Project Jericho, a nationally acclaimed outreach program based at Clark State Community College in Springfield, OH, will host a free concert event called Project Jericho LIFT at 5 p.m. on May 28 at the Clark State Performing Arts Center.
The concert will feature local youth participating in Project Jericho My SONG. Local youth auditioned for the opportunity to write, record and perform original songs in a songwriting intensive with guitar virtuoso and Project Jericho lead artist Michael Kelsey. In addition to featuring the original music produced during Project Jericho My SONG, this special concert will also feature the following Project Jericho performance ensembles: Jericho Voices, TrebleMakerz, Bucket Band, Xclusive Dance Crew, Jericho Hip Hop and Jericho Jazz. Following the performance, everyone is invited to an ice cream social outside on the lawn.
"This is the fifth annual Project Jericho My SONG program," says Scott Dawson, concert organizer and faculty coordinator of New Media and Graphic Design at Clark State. “For this My SONG, select youth worked together on songs with the theme of LIFT. These Project Jericho ensembles will LIFT you up with their musical message of gratitude, hope and perseverance.”
In addition to the concert, there will be a CD released of the original music written during the project sessions. This album will be available for free download from CDBaby.com. Previous Project Jericho My SONG albums are also available for free download, including Project Jericho My SONG, Project Jericho My SONG Groups, Project Jericho My SONG Hip Hop, Project Jericho My SONG at Keifer, Project Jericho My SONG Live and Project Jericho My SONG Family Edition.
Project Jericho is a collaborative program of the Clark State Performing Arts Center and the Clark County Department of Job & Family Services with additional funding provided by the Ohio Arts Council and The Turner Foundation. Project Jericho provides positive, in-depth arts experiences for local youth and families.
Project Jericho received national acclaim when it was awarded a Coming Up Taller award in 2008 from the White House. Coming Up Taller is an initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The President’s Committee partners with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to administer the program.
This event is sponsored by Clark State Community College, the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services and The Turner Foundation. Admission is FREE.
For more information, contact Project Jericho at (937) 328-3869, or visit the Project Jericho website at http://www.project-jericho.com.