Lajenès Pou Ayiti: Youth for Haiti was a benefit concert organized by Uptown Music Collective students, in cooperation with the Community Arts Center. The event raised over $5000 which was sent to the group, Direct Relief International to help the relief efforts in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Haiti. This exciting collaboration was held at The Community Arts Center on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 7:30 PM.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This is great opportunity for young people to make a difference and to use music to its full potential. Music not only makes people feel good, but can be used in events like this to celebrate people helping people and improving the lives of those who need it most.” Brandon Route – UMC student, 15 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press Release

Lajenès Pou Ayiti means ”youth for Haiti” in Creole, the most commonly spoken language of the Haitian people. Lajenès Pou Ayiti: Youth for Haiti is a benefit concert being organized by Uptown Music Collective students, in cooperation with the Community Arts Center. The event is intended to raise money to help with the relief efforts in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Haiti. This exciting collaboration will be held at The Community Arts Center on Friday, February 26, 2010 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Community Arts Center Box Office and by calling the Uptown Music Collective at (570)329-0888 or stopping by the main building at 848 West Fourth St. in Williamsport.

The idea for the benefit came from Jennie Judd, a sophomore at Williamsport Area High School, and Uptown Music Collective student Brandon Route, who is also a sophomore at Williamsport. “One Sunday afternoon Brandon emailed me and asked me if the Collective might be interested in organizing a benefit to raise money for the relief efforts in Haiti,” said Dave Brumbaugh, Executive Director of the Uptown Music Collective. “I immediately replied that it was a great idea and now you are in charge of organizing it.” Brandon, along with other UMC students Nuria Hunter and Katie Shaw, have taken on that leadership role and put together an exciting and varied program involving young people from all over central Pennsylvania.

The performers will include Uptown Music Collective students, who will be performing a wide range of material including rock, soul and pop classics, as well as a jazz piece and a classical guitar quartet performance. They will be joined by two elite choral groups from the Williamsport Area High School, Les Chanteuses and GQ, under the direction of Kent Weaver and Erik Clayton, as well as the renowned WAHS Jazz Band directed by Todd Kendall. Music will also be provided by the CAPPA organization’s performing group, the YG’s, under the direction of Lonnie Gamble. Students from Milissa Augustine’s Dance Academy will be joining several of the musical groups onstage as well, adding an exciting visual element to what will already be a rich musical experience.

Along with the music, the work of young visual artists from the greater Williamsport area will be on display in the inner lobby of the CAC, with many of the works being auctioned off to support the relief efforts in Haiti. As a special treat, a small team of these artists will be creating a painting, live onstage during the first part of the performance. The live work is planned to be completed by the events intermission, at which point audience members may bid on the piece. Finally the music and other events will be interspersed with readings from young local poets and a slide show about the situation in Haiti presented by Jennie Judd, who just recently returned from helping with the relief efforts there.

With the Community Arts Center and the rest of the organizations waiving their fees and donating their time, 100% of the proceeds from this event will be sent to the relief agency Direct Relief International and designated specifically to the relief effort in Haiti. Direct Relief International provides medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest at home and throughout the world. In recent years, Direct Relief has spent less than one-half of one percent of their annual support on fundraising and less than one percent on administration. That simple math is why Direct Relief’s efficiency and expense ratings are consistently among the best in the U.S.

Williamsport’s Community Arts Center is a stunning example of what can be done with a beautiful old theatre that is run by an enlightened front office staff and talented and hardworking technical crew. Over the past five years the CAC has worked hard to “put the community back in the Community Arts Center” while at the same time enriching the local culture with an astonishing number of widely varied events throughout the year. Local groups including the Uptown Music Collective, CAPPA and others have benefited greatly from the generosity of the administration and staff of the Community Arts Center. “The Community Arts Center is one of the crown jewels in the art and culture scene in central Pennsylvania” said Jared Mondell, a member of the UMC staff.

The Uptown Music Collective is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit school of music, located at 848 West Fourth St. in Williamsport. Established in April of 2000, the Collective has developed a reputation as the premier source of music education in the area. Offering private lessons at all levels on guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, as well as classes and workshops in music theory, songwriting, and styles such as the Blues, Jazz, Classical and Rock. The school specializes in working with students from 10 – 18 yrs old, but is open to all ages and levels. Along with its primary educational program, the UMC offers a myriad of programs including its flagship Performance Program. This program educates students about the ins and outs of major and minor performances, including direction, production, preparation and technical aspects of the performances. The program also brings outstanding student run performances to the area, including the most recent, “Shine on You Crazy Diamond; A Tribute to Pink Floyd,” and “The Evolution of Rock: 1951-1991.” For more information about the Collective check them out at www.uptownmusic.org or give them a call at 570-329-0888.

Check out the story in the Sun Gazette

Quotes:

“The Community Arts Center is pleased indeed to partner with the Uptown Music Collective for the “student driven” concert to benefit the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti. When our local students demonstrate the heart and the wherewithal to muster an ambitious project like the Lajenès Pou Ayiti concert, it only takes a pair of seconds to fall in step and support them. These are terrific students with amazing talent and I hope our community will rally around them and help to celebrate their good work.”

Rob Steele – Executive Director Community Arts Center

“I am so proud of these young people, not only for having the desire to lend a helping hand to people in need, but also for demonstrating the ability to plan and organize a performance of this magnitude. The world is a very small place these days and it’s important that they know they can effect change in the world with their music and their compassion”

Dave Brumbaugh – Executive Director Uptown Music Collective

“This is great opportunity for young people to make a difference and to use music to its full potential. Music not only makes people feel good, but can be used in events like this to celebrate people helping people and improving the lives of those who need it most.”

Brandon Route – UMC student, 15

“Whether it’s one month after an earthquake, or one year, the people in Haiti still need our help.”

Nuria Hunter – UMC student, 16

“This show is really great because it not only raises funds and awareness, but it shows anyone can pitch in and help others.”
Shannon Cantor – UMC student, 15

“Music is my passion, and I enjoy it even more when I can use it to help others.”
Josh Hines – UMC student, 18