The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Arts May 12, 2006

Benefit Events for Alzheimer’s
 
Reach Fusion: Seungku Lee, Michael Lehman, Aaron Williams, Anne Ristorcelli.
 

The One Small Step tour on which Reach Fusion, Oberlin Conservatory’s newest contemporary classical music ensemble, will embark Sunday, May 14, is devoted to raising money and awareness to aid the Alzheimer’s Association in bettering the lives of those affected and ultimately conquering the disease.

“I was first inspired to help the Alzheimer’s Association when my grandmother was diagnosed with the disease in 2005. I organized a benefit concert last year that raised over $2500 for the Association,” said Conservatory senior Michael Lehman, percussionist and leader of Reach Fusion. “With this tour the four of us hope to build upon the success of this past achievement.” Lehman’s partners in this cause are pianist senior Seungku Lee, violist junior Anne Ristorcelli and percussionist junior Aaron Williams.

The enthusiastic group will perform concerts in six cities: Lorain, Cleveland, Akron, Bucyrus, Quincy and Oberlin, kicking off the tour with a free concert in Warner Concert Hall this Sunday.

The Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that affects over four and a half million Americans. Reach Fusion has worked together with the Alzheimer Association chapter in each of the six cities on the tour. As a part of this collaboration, a representative from the association will be present at each concert to collect donations and share information about recent research advancements. Donations from each concert will benefit local families and programming, as well as the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago.

“We first discussed this tour in September and over Winter Term we put the plan together — we started to contact the venues and etcetera,” said Williams. “We are enormously grateful for the help we received along the way. We thank Associate Dean of the Conservatory Marci Alegant, who assisted us with the our applications for the grant we received from the Nord foundation, we also thank the Alzheimer’s Association for helping us to connect with some of the places in which we’re going to perform.”

Reach Fusion’s program choice features an eclectic and captivating selection of music.

“The pieces we’re performing are appealing and accessible to a large range of audience members, although most of them are contemporary music pieces,” said Williams.

He and Lehman will play the marimba and vibraphone in Anders Koppel’s eccentric duo Toccata. Lee will join them for two trios: Bob Becker’s Prisoners of the Image Factory and the driving, rhythmic Happy Tachyons by New Zealand freelance composer John Psathas. Lee will perform Béla Bartók’s Piano Sonata. Ristorcelli and Williams will perform a duo by Leonie Holmes titled Recitative II and will round out the program with Trauermusik by Paul Hindemith.

Even though the group is just a few months old, Reach Fusion is rapidly making a name for itself through its commitment to social involvement.

For additional information or to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Associations, you can contact the local association’s chapter or e-mail the group at ReachFusion@yahoo.com.
 
 

   

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