Benefit Concert on November 20 at St. James the Less

The fourth annual concert to benefit at-risk children from the Edward Williams School in Mount Vernon will be held on Saturday, November 20th at 7:00pm at St. James the Less Church in Scarsdale.

The concert, a joint effort of the Episcopal and Jewish communities in Scarsdale, will bring together different religious and musical groups. Their three previous concerts have raised over $200,000 and have sent 150 disadvantaged children to the Wagon Road camp in Chappaqua for seven weeks each summer.

World-renowned Canadian opera star Ariana Chris who was recently featured in the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics will be the guest artist. She is donating her services as her contribution to the benefit.

Orchestra musicians from the greater New York City area will also donate their time and talent for this special performance of classical music. The concert will include a Mozart Piano Concerto, several opera arias, part of Bach’s b minor mass and Tchaikovsky’s legendary Symphony No. 4.

For most of the children, this event is the first time they will experience classical music. On the day of the concert, the children attend the dress rehearsal and get to meet the professional musicians and ask them questions about music and their lives as performers.

“It is an overwhelming emotional experience for many of the participants,” said Maestro Justin Bischof, music director of the Canadian Chamber Orchestra of New York City and founder of the benefit. “I don’t know who gets more out of the concert – the children who get to attend camp, the musicians who donate their services, the members of the religious communities who sponsor the concert, or the audience. Music is truly a universal language and brings together people from all walks of life for an inspirational night of sharing.”

The beneficiaries all attend the “Amazing Afternoons Program” in Mount Vernon during the school year. The program gives 125 at-risk elementary school aged children a safe place to learn and grow after school during the critical 3-6 pm time frame when their parents or guardians are usually at work. During the summer there is a void in these children’s lives and many desperately need a safe, productive environment that their families cannot provide for them.

To purchase tickets please call 914.723.6100 ext 203/  Click here for more information.