The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Concert celebrates local music, benefits local groups
Music for Giving will be held at First Church, Middletown
MIDDLETOWN >> The Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts & Cultural Center, in collaboration with First Church, Middletown, and Grammy Winner, Bill Pere, present Music for Giving, a concert to benefit local social services, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 4-6 p.m. at First Church, 190 Court Street in Middletown.
This is a family event with the music of Harry Chapin and LUNCH, featuring Grammy winner and former CT State Troubadour Bill Pere, Nashville recording artist Kay Pere and the youth of First Church and the LUNCH Ensemble and will include a bake sale, raffles and a silent auction.
The event will support local social services, the youth groups of First Church and The Buttonwood Tree. Tickets, donations to support the charities and more information may be found at w w w.lunchensemble.com or www.Buttonwood.org
Bill Pere, a past CT State Troubadour, Grammy winner and founder of CT Songwriter Association and the Local United Network to Combat Hunger (LUNCH) program, began in 1989 to raise funds for social services in honor of Harry Chapin who believed in “Using the Power of Popular Music to Produce Positive Social Action.” LUNCH has raised over $1,000,000 since then and continues to bring families together to support local communities.
Bill Pere is a Grammywinning songwriter, named one of the “Top 50 Innovators, Groundbreakers, and Guiding Lights of the Music Industry” by Music Connection Magazine. He is the author of the industry-standard songwriting guide “Songcrafters’ Coloring Book” and is one of the most sought-after songwriting coaches today, working with clients around the world. His presentations at national conferences and analytical critiques have revolutionized the way we craft and evaluate songs. Bill is Executive Director of the Connecticut Songwriters Association, the 2003 National Independent Artist of the Year, and an Official Connecticut State Troubadour. He is Founder of the LUNCH Ensemble, and Director of the Connecticut Songwriting Academy. He has released 16 CD’s and has written and produced 23 stage plays. He has twice been named Connecticut Songwriter of the Year, and has appeared on a special edition Cheerios box as a hunger-fighting hero. The New York Times calls him “The Link Between Music and Science”. More at www. billpere.com
Kay Pere is a multi-national award winning singer-songwriter, and a nationally known vocal and creativity coach. Her piano-propelled folk-rock, with finely crafted lyrics, has been performed in such noted venues as the Shubert Theater, Garde Arts Center, Cheney Hall, Seven Angels Theater, University of Hartford, Sacred Heart University, and the Vanilla Bean Cafe. Beyond New England, she has performed internationally with the LUNCH Ensemble, the Steve Chapin Band, as part of a select choir at New York’s Avery Fischer Hall, and on stages in New York, Nashville, Dallas and L.A.
She has recorded in Nashville with a Grammy winning producer and world class musicians. One of her songs has been recorded by the great Melba Moore. Kay has been a Director for the Connecticut Songwriters Association since 1997, and she presents regularly at national music conferences. More at www. kaypere.com