MANASQUAN – Maestro Father Alphonse Stephenson will kick off summer as he conducts a boatload of local talent on May 29 at 3 p.m. at Algonquin Arts Theatre in a benefit for The Cecelia Foundation. The Cecelia Foundation was founded nearly 30 years ago by the “must-see maestro” to gift professional instruments and scholarships to deserving young Garden State musicians.
The 3 p.m. event will feature six former recipients playing alongside the celebrated 45 member Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. In addition, other young New Jersey musicians will be named as new recipients of the foundation’s gifts.
Father Alphonse said the first half of the themed “By The Sea” program will welcome summer with beloved sea-related songs such as the “Banana Boat Song” made popular by Harry Belafonte, “Beyond the Sea” sung first by Bobby Darin along with Otis Redding’s “The Dock Of The Bay.” As a special treat, paintings of water scenes by artist Stephan Silipigni will be projected onto a screen above the orchestra while the music plays. The second half of the matinee will feature classical music inspired by water, including Handel’s “Water Music” and Strauss’ “Blue Danube.” During intermission and after the concert, audience members are invited to the adjacent Victoria J. Mastrobuono Studio to meet and view the work of self-taught artist Silipigni, a landscape painter from Washington D.C.
Algonquin Arts Theatre has donated the use of the theatre space for the performance. Tickets for this magical matinee start at $43 for adults, $40 for seniors and $33 for students and can be reserved by calling 732-528-9211, online @ algonquinarts.org and by visiting the Algonquin Box Office at 173 Main Street in Manasquan. Discounts available for groups of 12 or more.
Since he created The Cecelia Foundation, Father Alphonse has given away “violins, violas, cellos, basses, flutes, trombones, drums…you name it,” he said. The new instruments are awarded during a concert as a surprise to their young recipients. “It is always an emotional moment for everyone at the event,” Father Alphonse stated. The gifting criteria includes a recommendation from the musician’s teacher, a respectable academic record and financial need.
“Financial cutbacks in school are the order of the day,” Father Alphonse said. “Arts programs are often among the first to be cut, family budgets are strained, and the quality of instruments available to aspiring musicians through school systems often discourage the student from practicing. Primary funding for the Foundation have been from sales of the Orchestra’s recordings and through the generosity of the Paul F. Zito M.D. Foundation and an Arts and Cultural Grant from the OceanFirst Foundation.
Father Alphonse’s unique multi-faceted calling as a Roman Catholic priest has included being conductor of the Broadway production of “A Chorus Line” for thousands of performances and leading the Orchestra he founded to performance at Carnegie Hall. Until his recent retirement, Father Alphonse also served as an Air Force Chaplain of the Air National Guard and Brigadier General. Posted at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., Father Alphonse was the Director of the National Guard Joint Chaplaincy.
About Algonquin Arts Theatre
Algonquin Arts Theatre (AAT) is a 501c (3) non-profit center for performing arts, providing cultural enrichment and arts education for residents and visitors of Central New Jersey and the Jersey Shore through high quality performances and programs in theatre, music, dance and film. AAT’s programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding is also provided by Manasquan Bank, the Paul F. Zito, M.D. Educational Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Freed Foundation, the PNC Foundation, the Horizon Foundation of New Jersey, the OceanFirst Foundation, the Investors Bank Foundation, the Provident Bank Foundation and the generosity of patrons.