ooperative Arts and Humanities High School Presents 'The Bill Of Rights' Concert 10/7

A musical tribute to freedom will help refugees who come to America in search of it.
The Bill of Rights, a choral setting of the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, will be performed Thursday, October 7, at 7:30 p.m., at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, 177 College St., New Haven. The $50 admission includes a "Desserts From Around the World" reception following the concert and benefits IRIS-Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services. The presenting sponsor is Stratton Faxon Law Firm.

Composer and Wesleyan University professor Neely Bruce set The Bill of Rights to music to educate young people about the basic American freedoms after hearing about a disturbing survey of American high school students. More than a third believed First Amendment guarantees of free speech "went too far." Half thought the government had the legal right to censor the Internet.
Presenting The Bill of Rights was a perfect fit for IRIS, according to Chris George, Executive Director of IRIS, a non-profit organization in New Haven that helps refugees-persecuted people from around the world-start new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of Connecticut's communities.

"Refugees become refugees because their rights were not respected in the countries they fled," he says. "In many cases, our clients' lives were threatened because they expressed their political opinions, or practiced their religion-two freedoms explicitly protected in the Bill of Rights."
Along with the Bill of Rights, added George, one of the strongest American commitments to freedom is seen in our tradition of inviting persecuted people to resettle here through the federal refugee resettlement program.

In 2010, the U.S. will admit 80,000 refugees to this country; IRIS will welcome 215 of them by year's end. IRIS helps refugees with their immediate resettlement needs by offering case management, housing and employment services, English language training, and health care coordination. IRIS also provides legal services to refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrants through its Immigration Legal Clinic.

Composer Neely Bruce's piece draws upon the tradition of "shape note singing," an early-American system of musical notation designed to help congregations learn music easily. The group performing the piece in New Haven is an eclectic mix, including refugees and area choral singers. During the concert, photographs by Andrew Hogan will be projected behind the chorus, showing refugees, other immigrants, and contemporary illustrations of the ten amendments. A short video will also be shown, of refugees from IRIS reflecting on freedom from persecution.

The amendments will be read aloud by special guest readers, including refugees and community leaders, before they are sung.

Tickets to the benefit are $50. Event sponsorships are available. For information about attending or sponsoring, contact Lucile Bruce at 203-562-2095. For more information about IRIS, visit irisct.org.