Hélène Grimaud is joining the Westchester Oratorio Society on June 2nd for the Robert C. McDonald Memorial Concert in Cross River, NY. She will perform Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in this tribute concert to her friend, co-founder of the Oratorio and long-term volunteer at the Wolf Conservation Center. Choral director Benjamin Niemczyk explains why this piece is especially fitting:

“The Choral Fantasy is a great tribute. The piece is a celebration of nature and art, and just as Bob was involved with many aspects of the local community, it brings together many diverse elements, highlighting solo piano, chorus and orchestra, while the text celebrates the gift of music, comparing its power to that of the springtime sun.”

In an interview with local Bedford Magazine, Hélène talks about her motivation to support causes close to her heart:

“Bob was a dear friend and as a volunteer did all the accounting at the Wolf Center. The concert will be a wonderful tribute. It is a way I can give back. When one is as blessed as I am, when I can make a living from my passion, I feel I should share my good fortune. I love all these volunteer projects we have in this country, the way they make people become inter-connected, not to mention the practical results. I want to support them—whether they are international such as the World Wildlife Fund, Worldwide Fund for Nature, or Amnesty International, or local like the North Salem Open Land Foundation or our own Wolf Conservation Center.”