Concert for a Cause: “Still I Sing” to Benefit Coker College's Cobra Cupboard

On Thursday, November 16, 7-8pm, the Coker Singers will host a benefit concert at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church to support the Cobra Cupboard, an on-campus food pantry available to Coker students who experience food and care product insecurities by providing them with supplemental food and basic necessities. The concert is free and open to the public, but the Coker Singers are asking attendees to bring non-perishable food items in lieu of admission for the Cobra Cupboard. Still I Sing will be a concert featuring music and text by and about marginalized communities, lending a platform to groups whose voices have been traditionally underrepresented in the classical arts. The three-part concert will address issues of immigration, race, religion, and even age discrimination, ultimately ending with a set of songs in search of common ground and understanding, a plea for peace. The music will include a variety of selections from the canon of choral repertoire including spirituals, classical, and contemporary choral standards. Jerron Jorgensen, assistant professor of music at Coker College, says, “We’re trying to make this a very socially relevant concert. Because we’re addressing so many different communities that otherwise tend to be overlooked, we’re hoping it hits close to home.” In November, Coker College’s Residence Life team will open the Cobra Cupboard. The Cupboard will depend on donations for operation and will only accept non-perishable food items. Some high-demand items include peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, canned tuna, canned chicken, rice, pasta, macaroni and cheese, boxed cereal, instant oatmeal and granola bars. “I think it’s going to be a pretty special concert,” says Jorgensen. “The pieces are about finding an understanding between all the different social groups that we have in our country.”