by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: Mountain of Peace
When: December 21st & 22nd @ 7:30 pm
Where: 5 Points Theatre
Peace on earth and goodwill to all should be a year 'round focus, but it's the holiday season that really helps us see the value in it. Here in Jacksonville, there are many organizations that do just that, all year 'round.
One such organization is the International Peace Performers, a group dedicated to finding the way to peace "in every generation, in every nation." Frances Key founded the organization in 1999 after she came back to Jacksonville from Fort Dix, after working with Kosovo refugees.
"I had worked up there for the summer and had this amazing experience using music to work with traumatized children," says Key.
Once she got back to Jacksonville, she began to get local refugee children and American children together to form the core of the International Peace Performers.
The group now puts on an average of 10-12 performances per year, mostly in Northeast Florida. She's been looking for international peace on a local level, bringing together people from different countries that would have been hostile to each other at home, but have the opportunity to make peace in Jacksonville, in America. She wants to continue to spread this message. She has her choice of performers these days, so she can put together nearly any kind of concert.
"Rather than have a set group of children as I did for many years, what I have now is sort of a changing group. Different people at different times doing different things. I just have a number of people I can call on at any time to pull a group together to do a particular performance."
This performance has more than thirty people in it, ranging from professional artists to regular folk and kids. Different ethnicities and county backgrounds are represented.
"It really builds bridges. I've watched these people in my group and people form friendships and bonds. At one point I had Russian, Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian children in one group…Those parents, who had relocated to Jacksonville, had been in…wars against each of those nations and had a lot of hostility…But when the children came together in the chorus, they formed friendships that seemed to break that down."
The show itself concerns five families, all of whom have lost someone to war. They come together to champion the cause of peace, illustrated in soaring choruses of original music.
When Mountain of Peace was first introduced to the community on Peace Awareness Week on the UNF stage, it set the community to buzzing about this quality, original musical with a great lesson. The version of Mountain of Peace that will be on the 5 Points stage will be slightly different, but will include most of the songs from the other production, plus a few new songs.
Since the first production, they've released the original Mountain of Peace CD, with each song on the CD sponsored by a company or individual. Sponsorships are important to the organization, since they don't make a profit. You can sponsor them for a corporate event or you can sponsor a production in the community. For more info on joining International Peace Performers, its history or sponsorship, go to peaceperformers.org/our.htm.
Mountain of Peace happens December 21st and 22nd at 7:30 pm, but the lobby of the 5 Points Theatre opens at 6:30 pm. They'll have holiday gift items for sale as a fund raiser. There will also be wine and refreshments available. You can buy the Mountain of Peace CD or the soundtrack for the specific show you'll be seeing (they've switched a few songs out, so the performance CD will be a little different than the original Mountain of Peace CD). The art of Gina Martinelli, Gordon Meggison (freehandstudios.com) and Valerie Vescovi (vvescoviart.com) will be raffled or auctioned at the show as well.
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