Brooklyn The Musical & Voices for Hope - Eight Teens Selected to Perform During Broadway Show Raising Their Voices to Help End Homelessness
Voices for Hope is proud to announce that eight teens have been chosen as the winners of the Connecticut-based singing contest. The public education and fundraising campaign utilizes the national tour of the Broadway show, Brooklyn The Musical, in collaboration with The Bushnell Center for Performing Arts. The eight winners will sing the song, “Heart Behind These Hands,” live with the cast of Brooklyn The Musical during the curtain call of the show’s run (eight performances in total) at The Bushnell June 20th-25th.
Hartford, CT (PRWEB) June 18, 2006 -- Voices for Hope is proud to announce that eight teens have been chosen as the winners of the Connecticut-based singing contest (Michelle Ammirati of Stonington, CT; Kayla Bogan of Brick, NJ; Jessica Braun of Newtown, CT; Jenny Del Sole of Middletown, CT; Courtney Drummey of West Simsbury, CT; Harrison Fish of Canterbury, CT; Jaclyn Sabogal of Peabody, MA and Rachelle Seney of Ledyard, CT).
Voices for Hope is a public education and fundraising campaign administered by New Generations Ministries and LUNCH (Local United Network to Combat Hunger), utilizing the national tour of the Broadway show, Brooklyn The Musical, in collaboration with The Bushnell Center for Performing Arts. The eight winners will sing the song, “Heart Behind These Hands,” live with the cast of Brooklyn The Musical during the curtain call of the show’s run (eight performances in total) at The Bushnell June 20th-25th. Fourteen semi-finalists sang in front of a panel of Voices for Hope judges at The Bushnell on June 3rd in the final round of the vocal competition.
Voices for Hope received submissions from hopeful 12-18 year olds from all over Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and even Texas. After listening to all of the acapella recordings, the show’s director, casting director and music director narrowed the field down to the fourteen finalists who were judged on both talent and passion by music industry professionals. Jason "DJ Maestro" Norfleet, writer, disc jockey and producer, was one of the Voices for Hope judges on the panel. “I think we all saw today, that there are a lot of talented kids with a lot of passion for this cause,” said Norfleet.
“Voices for Hope means that people are reaching out to other people through song and expression. It gave me the opportunity to do what I love to do and help people at the very same time,” said Elle Crane. “Little things to us are huge things for the homeless and with the Voices of Hope contest maybe someone will hear our voices and try to end hunger and homelessness,” said Gabi Nicole Carrubba. Crane of Avon, CT and Carrubba of Wallingford, CT along with Julie Novac of Simsbury, CT; Sarah Petersen of West Hartford, CT; Rebecca Taylor of Berlin, CT and Elizabeth Wiley of Glastonbury, CT were all semi-finalists. In order to honor the contestants who have raised their voices to help end homelessness, the first 50 entrants of the contest were invited to attend a showing of Brooklyn The Musical with the person who inspired them to sing.
“I came to work at the Bushnell because I believe that art can change lives,” said Zita Christian, Education Programs Coordinator at The Bushnell. Bushnell Education Programs Manager Linda Regulbuto adds that, “The Voices for Hope vocal contest became an extension of The Bushnell Education and Community Relations Department’s On Stage and Beyond program. Voices for Hope provided more than aesthetic clues and show craft details; it offered an opportunity for these young people to raise their voices to help raise awareness for the homeless in a creative endeavor.”
Bill and Kay Pere, a Mystic, CT husband and wife team and founders of LUNCH administered the Voices for Hope competition along with New Generations, a Hartford non-profit organization that provides a myriad of charitable contributions and volunteer work for the needy and homeless. “The fourteen finalists are all winners here today,” explains Bill Pere. “I’d like to invite all fourteen of the semi-finalists to participate in recording a special compilation CD that we will produce at the Connecticut Songwriting Academy with LUNCH. We will distribute the CD internationally, to further benefit local social service programs. As artists, we all have a social responsibility.” Kay Pere, a vocal educator, comments, “The contestants are all very inspiring. They have a fresh attitude, and give us all hope for the future.
Voices for Hope is a public education and fundraising campaign helping to raise awareness and funds that will benefit the Connecticut Homeless. The $50 contestant entry fee is charitable contribution that will aid New Generations’ food pantry and breakfast program for families in New Britain, and also the Hartford-based organization, The House of Bread, Inc. LUNCH will be designating its funds for support of homeless shelters in Southeastern CT, which would include MASH (Groton), Harvest Home (Westerly), Covenant Shelter (New London), Katie Blair House (Norwich), and the New London Emergency Shelter (New London).
Major pro bono support for the Voices for Hope campaign was offered by Maestro1 Enterprises, the authors of Dinner at Six, Skye Communication LLC, and the Connecticut Songwriting Academy. For more information on any of the Voices for Hope partners please visit www.skyeline.com/vfh/partners.pdf.
About Brooklyn The Musical
Direct from Broadway, Brooklyn The Musical is a new musical by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson, directed by Tony® award nominee Jeff Calhoun, with music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Grammy® & Emmy® award winner John McDaniel. The show tells the story about a band of soulful street-corner singers and storytellers. With a mix of pop and soul, they tell a wondrous fairy tale about a young girl searching for fame and the father she never knew. With just one clue to lead her, she lands in the city that bears her name…Brooklyn. For more information on the writers, director and cast please go to www.skyeline.com/vfh/playbill.pdf.
“Imagine ‘Hair’ or ‘Godspell,’ throw in a helping of Motown and filter the whole thing through the pyrotechnics of ‘American Idol.’” - The New York Times
To Purchase Tickets
Brooklyn The Musical will play a one week engagement (8 performances) at The Bushnell, June 20 – 25, 2006, as part of the Lincoln Financial Broadway Series. The tour is produced by Dallas Summer Musicals. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting the Bushnell Box Office, located at 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, or by calling the box office at (860) 987-5900. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.bushnell.org. Groups of twenty or more should call the Group Sales Hotline at (860) 987-5959.
About The Bushnell
The Bushnell is Connecticut’s premier performing arts center, hosting more than 350 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. In November 2001, The Bushnell completed a $45 million expansion project that added a second, 907-seat theater to the existing historic structure. The new, state-of-the-art performance hall allows for expanded arts, entertainment and community offerings. The Bushnell’s nationally-recognized arts-in-education program, PARTNERS? (Partners in Arts and Education Revitalizing Schools), is a cross-community educational effort serving 20 schools in 12 districts throughout the Greater Hartford area. The Bushnell opened in January 1930 and is a non-profit organization. For more information, call The Bushnell at (860) 987-6000, The Bushnell Box Office at (860) 987-5900 or visit www.bushnell.org.
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