Bach Cello Concert to Help Japan Earthquake Victims

Press release from Purchase Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends:

Master Cellist Will Perform Bach to Help Japan Earthquake Victims

Cellist Stephen Ballou, a Westchester Quaker who has played with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 1987, will perform the famous and inspiring J. S. Bach: Six Suites for Solo Cello at the Julie Harris Theatre of the Clear View School, 480 Albany Post Road, Briarcliff Manor.

The concert, to be held May 22 at 7 p.m., will benefit the Japan Institute’s Earthquake Relief Fund and 100% of all contributions will go directly to help victims recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. More than 14,700 people were killed and about 11,000 are still missing. Coordinating the concert’s organization is Bronxville resident Susan Weisfeld.

Steve Ballou’s vision and strong desire to use his talent and skill to help, called “following a leading” by Quakers, has resulted in a network of support to make the May 22 performance a reality. The Board of the Clear View School is donating the theatre space and necessary maintenance staff so that all funds raised can be donated to the Earthquake Relief Fund. The Quakers of Westchester County have donated funds for printing and refreshments.

In advance of the concert, Steve will be giving workshops on the topic of the Bach Cello Suites for music students in area schools, including Clear View, which also will bring attention to the need for help in Japan.

The profoundly moving Bach Suites for Solo Cello were popularized by Pablo Casals and became his signature piece on stage. They are also well known because they were played for 22 days in the rubble of an explosion in Sarajevo by cellist Vedran Smailovic, in protest of the war and the deaths of 22 of his fellow Bosnians while in a queue to buy bread.

In addition to his work with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and extensive freelance performances as a soloist and in chamber music and orchestral ensembles, Steve also has taught
master classes for the American String Teachers Association. He has been called "a cellist who has everything" by the Newark Star-Ledger and "a true spokesman of the art " by Le Figaro Paris-
Normandie.

A minimum donation of $20 is suggested and refreshments, including Japanese snacks, will be served at intermission. For additional information on the concert or for advance tickets: 914-218-8735 or finleytroup@optonline.net.

For those who cannot attend but would like to make a tax deductible contribution, a check payable to “The Japan Society” with memo line “Earthquake Relief Fund” can be mailed to Glen Johnson, 2819 Birch St., Yorktown Heights, NY 10598.

More about the tsunami and earthquake relief work of the Japan Society can be found at:www.japansociety.org/fund recipients.

The Julie Harris Theatre at the Clear View School is at 480 Albany Post Road/Route 9 in Briarcliff Manor, 1.4 miles north of Route 117, and one-half mile south of Scarborough Road.