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Connecticut College donates $12,000 to benefit the arts in New London

Cherish the Ladies performs at Connecticut College Oct. 6. All ticket sale proceeds were donated to the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut to benefit the arts in New London.
Cherish the Ladies performs at Connecticut College Oct. 6. All ticket sale proceeds were donated to the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut to benefit the arts in New London.

The arts in New London will get a significant boost with a $12,000 donation from Connecticut College. The College turned this year's first event of the popular onStage at Connecticut College series into a fundraiser, donating all proceeds from ticket sales for the Oct. 6 performance. The event, dubbed "Cherish New London," included a performance by Irish music ensemble Cherish the Ladies, a free community dessert reception and short remarks by Connecticut College President Leo I. Higdon Jr. and New London Mayor Daryl Finizio.

"The arts are vitally important to a city's cultural and economic health, and the strong arts scene here adds so much to New London's vibrancy and appeal," said Higdon. "Connecticut College is a leading sponsor of the arts in our host city and this fundraiser was one more way we could contribute."

Finizio thanked the College for the generous donation, which will go to the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut to be awarded to New London arts organizations. He said that in tough economic times, the arts are often one of the most affected areas, making the College's support particularly significant.

Consistent with its educational mission, Connecticut College contributes generously to New London's arts scene, through the onStage series, which brings to campus big name artists in theater, music and dance; through the work of its dance company-in-residence, David Dorfman Dance; and through its many performances and exhibitions by College faculty and staff. Last year, the College provided a free street performance of the Asphalt Orchestra in downtown New London and brought the Brentano String Quartet to perform for and talk with middle-school students at the Interdistrict School for Arts and Communication in New London.



October 8, 2012