Ithaca College School of Music alumna Jennifer Lawrence Birnbaum ’94 has put together a host of local musical talent to help raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The concert will be held on Tuesday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Cornell’s Statler Auditorium.
Donations for hurricane relief will be collected at the door, with funds going to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or the People’s Hurricane Fund.
“It’s a rare occasion when musical groups from Cornell, Ithaca College, and the Ithaca community join together -- and it’s fitting that on this occasion it is to help the victims of the birthplace of jazz,” says Birnbaum. “All the musicians and organizers are donating their time to make this a successful event, with 100 percent of donations going to charity.”
The mistress of ceremonies for the event will be Peggy Haine, who will also sit in with the East Hill Classic Jazz Band for a tune or two. The Paul Merrill Combo and the Ithaca College Vocal Jazz Ensemble -- under the direction of Lauri Robinson-Keegan, aka Cookie Coogan -- will demonstrate how jazz has evolved into increasingly complex harmonies and timbres while still paying tribute to what makes it uniquely American. Merrill will also direct the Cornell University Jazz Ensemble’s Gussman Sextet.
Before the concert, students will hold a 4:00 p.m. rally and parade at Ho Plaza on the Cornell Campus to raise awareness about New Orleans culture.
For more information about the concert, contact Jennifer Lawrence Birnbaum at jlbirnbaum@yahoo.com or 277-SONG.
