The Princeton University Orchestra will give four performances in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. this winter to benefit people affected by the Sept. 11 attacks.
The concert tour was conceived by the orchestra's student members, said Michael Pratt, conductor of the University Orchestra.
"When the students learned that we couldn't go on our planned tour of Eastern Europe, they decided they wanted to do something in response to Sept. 11," he said. "We have all heard Woodrow Wilson's call for Princeton to act in the nation's service, and we hope, in this way, to answer that call. We are blessed to be at Princeton and grateful for an opportunity to express that gratitude by using great music to help our fellow citizens."
On January 30, the orchestra will play two free performances at Stuyvesant High School in New York, which is located a few blocks from the World Trade Center. The 3 p.m. performance will be for Stuyvesant students; the 8 p.m. performance will be for the general public.
The orchestra also will give benefit performances in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The students selected Washington because of the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon and Philadelphia because of the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on that day. Tickets are required for the Philadelphia and Washington concerts.
The proceeds from the concerts will go toward four programs created by Princeton University to help people affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center. The programs will provide live arts and cultural experiences this spring for up to 10,000 New York City-area school children; $250,000 in scholarship support for students at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which lost more than 100 students and alumni as a result of the attacks; week-long programs this summer for children who lost parents in the attacks; and support for faculty, staff and students who can contribute expertise to New York's recovery or conduct research related to the attacks. The University has committed $1 million to the programs. .
The orchestra's Philadelphia performance will be 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the University of Pennsylvania. The Washington performance will be 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, at George Washington University. These concerts are being presented with the support of the Princeton Clubs of Philadelphia and Washington.
The orchestra will play Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel Overture," Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances" and Copland's "Appalachian Spring."
Tickets are not required for the concerts in New York. For information on tickets to the Philadelphia concert, call (610) 353-6897. For information on tickets to the Washington concert, call (202) 994-1500.
Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-3601