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press release
XPN WELCOMES PARKINSONG 3
Sara Hickman, Kelly Willis, Chuck Prophet, Ana Egge
Join Host Richard Kind for Concert to Fight Parkinson's Disease
Memory of Lawrence High School English teacher Selma Litowitz
to be honored in March 18 event at College of NJ
"Selma Litowitz was the only teacher who ever liked me."
- Jon Stewart of 'The Daily Show'
EWING, NJ (February 19, 2007) - Selma Litowitz ultimately surrendered her life to Parkinson's disease, but her spirit refuses to be silenced in the battle to find a cure.
Through the ongoing resolve of her children, the late Lawrence High School English teacher continues to inspire their dedication to raising awareness through music when XPN Welcomes ParkinSong 3 - a concert to benefit the Parkinson Alliance of Princeton and Parkinson's disease research - is presented Sunday, March 18 in Kendall Hall at The College of New Jersey, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing. The evening stars acclaimed singer-songwriters Sara Hickman, Kelly Willis, Chuck Prophet and Ana Egge and is being hosted by Trenton-born comedy actor Richard Kind, best known for co-starring with famously afflicted Parkinson's crusader Michael J. Fox on TV's "Spin City." Showtime is 7 p.m. with a patrons' reception to follow at 10 p.m. in the Social Sciences Building. Tickets, at $25 and up, are available at Ticketweb.com or (866) 468-7619. Proceeds benefit Parkinson's disease research. For further information, email please email [email protected].
XPN Welcomes ParkinSong 3 is the first project organized by siblings Rob Litowitz, Debra Litowitz Frank, and Carol Litowitz Golden through the ParkinSong Foundation Inc. - a non-profit they founded in their mother's honor - since she succumbed to her 14-year illness in December, 2005. Their last effort was ParkinSong Volume One: 38 Songs of Hope, a two-CD Who's Who of contemporary singer-songwriters - including the stars of ParkinSong 3 - released in 2004.
"Our mother had a favorite Yiddish expression -- B'Sheret -- something that was meant to be," says Rob. "When our family gathered together with lifelong friends to observe the traditional mourning period after Mom passed away, so many people encouraged us to honor her memory with another Parkinsong concert. Deb, Carol, and I understood that organizing another concert, as challenging as it would be given our hectic schedules, would be a genuine B'Sheret. Fortunately, the outpouring of support from old friends like Richard Kind and graphic artist Bea McDonald Burke, from family members who have contributed generously to our cause, from these great musicians from our Parkinson's benefit CD, and from WXPN have made it a pleasure to bring this B'Sheret into reality as XPN Welcomes Parkinsong 3."
The first ParkinSong concert, held in 2001, was hosted by Selma's most famous student, "The Daily Show" star Jon Stewart. His return to his alma mater helped the event provide a $75,000 grant to the University of Minnesota toward research of this crippling condition, which is slowly robbing the nervous systems of all motor skills in a million Americans. The success of the first ParkinSong concert inspired the Litowitz family, with support from the Parkinson Alliance in Princeton, to produce ParkinSong II the following year.
The ParkinSong Foundation, Inc. (www.parkinsong.com) uses music to raise awareness and money to research new and innovative therapies for Parkinson's treatment.
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bio
The Parkinsong Story
If the release of ParkinSong: 38 Songs of Hope, Volume One (Ryko Distribution) shows anything, it's that with enough courage, a single person can inspire the whole world.
Consider Selma Litowitz, a retired high school English teacher from Lawrence, NJ. When she was struck with Parkinson's Disease in 1991, she refused to let it rule her life. An ultimately terminal affliction that attacks the nervous system and slowly robs the sufferer of all motor skills, this condition could easily have forced her to give up. But Selma was strong; she remained resolute in the face of this foe, maintaining her composure, her humor and her dignity.
Over 10 years, Selma's children -- Rob, Debra, and Carol -- watched her continually triumph over increasingly longer odds. And they were inspired. In 2001, they approached Lawrence High School, where Selma had taught for over 20 years, with the idea of a benefit concert that would raise money for Parkinson's research Called ParkinSong, the event was the Litowitz children's 50th anniversary gift to their parents.
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press clippings
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press quotes
"A moving testament not only to the emotional power of song, but to the generosity of the artists, labels and managers involved. · All the songs on this record are emotionally charged." - Performing Songwriter
"Dave Alvin's 'The Man in the Bed' · (is) a song of great humanity and depth and, like many other moments on Parkinsong, reminds of music's power to both communicate and move." - No Depression
"A host of worthy singer/songwriter talents and lovely songs benefitting a good cause." - Knight-Ridder News Service
"Besides being a timely release, the compilation is balanced in tone, tempos and theme. ... "Parkinsong" features ... uniformly excellent, positive lyrics and a shared, uplifting spirit that gently, but insistently, turns the spotlight on the cause." - San Antonio Express-News
"The selections are so good and broad that most people are bound to find much to discover · The cause is good, the tunes are superb, and if that's not enough thereās over two hours of it to wander through." - Americana U.K.
"It's not only a solid collection of crossover tracks that support a great cause, but a well-tailored selection suited for generations young and old."- All Music Guide
"One of the best musical samplers you'll ever find· A revelation and a true musical treat." - South Florida's Entertainment News & Views
"Selma Litowitz was the only teacher who ever liked me." - Jon Stewart of The Daily Show
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website
www.parkinsong.com
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