“If Music be the Food” is the title of an organ recital for the benefit of the Foodlink Backpack program in the Brockport Central School District. Two graduate students in organ at the Eastman School of Music will present a concert including works by Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and César Franck. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7 in the First Baptist Church, 124 Main Street in Brockport. Admission is a freewill donation of cash to support the Backpack program or a package(s) of shelf stable food for the Brockport Food Shelf located in the basement of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Brockport. The food will be distributed to area residents of the Brockport Central School district who seek food assistance.
Zachary Zwahlen is a doctoral student, studying organ with Nathan Laube. Raised in Las Vegas, NV, Zwahlen earned his bachelor’s degree in piano and organ performance and his master’s degree in organ performance with Dr. Doug Bush at Brigham Young University. Derek Remeš is studying for the masters in music degree and is a student in the studio of David Higgs. A native of Minnesota, Remeš earned a bachelor of music in composition and a bachelor of music in film scoring from Berklee College of Music, graduating summa cum laude. He currently serves as Choir Director and Organist at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brighton.
The organists will perform on the 1947 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, Opus 1126, originally built for the Eastman School, moved to the First Baptist Church and augmented with additional registers of pipes in 1968. It was refitted in 2007 by Parsons Pipe Organ Builders.
“Backpacks” are packages of two, child-friendly, healthy meals, pre-packed by Foodlink and delivered to the school. Each Friday a member of the school staff distributes the packages discretely into the backpacks of children who might go hungry over the weekend, when they do not have the support which the school breakfast and lunch programs provide during the week. The Brockport Ecumenical Food Shelf coordinates the financing of the Backpack Program. The cost for one child for the entire school year is $200. Contributions may be made by check to Brockport Ecumenical Food Shelf with notation “Backpack Program” and mailed to the food shelf at 14 State Street, Brockport, NY 14420.
