Four Area Musicians to Collaborate to Benefit Charities

CAPE MAY – Helena Bew, pianist, Karen Tangney violin, Miriam d’Eustachio, flute, Ruth Fritch, organ, who share a love for music, will collaborate on a classical concert benefiting Family Promise and Caring for Kids, two groups dedicated to assisting families in trouble, on Nov. 13th at 4 p.m. at Cape Island Baptist Church on Gurney and Columbia Aves. in Cape May. There is parking behind the church. A love offering will be taken and proceeds will go to the two charities.
“Caring for Kids is a family support program to help strengthen families by supporting the parents and helping them keep their children safe, healthy and successful in school and in life.” said Suzanne Conrad. “We have been working in the community since l995, advocating for kids. We have been doing home visitations since 2001. We use a program called “Parents as Teachers,” which is an early literacy program helping parents to become their child’s most influential teacher. We work with 50 families at a time with intensive, ongoing services. Both self referrals and clinical referrals provide us with the base of our constituency,” Conrad said.
“We have lots of success stories of mothers going back to college, and people strengthening their family life.” she said. “We also find out what the families need and we connect with other community organizations that provide it.” she said.
Family Promise brings together a coalition of churches, synagogues and volunteers who help the homeless find shelter, keep families together, host families at churches, do wash, feed, and generally assist the families in obtaining jobs, housing, and other necessities. Cape May County has churches and volunteers from Cape May to Ocean City who participate in sheltering the families and providing needs. The executive director is Laurie Johnson.
“I have known Karen Tangney for 25 years, Ruth Fritch for over 40 years, and Mariam for the last four years. Four women are offering musical variety,” said Helena Bew “We open with Mozart B-flat, which is true perfection in composition,” Bew said.
“By contrast, we will jump to flute sonata by Poulenc, a very suave, sophisticated Frenchman, who died in 1963.” she said.
“For even more contrast, Ruth Fritch and I are going to play two familiar duets which will be readily recognizable to the audience. They are fancy variations of “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” and “Crown Him with Many Crowns.”
“An intermission will follow, because the second half of the program is grand, expansive, expressive, virtuosic. We will do the Franck Sonata for piano and violin.” Bew said.
She received a scholarship at Juilliard School of Music, but chose Manhattan School of Music instead.
Helena Bew is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. She began her music career as an accompanist for Pennsylvania Ballet Company in Philadelphia, performed at Curtis Institute in the singer studio, and taught at Settlement Music School. Helena has performed as a soloist with Glassboro College, and Atlantic Community College.
Karen Tangney, who has often performed with Helena Bew, graduated with a BS from University of Maryland, and an MA from New England Conservatory. She was a fellow at Tanglewood and the Berkshire Music Festival and the Yale University Chamber Music Festival. She was a former member of the Syracuse NY Symphony, Boston Opera and Ballet and the Spoleto Festival.
She has been the lead violin for many star shows in Atlantic City casinos including Frank Sinatra. In addition, she has served as a string teacher in Lower Township School system.
Marian d’Euchachio graduated cum laude from the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America where she studied with retired National Sympnhony Orchestra flutist, Basil Kyriakou. In l997, Ms. d’Eustachio attendede the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestra Musicians in Hancock, Main. She has performed with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Tidewater Winds, and the Gustavo Romero Festival Orchestra. She has taught flute extensively in the Washington D.C. area and is pleased to collaborate again with pianist Helena Bew.
“Karen and I went through books of classical sonatas and did a thorough examination of the sonata literature. When we came across the Franck sonata, I was struck with its beauty. The Cesar Franck was a favorite of Karen’s, who has loved it for years. I never had the time to learn it. It is an enormous work. I thought it would balance out the program. Franck was a French organist.” Bew said.
Helena Bew has performed in many churches in Atlantic and Cape May County, and has recently been named organist for the Coast Guard in Cape May. Bew organized and performed the concert for the Haitian Disaster Fund last year.
Ruth has accompanied the Angelus Chorus for 20 years. For 24 years, Cape Island Baptist Church does a Sing-In of the Messiah. She has been organist for Cape Island for 40 years. They established a tradition of doing a sing in of the Messiah.
Call 884-7068 for information.