The Department of Music and the Office of Institutional Advancement are sponsoring a concert in April to raise much-needed scholarship money for music students.

Called the Department of Music Celebratory Concert, the event will take place on Saturday, April 19, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ryan Family Concert Hall in the Smith Center for the Arts. The concert, which is open to the College community, will include solo and ensemble works by students, faculty, and alumni.

“The objective of the concert is to raise money for music scholarships,” said Dr. Christopher T. Kelton, assistant professor of music and director of instrumental activities. “The growth of the department has out-paced our ability to support dedicated musicians who would like to attend PC and need financial assistance.”

Kelton said the music department has been growing steadily for about the last 12 years and now serves over 60 majors and minors. He said about 150 students are studying applied voice, guitar, piano, and orchestral and band instruments while another 300 students participate in ensembles.

Student ensemble performances at the concert will include Symphonic Winds and I Cantori. There also will be alumni performances by PC graduates who are now professional musicians, including solo singers Deanna Cioppa ’07, Troy Quinn ’05, Elizabeth Eschen ’06, Peter Weathers ’04, and Neal Ferreira ’02; saxophonist Jennifer Bill ’00; and an Alumni Jazz Combo.

Among music department faculty, there will be performances by Alexey Shabalin, director of orchestra and string quartet, who will perform on the violin; Rosalind Y. Chua, professor of music, on piano; and Kelton, on the clarinet.

For ticket information, contact Alyssa Snizek, assistant director for alumni relations in the Office of Institutional Advancement at (401) 865-2165 or at alyssa.snizek@providence.edu.

Kelton appealed to music department faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends to assist in fund-raising efforts both through gifts and by providing a list of names and addresses of family members and friends who may be interested in supporting the music department. Donations can be given online at www.givetopc.org [indicate "for music scholarships" in the Comments section] or by contacting Lauren Jordan, assistant director of annual giving in the Office of Institutional Advancement, at ljordan1@providence.edu. Names and addresses also may be forwarded to Jordan.