Gift of Music Gala Benefit Concert Held At Bergen PAC Raises 100k

The JCC Thurnauer School of Music's 21st annual Gift of Music Gala Benefit Concert, held February 9 at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, N.J., has raised nearly $100,000 toward high-quality, comprehensive music education at the school. The funds will be used to support scholarships to the JCC Thurnauer School of Music, as well as the Music Discovery Partnership, a collaboration with the Englewood Public School District serving more than 200 children. The money will also help fund the school's many outstanding programs, including orchestra, chamber music and jazz. The amount is the highest raised by a single event in the JCC Thurnauer School of Music's 27-year history.

The evening featured New York Philharmonic music director Alan Gilbert conducting the Thurnauer Symphony Orchestra (Lou Kosma, director) in Mozart's Divertimento, K.137, in B-flat; John Williams' "Theme from Schindler's List," with Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow as soloist; and Copland's "Simple Gifts" from Appalachian Spring. Mr. Gilbert and all participating Philharmonic musicians donated their time and talent in support of greater access to music education.

The concert included chamber music of Beethoven, Andrés and Mendelssohn, performed by 10 musicians from the orchestra (joined by Mr. Gilbert for the Mendelssohn work), including Mr. Dicterow and TSM parents Sheryl Staples (principal associate concertmaster); Judith LeClair (principal bassoon); and Jonathan Feldman (piano). The school's violin groups (Carey White, director) and combined choirs (Emma Brondolo, director) opened the program. Musicians and vocalists included students in the Music Discovery Partnership. This award-winning after-school program is now in its 13th year, and many of its students' families were in the concert audience.

"We are delighted about the outcome of our 2011 Gift of Music Gala Benefit Concert," said music school director and founder Dorothy Kaplan Roffman. "We are extraordinarily grateful to Mr. Gilbert and the world-class Philharmonic musicians for donating their time and talent to make this concert an unqualified success. We are also thankful to our generous donors for enabling us to make music a part of so many children's lives."

The Gift of Music Gala Benefit Concert was made possible by Joan and Alan Handler, and supported by many individual donors and local businesses, including BMW of Tenafly. Co-chairs were Karen and Michael Neus and Amy and Richard Machado.
"Contributions are still being received, for which we are very thankful," Roffman said. "We are close to $100,000 and still climbing. We hope to reach this significant milestone soon, and look forward to continuing to provide excellent music education for children."

Donations to the JCC Thurnauer School of Music may be made by visiting the school's Web site at www.jccotp.org/thurnauer or by calling (201) 408-1465.
About the JCC Thurnauer School of Music

The JCC Thurnauer School of Music, established in 1984, has been designated as a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State. As New Jersey's leading community music school, it serves more than 700 students in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. It also serves as an area cultural resource by presenting more than 30 concerts annually, as well as master classes with world-renowned artists. The School is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and an integral part of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades. JCC membership is not a requirement for enrollment or financial aid at the School. The School is supported, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; the Richard H. Holzer Memorial Foundation; the Community Chest serving Englewood, Tenafly and Englewood Cliffs; the Kyriakos Tsakolpoulos Sacramento Region Community Foundation; the Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund; and numerous individual donors. For further information, contact the music school at thurnauer@jccotp.org or 201-408-1465.

 

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