Classical music to line-dancing, live magic to songs from The Sound of Music — a wide-ranging performance is promised tonight, June 4, by members of SPHERE and volunteers who have been working with them weekly since last fall.
The performance will involve a broad-based group of volunteers — The Ridgefield Chorale, Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra bassist Joe Russo, magician Tom Pesce, Girl Scouts from Ridgebury School, students from Scotland Elementary School.
The stars of the show will be the performers from SPHERE, the local empowerment group for people with disabilities.
“We’re celebrating what these special members of our community can do,” said Kim Pereira, director of SPHERE’s music and performing arts program.
“The purpose of being in the audience is to be there for them and cheer them and celebrate them.”
The show is tonight at 7 p.m. at The Ridgefield Playhouse.
“It’s a fund-raiser. We’ll have a suggested donation at the door,” Pereira said.
The suggested donation is $20 for adults, and $10 for senior citizens and kids under 18.
How many people will be involved in the performance?
“I had to order 175 T-shirts,” Pereira said.
“We have 39 members, and then our regular SPHERE volunteers are a dozen or so,” she said.
One of the anticipated highlights will be SPHERE pianist Susan Choplinski playing with bassist Joe Russo from the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra.
“She’s really talented and she’s pulling off a beautiful duet with a professional musician, so that’s really cool,” Pereira said.
“He’s on bass and she’s on piano.”
The music they’re to play was written by Russo.
“He composed this piece himself — not for this event, it was composed earlier, but this is an original piece,” Pereira said.
Russo of the RSO is among a number of volunteers who have been working with SPHERE on their Thursday music and performing arts nights at Jesse Lee Methodist Church.
Another is magician Tom Pesce.
“He’s amazing,” Pereira said. “He’s been volunteering his time, he’s been coming on Thursdays. He’s worked with six individual members and taught them how to do some magic.
“Our members are going to do magic for the show.”
Pesce is also planning to do some magic involving all the SPHERE members as part of the show.
Author Rich Cohen has written an original play, If You Can Talk, You Can Sing, which SPHERE will perform.
A chorus of SPHERE members made an appearance at a recent Ridgefield Chorale concert, and the chorale will return the favor at the June 4 SPHERE show.
“We’ve been working with them,” Pereira said. “We’re singing three selections from The Sound of Music.”
Guitarist John Andrew Moomaw will be featured on Climb Every Mountain. Sean Keenan will be lead vocalist on The Lonely Goatherd. And the SPHERE chorus will join The Ridgefield Chorale for a rendition of Edelweiss, which the groups sang together at the chorale’s concert.
SPHERE members will dance and play recorders together with students from Scotland School — 50 Scotland students are expected to participate.
SPHERE members will also be dancing with Girl Scouts from Ridgebury School, who have been volunteering regularly at SPHERE’s Thursday night events.
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