West Windsor resident Lea Petri — a violinist since childhood — sees a problem with classical music. “Historically, attending a traditional classical music concert has excluded people who cannot sit still for long periods or remain quiet, restricting access for people with special needs,” she says.
To address that issue, Petri founded Classical Music for All, a non-profit organization that provides classical music to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including conditions such as autism and Down syndrome. A chamber music benefit concert and reception will be held on Friday, October 2, at Nassau Presbyterian Church at 61 Nassau Street in Princeton. Performers will include violist Toby Appel, cellist Edward Arron, and violinist Paul Huang, who will be performing works by Mozart, Rebecca Clarke, Reinhold Gilere, and Ernst von Dohnanyl. Proceeds from the event will fund informal concerts, organized by Petri and designed specifically for special needs individuals.
Petri, 25, is a freelance musician and teacher. She began studying violin with Philip Pugh when she was 10 and has continued studying violin and viola for the past 15 years. She played in the orchestras at Grover Middle School and High School South and graduated from South in 2008.
Petri has performed in several concerts with Sinfonietta Nova, an orchestra based in West Windsor. She teaches violin and viola to private students in their homes. “Parents all want their children to get ahead,” she says. She also volunteers to teach music with Allies, a nonprofit focused on people with developmental and intellectual challenges.
Her teacher for the last eight years has been Toby Appel, a professor at Juilliard. “I wanted to start concerts to serve the population of people with special needs for the past two years,” Petri says. “When I told Toby about the plan he offered to perform and he called a couple of his friends.”
Performers at the benefit concert will also include Edward Arron, who has participated in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project as well as Isaac Stern’s Jerusalem Chamber Music Encounters; and Paul Huang, the recipient of the 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, who made his sold-out Lincoln Center recital debut on the Great Performers series this season.
“It is a very community-oriented project. I reached out to friends when I was seeking a location and several suggested Nassau Presbyterian Church,” says Petri. “I contacted them and they have been wonderful in donating the space, insurance, and custodians.”
“These concerts will be informal,” she says, “and audience members will be free to speak or move around as they desire.”
The special concerts will be held in the church’s multi-purpose room. There will be a craft table in the back of the room and a quiet room where people can go if they need to. They will still be able to hear the music. Refreshments will be served. Admission will be free but donations will be welcome.
Group homes in the area have been invited. There will be space for wheelchairs and for everyone to be comfortable. The first concert is on Halloween, and costumes are welcome.
Petri’s sister, Laura, 26, has special needs. She was a student in the Stars and Larks programs at Community Middle School and High School North, from which she graduated in 2010. “Laura has a developmental delay where she functions mentally at age five,” says Lea. “She swims every day and works at home washing dishes and laundry. She loves to sing, dance, and listen to recordings of cellist Yo-Yo Ma.”
Her mother, Linda, is Laura’s full time caregiver. She also helps with administrative work related to Classical Music for All. Her father, Henry, is a manager at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Her sister, Noelle, 29 and a graduate of High School South in 2004, is an operating nurse and pursuing a graduate degree from Felician College. Her brother, Ian, 28, is a 2005 graduate of High School South, where he sang in the choir and played the drums. He is pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy from Rutgers UMDNJ. The family moved to West Windsor in 1997.
Concert tickets are $50. A post-concert reception with the artists is $150. A gala dinner at Mediterra Restaurant in Princeton begins at 9 p.m. for patrons donating $1,000. Call 609-356-4555 or E-mail classicalmusicforall@yahoo.com.
Chamber Music Benefit Concert, Classical Music for All, Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton. Friday, October 2, 7 p.m. A reception with the artists follows the concertRegister. E-mail classicalmusicforall@yahoo.com for information. $25 to $1,000. 609-356-4555. www.facebook.com/classicalmusicforall.
Chamber Music, Classical Music for All, Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton. Saturday, October 31, 2 p.m. Halloween concert. Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m. Holiday concert. Saturday, February 13, 2 p.m. Valentine’s Day theme. Audience members will be free to speak or move around as they desire. A craft area and quiet room will be available. Register. Free. 609-356-4555. www.facebook.com/classicalmusicforall.
