The St.
Lawrence University Laurentian Singers and the Watertown High School Select Choir will join forces Wednesday for a benefit concert to raise funds for a New Orleans charity. The meeting of the voices between the Laurentian Singers and the Select Choir happens every few years. The last time the two groups joined for a concert was three years ago in a performance that raised funds for the Laurentian Singers’ trip to Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. The Wednesday event at First Presbyterian Church will benefit the Steven Spring Foundation in New Orleans, where the Laurentian Singers traveled in March during spring break. The Steven Spring Foundation was founded in 2005 to aid the survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, specifically by supplying donated instruments and free musical instruction to those in need. It was founded by Oregon musician and piano tuner Peter Spring, who in the wake of Hurricane Katrina became determined to help the people of New Orleans. The foundation is named after his son who died of cancer in 2002. As the hurricane recovery effort has progressed, the foundation has expanded its focus from helping music students and musicians at the individual level to developing strong working relationships with school systems in the New Orleans area. Laurentian director Barry A. Torres said the foundation also repairs instruments, including hurricane-damaged pianos, so they can be played again.
“It’s an instrumental clearinghouse for the New Orleans area,” Mr. Torres said.