For the third consecutive year, the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music will help combat hunger in the Fox Cities during the upcoming holiday season by dedicating four November concerts to benefit the St. Joseph Food Program.
The concerts, all in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, are presented in partnership with Music for Food, a national program for local hunger relief.
Audience members are encouraged to make a charitable donation — monetary or a non-perishable food item. All monetary donations are tax deductible, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to St. Joseph Food Program.
This year’s Music for Food concerts are:
• Saturday, Nov. 7, Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend: Rufus Reid with the Lawrence Jazz Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. 920-832-6749 for tickets.
• Friday, Nov. 13, Lawrence Concert Choir, Cantala women’s choir, Viking Chorale, 8 p.m. Free.
• Saturday, Nov. 14, Lawrence Symphony Orchestra, 8 p.m. Free.
• Tuesday, Nov. 17, Lawrence Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, 8 p.m. Free.
“I’m so delighted and proud that Lawrence will be collecting once again for Music for Food at its November concerts,” said Lawrence Professor of Music Catherine Kautsky, one of the program’s organizers. “This is our third year working with this terrific national organization of musicians, and we, as well as the community, have benefitted enormously. We all believe that music lifts the spirit; how wonderful when it also can contribute materially to the community’s well-being.”
During the first two years of the program, Lawrence concerts have generated nearly 350 pounds of donated food to St. Joe’s.
Music for Food is a musician-led initiative founded in 2010 by violist Kim Kashkashian in collaboration with the New England Conservatory. Concerts raise funds and awareness to combat hunger, empowering musicians who use their artistry to further social justice. Now in its sixth season, Music for Food has provided more than 200,000 meals through donations made at certs on behalf of more than a dozen hunger-relief organizations.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College” and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges 2016. Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
