NYC Community Chorus Launches Indiegogo Campaign For June 16 Production of Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars"--Four-Week Crowdfunding Effort Seeks to Raise $7,000

    NEW YORK, NY, May 15, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New York City Community Chorus (www.nycccha.org), a non-audition, non-sectarian chorus that welcomes anyone who wants to sing, announced today that it has launched a fund-raising campaign on Indiegogo to raise $7,000 for its June 16 production of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's emotionally gripping musical of pre-apartheid South Africa, "Lost in the Stars". The not-for-profit 19 year-old choral group, which performs in the City's Chelsea neighborhood, chose this online "crowdfunding" option to raise additional funds for their concert because anyone, from anywhere in the world can contribute, starting with donations as low as $10.

"The musical drama's message of redemption and understanding after prejudice and loss resonates in so many parts of the world today," said chorus founder and director Jack Eppler. "We believe that singers, fans of Weill, or of Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country from which Anderson adapted the musical's book, as well as those who champion human rights and understanding through the arts, in all corners of our City, country and the world, may want to contribute."

The concert features four remarkable artists in the starring roles--soprano Tiffany Jackson, bass Gregory Sheppard, baritone Anthony Turner, and actor Ronald Alexander Peet--accompanied by a 12-piece orchestra. "The chorus too, plays a starring role," said Eppler. "Our 60-member group, portraying villagers from the South African veld and the townspeople of Johannesburg, are the voice of the land itself."

Each Indiegogo contribution comes with a special "thank you" gift, ranging from a photo of the production for $20, to a DVD of the 1955 film "Cry the Beloved Country" starring James Earl Jones for $100, and dinner and music at the home of Jack Eppler for $500. Potential donors can visit http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/400008/emal/3167386. The "Lost in the Stars" page offers information on the chorus and the production, and a video segment of a rehearsal, with star Anthony Turner and chorus members commenting on what the chorus, and "Lost in the Stars," signifies.

Chorusmaster Jack Eppler was the principal architect of the chorus, which was established in 1994 to provide a place in New York City where anyone who wanted to sing, could. Today, the chorus, led by Eppler and music director J. David Williams, is comprised of City residents from every neighborhood. and is supported by public donations and grants from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. "Lost in the Stars" will be performed on Saturday, June 16 at 4 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Apostles at 296 Ninth Avenue at 28th Street, New York, NY, 10001. For further information, contact Jack Eppler at 212-475-2702 or [email protected].

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