[NEohioPAL] Oberlin Conservatory of Music Faculty to Perform at March 1 Benefit Concert for the Homeless

[Marci Janas]

*Media Contact:*
Marci Janas, Director of Conservatory Communications
440-775-8328 (office); 440-667-2724 (cell);
marci.janas at oberlin.edu<marci.janas at oberlin.edu?subject=RE%3A%20March%201%20Benefit%20Concert%20for%20the%20Homeless%20Features%20Faculty%20from%20the%20Oberlin%20Conservatory%20of%20Music>


*Triumphant Sounds of Organ and Brass will Fill Oberlin's First Church for
Homeless Benefit Concert on Sunday, March 1  *

*Organist James David Christie and other Faculty Members from the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music Support Efforts of Family Promise/Interfaith
Hospitality Network*

OBERLIN, OHIO (February 12, 2009) — In the 11 months since Family Promise of
Lorain County accepted its first guests last March, the organization has
helped 22 homeless families find shelter at host churches through its
program, the Interfaith Hospitality Network.

In Lorain County, the number of homeless families has grown an average of 10
percent to 15 percent annually over the last five years. Another statistic
is equally sobering: 25.2 percent of families with children under the age of
18 are living in poverty here. These percentages are only going to increase
in the midst of what President Barack Obama has called
"<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/RemarksofPresidentBarackObama-ElkhartIndianaTownHall/>an
economic crisis as deep and as dire as any since the Great Depression."
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/RemarksofPresidentBarackObama-ElkhartIndianaTownHall/>

There is a glimmer of good news. After an average of 41 days, 88 percent of
the homeless families that Family Promise sheltered were able to find
permanent housing with the organization's help. According to Nicolle
Bellmore Pierse, Executive Director of Family Promise, the organization
provided more than 2,700 nights of shelter and more than 8,300 meals to
homeless families in the last year.

*To help Family Promise continue its work in sheltering and finding housing
for homeless families and children, a benefit concert will be held on
Sunday, March 1, at 4 p.m. at the First Church in
Oberlin<http://firstchurchoberlin.org/>,
106 North Main Street, at the corner of State Routes 58 and 511.* Acclaimed
musicians from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music's faculty are donating
their time and talent to the cause, and will present a program of works by
such composers as *Gabrieli, Praetorius, Brahms, Bibl, Gervaise, Widor,
Dupré, Hovhaness, and Langlais. *The concert is free, but donations will be
accepted at the event.

Internationally renowned *organist James David
Christie<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20645>
*, Professor of Organ; *horn player Roland
Pandolfi<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21073>
*, Professor of Horn and former principal of the St. Louis Symphony;
*trombonist
James DeSano<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20691>
*, Professor of Trombone and former principal of the Cleveland
Orchestra; *trumpeter
Roy Poper<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21103>
*, Associate Professor of Trumpet and principal of the Los Angeles Master
Chorale; and *percussionist Michael
Rosen<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21143>
*, Professor of Percussion, former principal of the Milwaukee Symphony, are
the featured musicians. Christie will perform on the church's Cauffiel
Organ<http://www.goberorgans.com/projects12.html>,
which was built in 2005 by Halbert Gober of Canada. Philip
Highfill<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20831>,
Professor of Accompanying and Coaching, will conduct two of the larger works
on the program.

Christie says that the diverse program will have something for
everyone—lovers of early music, modern works, the high Renaissance and the
French Romantic periods will find satisfaction here. Christie's colleagues
on the brass faculty have been after him for years to perform with them, so
when he was asked to perform for this benefit, he says that he jumped at the
chance to include them. "My colleagues are so wonderful and generous to
donate their time for this worthy endeavor," says Christie. "Performing with
them will make for a very festive concert. Rarely is there a concert of
organ and brass ensemble music that will match the one coming to First
Church. Such a concert is unusual even for Oberlin. We are honored to be
presenting this program for such an important cause. It is appalling that at
the beginning of the 21st century we have such a problem with homelessness
and poverty in this country. It is barbaric that so many of our children are
going hungry, and without a roof over their heads."

"Family Promise is helping struggling families stay together and achieve
independence," says Carol Longsworth of Oberlin, chair of the concert
planning committee and a Family Promise board member. The shelters, however,
are currently operating at their full capacity. "Eight families are on the
Interfaith Hospitality Network waiting list this week," says Longsworth. "As
jobs grow more scarce and housing foreclosures increase, the need for safe
accommodations for parents and children is becoming critical. The generous
support of individuals, organizations, and foundations is urgently needed;
$25.58 can feed and house one child for a day."

A Meet-the-Artists reception, sponsored by members of First Church, Christ
Episcopal Church, and Peace Community Church—all of Oberlin—will be held in
First Church's Fellowship Hall following the concert. Childcare will be
provided. For more information, contact Carol Longsworth at 440-774-2226 or
carol.longsworth at oberlin.edu<carol.longsworth at oberlin.edu?subject=RE%3A%20Benefit%20Concert%20for%20Family%20Promise>
.

*James David Christie*<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20645>
James David Christie has been acclaimed as one of the finest organists of
his generation. He has performed around the world with symphony orchestras
and period instrument ensembles as well as in solo recitals. He has served
as organist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1978 and has performed
and recorded under such conductors as Seiji Ozawa, Colin Davis, John
Williams, Edo de Waart, Gerard Schwartz, Jeffrey Tate, Andrew Davis, Klaus
Tennstedt, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Trevor Pinnock, Roger Norrington,
Christopher Hogwood, and Andrew Parrott. As organist for the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, he has toured with them throughout the United States and Japan.
He is a frequent soloist with both the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops.
Christie has also recently appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the
Seattle Symphony, the Mainly Mozart Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's,
the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the London Symphony, the Bach Ensemble, the
Oberlin Orchestra, and the Boston Philharmonic. He is Music Director of
Ensemble Abendmusik, a Boston-based period instrument orchestra and chorus
specializing in sacred music of the 17th and 18th centuries. He has recorded
for Decca, Philips, Nonesuch, JAV, Northeastern, Arabesque, Denon, RCA,
Dorian, Naxos, Bridge Records, and GM Records, receiving several awards for
his recordings, including the *Preis der Deutschen* *Schallplatten
Kritik*and the Magazine d'Orgue:
*Coup de Coeur.* Christie is Professor of Organ at the Oberlin Conservatory
of Music, and has been a member of the faculty since 2002.

*James DeSano*<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20691>
James DeSano was principal trombone with the Cleveland Orchestra from 1989
until his retirement in 2003; he was associate principal from 1970 through
1989, and he has also been soloist with the ensemble. Before his tenure with
the Cleveland Orchestra, DeSano was principal trombone with the Syracuse
Symphony, from 1964 to 1970. He has performed under the direction of Leopold
Stokowksy, Erich Leinsdorf, Daniel Barenboim, Raphael Kubelik, George Solti,
Riccardo Chailly, Claudio Abbaddio, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnanyi,
Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Lukas Foss, Bernard Rands, Luciano Berio, and many
other distinguished conductors. DeSano has presented recitals throughout the
United States, and has given master classes in the United States, Europe,
and Asia. His numerous recordings include Brahm's complete symphonies,
conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Robert Schumann's third and fourth
symphonies, and Ravel's *Bolero*, both conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi,
for London Records; Mahler's *Symphony No. 7 *and Stravinsky's *The Rite of
Spring*, both under the baton of Pierre Boulez for DG; and with Kurt
Sanderling conducting, Shostakovich's *Symphony No. 15* for Erato Records.
DeSano also appears on many Telarc recordings with Lorin Maazel, and he has
recorded the music of Donald Erb, Karel Husa, and Vaclav Nelybel. DeSano is
Professor of Trombone at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and has been a
member of the faculty since 1999.

*Roland Pandolfi*<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21073>
Roland Pandolfi was principal horn of the St. Louis Symphony from 1966 to
2000; from 1962 to 1966 he was principal horn of the Milwaukee Symphony. He
has presented master classes at the International Horn Society and the
Southeast Horn Workshop, and has taught and performed at the Banff Arts
Festival and the Orford Festival in Canada, and at the Affinis Seminar in
Japan. He has also served on the faculties of Webster University,
Northwestern, Southern Illinois, and Webster universities, and the St. Louis
Conservatory of Music. Pandolfi's recordings with the St. Louis Symphony are
available on Summit Records and VOX. He is Professor of Horn at the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music, and has been a member of the faculty since 2001.

*Roy Poper*<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21103>
Roy Poper, principal trumpet of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the San
Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, is also a member of the Amadeus Brass Quintet.
Poper has enjoyed a long career as a classical music artist as well as a
session musician for numerous television programs and more than 2,000 major
motion picture soundtracks. In the 1990s he was also principal or lead
trumpet for many Los Angeles productions of Broadway shows. Poper has
performed with the Los Angeles Music Center Opera and the Los Angeles
Chamber Orchestra, and for 20 years was principal trumpet with the
orchestras of the American Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi and Joffrey
ballets during their Los Angeles seasons. He has presented solo recitals and
taught master classes in the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has
recorded Elliott Carter's *Canon for Three* for Crystal Records, Eugene
Zador's *Quintet for Brass* with the Modern Brass Quintet for Orion, and,
with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Brahms' *Serenade No. 1* for
Nonesuch and Haydn's symphonies, nos. 38, 82 and 104, for Dorian. He
released his first solo CD, *L.A. Trumpet Works*, in 2008. Poper is
Associate Professor of Trumpet at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and has
been a member of the faculty since 2001.

*Michael Rosen*<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21143>
Michael Rosen, principal percussion with the Milwaukee Symphony from 1966 to
1972, has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Concertgebouw
Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Cleveland
Chamber Orchestra, Da Camera of Houston, and the Grand Teton Music Festival
Orchestra. He has performed under the baton of Zubin Mehta, Riccardo
Chailly, Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, Leonard Slatkin, Lukas Foss, Carlos
Chavez, and Pablo Casals, and he has worked directly with Luciano Berio,
John Cage, Salvatore Martirano, Herbert Brün, and George Crumb. Rosen has
premiered many solo marimba compositions and percussion ensemble
compositions with the award winning Oberlin Percussion Group, and he
presented the American premieres of *Pleides and Idmen* by Iannis Xenakis.
He is known as the marimbist who introduced the marimba music of Akira
Miyoshi, Maki Ishii, and Minoru Miki to the United States. Rosen has
recorded with the Bayerische Rundfunk, Opus One, Lumina, Albany and CRI
labels. He is Professor of Percussion at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
and has been a member of the faculty since 1972.

Philip Highfill<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=20831>
A recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship and first-prize winner of the Chopin
Young Pianists Competition, Philip Highfill has accompanied and coached many
noted singers, including Placido Domingo, Hildegard Behrens, Rita Streich,
Erie Mills, Delores Ziegler, William Stone, Wolfgang Holzmair, Brigitte
Fassbaender, Jan Opalach and Mary Ann Hart. He has been a vocal coach for
Santa Fe Opera and the San Francisco Opera, and is the former music director
of the University of Tennessee Opera and Washington Summer Opera Theater. He
has presented recitals throughout Europe and the United States. Highfill is
director of Oberlin's College Community Strings ensemble, and is Professor
of Accompanying and Coaching at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He has
been a member of the Oberlin faculty since 1987.

*About Family Promise* <http://www.familypromiselorainco.org/>
Family Promise is a national organization that is fairly new to Lorain
County. Its program, Interfaith Hospitality Network, was founded in 1986 and
now has more than 140 chapters in 39 states. In Lorain County, 20 or more
congregations and more than 400 volunteers are dedicated to feeding and
housing homeless families through the Family Promise/Interfaith Hospitality
Network, which helps by offering overnight accommodations at host churches,
home-cooked meals, and a caring atmosphere while the families seek jobs and
housing that will return them to independence. A Day Center, staffed by
licensed social workers, gives the families a consistent address as well as
assistance in learning about entitlements and job and housing resources.

*About the Oberlin Conservatory of Music*<http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/>
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, founded in 1865 and situated amid the
intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is the oldest
continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Renowned
internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and
pronounced a "national treasure" by the *Washington Post*, its alumni have
gone on to achieve illustrious careers in all aspects of the serious music
world. In reviewing the American premiere of Olga Neuwirth's opera *Lost
Highway* for the *New York Times*, Vivien Schweitzer noted that "Oberlin has
produced some of the top names in contemporary music … Oberlin's rural
experimental haven has resulted in successful music careers in a cutthroat
marketplace." For more information about Oberlin, please visit
www.oberlin.edu <http://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/>.

*CALENDAR LISTING
Sunday, March 1, 2009, 4 PM*
Music for Organ & Brass:
A Concert to Benefit Family Promise of Lorain County/Interfaith Hospitality
Network
James David Christie, *organ*
James DeSano, *trombone*
Roland Pandolfi, *horn*
Roy Poper, *trumpet*
Michael Rosen, *percussion*
Philip Highfill, *conductor*

FIRST CHURCH IN OBERLIN, UCC
106 North Main Street
(Corner of State Routes 58 and 511)
Oberlin, Ohio
FREE (Donations will be accepted.)
Call 440-774-2226 for more information

Media Contact Only:
Marci Janas, Director of Conservatory Communications
440-775-8328 (office); 440-667-2724 (cell); marci.janas at oberlin.edu

###

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-- 
Marci Janas
Director of Conservatory Communications
and Editor, Oberlin Conservatory Magazine
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
39 West College Street
Oberlin, OH  44074
www.oberlin.edu/con
Voice: 440.775.8328
Fax: 440.775.5457
marci.janas at oberlin.edu
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