This was a Valentine's Day we won't soon forget. In a sold-out benefit concert at
(le) Poisson Rouge and with twenty-six love-infused works, we raised a grand total of $6,630 to support our friends at
Partners in Health. PIH provides world-class health care to the people of Haiti, and are leading the way in the recovery efforts after last month's earthquake.
We responded with
Love Letter to Haiti, nearly three hours of music, featuring two dozen musicians and soloists, all of whom donated their time. Why host a concert? Artistic Director / Conductor Andrew Cyr explained in a
recent interview:
"My wife and I were talking after the earthquake struck and when the horrific human tragedy started sinking in, we felt both incredibly moved and helpless. We're not doctors, we can't fly a plane, we can't write a big check... what could we do? The answer was really simple: just try and see what happens... It's been so much fun to put this together!"
And what an evening it was! The concert featured works from Metropolis composers
Ryan Francis and
Adam Schoenberg. Our friend
David Bruce prepared a new arrangement of a Tallis motet especially for the night. We sold beautiful illustrated t-shirts by artist
Jennifer Salomon, so patrons could literally wear their heart on their sleeve (all proceeds going to PIH). We also sold and donated our new album,
Avner Dorman's Concertos. (le) Poisson Rouge donated the space;
InTicketing generously waived their ticket fees; and many patrons opened their wallets to make donations to Partners in Health. Thank you for supporting us in so many ways!
We were honored to have special guest
Klaus Gauthier from Port au Prince fly into New York to attend the concert; he himself was trapped during the quake, and has worked since to help find missing persons and organize tent drop-offs in Haiti.
As it turned out, Allan Kozinn from the
New York Times was also on hand to enjoy the concert, and wrote our first NYT review:
"All told, 26 works of various lengths were performed, most contemporary and eclectic, with standard repertory pieces cropping up on occasion. Some of those were among the evening's highlights. A short set by the Avenue 9 Trio and its members included a sweetly singing account of Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise" by the group's cellist, Dane Johansen, and a breathtakingly beautiful reading of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" by its violinist, Sean Lee, both accompanied by Edvinas Minkstimas the ensemble's pianist. Mr. Lee returned later to play Massenet's "Meditation" from "Thaïs" with the harpist Bridget Kibbey." Read the full article...
It truly was a special evening. Thanks to everyone who made the concert possible. We witnessed the very best that our community of composers, performers, and patrons can be: giving of your time, talent, and treasure to support the people of Haiti in the most vital way possible... rallying around Partners in Health and their inspiring work... and celebrating a kaleidoscope of music that connects us all together.
Photos by Gareth Paul Cox.
Tune into KUSC Los Angeles on Friday, February 19 (9pm PST / 12 midnight EST) to hear an exclusive interview with Metropolis composer Avner Dorman and our new album Concertos. KUSC's Jim Sjevda will interview Avner on his popular program The Record Shelf.