Musical benefit for Syrian refugees to be held at Grace Church

Sunday, Feb. 26, 3:30 p.m.—RUTLAND—A musical benefit for Syrian refugees coming to Rutland will be performed Sunday, Feb. 26, 3:30 p.m. at Grace Congregational Church, 8 Court St., Rutland.
Instrumentalists Stefanie Taylor, violin; Court Gettel, flute; David Baasch, cello; Diane Chartrand, piano; and Jennifer Hoult, harp, will play music of Telemann, Ibert, Cui, Bolling and other classical composers. A quartet of singers will perform “Where Do We Go?,” an original poignant and compelling composition by Montpelier High School 2016 graduate, Anna Scoppettone. This vocal piece tells of the hardship, despair, and fears of a Syrian refugee family, with each of the four voice parts representing a refugee father, mother, daughter and son’s viewpoint. Scoppettone said of her piece, “I want people listening to this piece to take away the idea that refugees are people just like us, who have gone through something really, really hard.”
Composer Scoppettone hopes that her music will encourage people to respond to others not from a place of hatred and fear, but from a place of love and compassion. She wrote the piece during her senior year at Montpelier High School as part of the Student Composer Showcase featured on Vermont Public Radio.
Also on the concert program will be other choral music directed by Eddie Wilkin. Choral music performed will reflect the oppression, injustice, hopelessness, and pain experienced by many peoples and the role we can play in uniting together in our shared humanity with a response of welcome, understanding, compassion, hope, peace, and love. A free will offering will be collected.   For more information, call 802-775-4301.