished words of homeless people into haunting and moving expressions."
In addition to RSC's performance of the Beatitude Mass, Voices for the Homeless: A Concert for Hope and Help features performances by the Michigan Opera Theatre Children's Chorus, the RECOVERY Band and the Community Gospel Choir. The show will be narrated by former Detroit TV personality Nikki Grandberry, who is now an HIV/AIDS and substance abuse prevention outreach worker for Adult Well-Being Services. In addition, there will be exhibits by local photographer Prem Mukherjee on homeless Detroiters and artwork on the subject of homelessness displayed and available for purchase by area artists, some of whom were, or currently are homeless.
Voices for the Homeless: A Concert for Hope and Help is a collaborative effort presented in partnership with Rackham Symphony Choir. For over sixty years, it has been the mission of this member organization to bring to our community the power and energy of exciting, orchestra-accompanied choral works. Under the visionary leadership of Suzanne Mallare Acton, RSC has expanded its scope of programming to include educational outreach efforts as well as community benefit concerts.
For more information about Rackham Symphony Choir or for tickets or more information about Voices for the Homeless: A Concert for Hope and Help, please contact: Melissa Bunker (313) 886-9074 or marketwrite@comcast.net.
