A concert celebrating the gift of the African musical tradition will be presented by the Estes Valley Chamber Singers, the Estes Park Chorale along with Valerie Dascoli, Patricia Arias, John Wolf, Mayor Gary Hall, Robert Johnson, Simpatica, Nada Quartet, and the Tranquil Valley Gospel Singers on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Presbyterian Community Church of the Rockies, 1700 Brodie Ave.
The concert is a benefit for the Estes Dementia Day Center, which is set to open in April at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.
The significance of this musical tradition is woven through nearly every strand of American music, reaching back to the 1700s. Spirituals, blues, jazz, and even rock and roll all trace their roots to African musical traditions, and many hymnals used in American churches include songs with African origins.
The Sunday afternoon program will feature jazz piano, blues guitar, and Bossa Nova alongside spirituals, hymns, and contemporary choral works.
“From a pure musical standpoint, we’ve got a piano-guitar-vocal trio doing a Bossa Nova tune called Corcovado. I love that genre of music and just had this feeling that it would work,” said Nelson Burke, one of the event organizers.
“The concert was named after a song called ‘Let me Listen’, and the message is not only clear, but timely. There are so many issues today that would be less inflammatory if we’d all just listen more,” Burke said.
According to Burke, last year’s Black History Month concert raised over $9,000 for the Estes Park Salud Foundation. The EDDC, which set a goal of $500,000 to open its doors, is close to achieving it. Concert organizers are hopeful that this year’s benefit performance will help the EDDC not just reach but exceed its goal.
While the concert is free to attend, donations for the EDDC, a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization, will be taken. Checks can be made out to the Estes Dementia Day Center.