Liturgia Worker Education Center, Lyons News
(as printer in local paper)
"Wayne County Looks Forward to International Pianist for Summer Concert"
At 3:00 pm on 16 June, 2011, the United Methodist Church in Sodus will be visited
by a very special guest: internationally renowned concert pianist Gerson Arvelo.
Flying all the way from the Dominican Republic, Seņor Arvelo will perform at a
at special summer concert put on by Rural & Migrant Ministry, designed to
bring together Wayne County's diverse local and migrant families.
Seņor Arvelo was 8 years old when he began playing with the National Symphony
Orchestra of the Dominican Republic. Since then he has played in concerts all
over the world-including concerts for past U.S presidents. Now, he is coming
to Wayne County specifically to support the farmworker community in their
struggle for justice.
One aim of the concert is to celebrate all the work that farmworkers do for the
state of New York, another aim is to increase awareness in the community about
the working rights that farmworkers are denied-rights like a day of rest,
disability insurance, overtime pay, and collective bargaining. The concert is
open to all with no cover charge, but donations are welcome.
All concert proceeds will benefit Rural & Migrant Ministry's Youth Summer
Leadership Program. Now in its second year, the summer program (free for
children of farmworkers) uses various forms of art to explore topics like social
justiceand teach important leadership skills and public speaking." Timothy, Intern
On a blistering hot Saturday in July the best ticket in the area was in a Methodist Church in Sodus . In this small village a noted world class concert pianist gave of his talent, his faith and his caring to assist in raising funds for Rural & Migrant Ministry's summer camp for rural worker's middle school children. Gerson Arvelo from the Dominical Republic blended classical works by Bach, Chopin and Mendelssohn with hymns and jazz to an audience which was from a mix of cultures and countries. 
The concert was followed by a fiesta of music and food at St John's Episcopal Church
Two days later the concert artist was at the Liturgia Worker Educations Center in Lyons, NY doing what he also has come to love - teaching young people about music, and helping them become better at producing music. He knows first-hand that music has the ability to transform lives and bridge cultures and customs.
Both with the concert audience and with the children Arvelo builds bridges to bring people together to create better understanding and communication using music which transcends language.
Also:
"The first edition of the ESL program has been completed. It currently consists of 16 lessons dealing with everything from introducing oneself to using a telephone to driving a car. The program was developed with the goal of teaching survival language skills. The seasonal farmworker does not have the time to begin learning the raw basics of the English language. They need survival skills. These sixteen lessons will give migrant farmworkers the ability to have a voice and a say in their day-to-day life." Megan, Intern
