West Windsor-Plainsboro high school musicians to perform at Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
By: Emily Craighead
Philanthropy will take center stage May 26 when West Windsor-Plainsboro high school musicians perform Carl Orff’s "Carmina Burana" at Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall in Philadelphia.
Ticket sale revenues will benefit City of Hope, a medical center dedicated to cancer research.
"This is something we’ve all wanted to do, using culture for community service," High School North orchestra director John Enz said.
The project began as a joint effort of High School North’s symphony orchestra and concert choir.
It has been a tradition in the district to combine High School North and South choirs for special performances, according to Mary Jacobsen, a music teacher at North coordinating the effort.
When the project started, the student musicians and their teachers simply wanted to find a venue to accommodate a full symphony orchestra and more than 300 singers.
Joining forces with choir groups at High School South and Cherry Hill East High School, High School North orchestra and choir members raised about $40,000 to fulfill their dream of performing at the premier venue.
"As we stood on the Verizon Hall stage, we felt this was something that was bigger than ourselves, and if we were to perform here, it had to be for a greater cause," Ms. Jacobsen said in a news release from the group.
It was then that they decided to make the performance a "Concert for Hope."
"The thing that is so unique is trying to make performance groups do something beyond their performances," Mr. Enz said.
Many students are embracing the opportunity to perform community service while performing in a concert.
"There’s a strong contingent that have been awakened to what they can do for other people," Mr. Enz said.
Evan Wisser, choir president at High School North, is one of those students.
"We’ve done a lot in the four years I’ve been here, but this is the first time we’re reaching out beyond the local community," he said.
Evan has helped organize High School North’s fundraising efforts.
Beginning in November, students raised money by giving concerts, selling Hope Bears and soliciting contributions from parents, faculty members, community members and local businesses.
"It seemed really worthwhile to connect with music for more than our own gratification," Evan said.
The concert itself will showcase local and regional talent.
Guest conductor Paul Head from the University of Delaware will lead guest soloists including Elem Eley and Rochelle Ellis of Westminster Choir College and the high school.
Singers from the fifth and sixth grades of Community Middle School and Millstone River Upper Elementary School will also take part in the performance.
"Carmina Burana" is a lively piece that will allow the students to show off their talent, Mr. Enz said.
"It’s a unique piece in its very driving rhythmic melodies," he said. "It’s something the students can really hang their hat on. We’re really using all our talent."
The sounds those talented musicians will produce later this month will reverberate beyond the Kimmel Center’s halls. When the concert is over, the event will have touched not only the lives of the performers and their audience, but also the lives of cancer victims who will benefit from the concert proceeds.
Tickets for the May 26 event are available at the Kimmel Center Box Office by calling (215) 893-1999. At 7 p.m., an art show displaying work by West Windsor-Plainsboro students will open in the lobby. The concert begins at 8 p.m.

