Pearl center’s annual concert tonight in E.B.

PEP Boys, David Schneck, William Helms to perform

EAST BRUNSWICK — The Daniel Pearl Education Center (DPEC) is turning words into action and music into inspiration with two unique programs today.

The nonprofit, affiliated with Temple B’nai Shalom, Fern and Old Stage roads, is holding a teacher workshop to help those from public, private, religious and national origin schools learn to teach about genocide, bias, prejudice and bigotry. The workshop is co-sponsored by the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, with support from the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University, St. Bartholomew School of East Brunswick, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.

At 8 p.m., the Daniel Pearl Education Center will host its fourth annual free concert in support of Daniel Pearl World Music Days, a global network of concerts intended to help spread a message of hope, unity and “Harmony for Humanity.” Since World Music Days’ inception, more than 2,000 concerts in 77 countries have been dedicated in memory of Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter murdered by extremists in Pakistan shortly after 9/11. A talented musician, Pearl believed in the power of music to bridge differences and unite people.

The free music program will feature two presentations: a performance by the PEP Boys, a group of professional musicians performing tunes from the Big Band era; and David Schneck and William Helms, noted area musicians.

The PEP Boys will start the evening, following welcomes by Daniel Pearl Education Center and Temple B’nai Shalom officials. The PEP Boys all performed previously with the Ponds Band of Monroe, and some of the musicians even played with Frank Sinatra, Frankie Laine and others.

Schneck and Helms will perform “Travels” by renowned American composer David Amram.

The choice of “Travels” emphasizes the Daniel Pearl Education Center’s commitment to understanding and coexistence, since the three-movement piece highlights American Indian music, jazz and traditional Middle-Eastern melodies.

Schneck has had a career as a performer, as principal trumpet in the Westchester Symphony Orchestra for 10 years, performed with the Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal, Stuttgart, Australian Ballet Companies, the Paris Opera, all at the Metropolitan Opera House; in Broadway shows; recorded with Nino Rota, the Fania Allstars; and has been in orchestras backing up The Yes, Mannheim Steamroller, the Three Irish Tenors, Frank Patterson, Shirley Bassey, Ben Vereen, Steve and Edie, and others.

Helms is a faculty member of The Juilliard School at Lincoln Center and also William Paterson University in Wayne. He was a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music for 11 years, where he directed the American Musical Theatre Ensemble and was a member of the opera department. Helms was assistant conductor/ pianist for the Broadway production of “Showboat” at the Gershwin Theatre and has performed off-Broadway with such shows as “Little Kit” at the Vineyard Theatre. He recently performed with the Three Irish Tenors, Aretha Franklin and Clay Aiken.

“We’re so very excited about this special day,” said Dr. Andrew Boyarsky, chairman of the Daniel Pearl Education Center. “Joining in the worldwide celebration of Daniel Pearl World Music Days is always very important to us, since we were the first schoolbased center in the United States to commit itself to Danny’s ideals. But this year we are doing something very special by teaching about tolerance and understanding during the day and then letting music, one of Danny’s great loves, raise our spirits in the evening.”

Temple B’nai Shalom’s Daniel Pearl Education Center was the first school-based center in the U.S. dedicated to the ideals of Pearl. Special DPEC activities include cultural and educational programs to promote understanding and cooperation.

For more information, call the temple office at 732-251-4300.