Staff and Students at Yale Join Forces for Tsunami Relief

To raise money for the ongoing recovery efforts in the region devastated by the tsunami, students and staff of the Yale community are pooling their talents for a gala performance at Woolsey Hall, corner of College and Grove streets, March 2 at 7 p.m.

The idea to showcase Yale talent to aid tsunami victims grew out of a conversation among colleagues in Yale’s department of Information Technology Services (ITS) and quickly gained momentum, reports Stacey Smart, an assistant manager in the support services of ITS and one of the original organizers of the event.

The Office of New Haven and State Affairs agreed to make Woolsey Hall available for a concert and offered to cover some of the expenses. Presented with the idea at a meeting for tsunami relief, students responded enthusiastically, asking the staff organizers to donate part of the proceeds to the Tsunami Relief Yale College Fund. The rest of the concert proceeds will go to AmeriCares for Tsuanami Relief.

Undergraduate singers and musicians, including many of Yale’s legendary a capella groups, signed on. Other performance groups within the greater Yale community soon joined the effort. Among them is the student/alumni quintet Brass., which was founded by its trumpeters, Yale College graduate and ITS systems programmer Drew Mazurek and Junius Johnson, a Yale graduate student in religious studies.

The Long Island Sounds, composed of alumni Whiffenpoofs, will perform, as will the current class of Whiffs. Other Yale ensembles appearing at the event include the a capella groups The Alley Cats, Redhot &Blue and Out of the Blue; the Saybrook Orchestra, Yale’s youngest and fastest growing full orchestra; The Slavic Chorus and the comedy improv group The Exit Players.

The ad hoc committee producing the show has grown from its core originators in ITS to include representatives of Student Financial &Administrative Services, the Graduate School, the Office of New Haven Affairs, the Office of Public Affairs and Custodial Services.

In addition to putting together the show, the group is holding a raffle to raise funds. “Local businesses have been very generous with donations of various services and products, including dinners, lunches, gift cards, etc.,” reports Smart. Raffle tickets, which cost $5 for 10, will only be on sale at the event.

Advance ticket purchases for the March 2 performance are available at User Accounts, 221 Whitney Ave., the McDougal Box Office at the Hall of Graduate Studies, 320 York Street, and Student Financial Services at 246 Church St. Tickets are $5 for students and $12 for all others. Tickets will also be available at the door for $7 and $15, respectively. For more information about this concert, visit the website www.yale.edu/tsunamiconcert.

To find out about other efforts of the Yale community to aid the ongoing rebuilding of the tsunami–devastated region, go to http://www.yale.edu/opa/intl/news/