Vocal Recital Will Benefit Parkinson’s Assn.

Erica Tsacoyeanes, a senior at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, is planning a benefit concert on Sunday, August 21, the Newtown Meeting House. All proceeds will benefit the Connecticut chapter of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.

Since the age of 2, Miss Tsacoyeanes has been performing on stage. Through dancing, she learned to love the bright lights and the ambiance of the theatre.

It was singing, however, that really brought out the inner star. Miss Tsacoyeanes has sung at numerous charity events, most recently an American Red Cross benefit concert.

She has been a Regional and All-State Soprano for 3 years, and hopes to make it again for her very last time as a senior.

In January, Miss Tsacoyeanes was the recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from Connecticut Choral Society.

A creator and manager of a mini-business called Songs for Smiles, Miss Tsacoyeanes is hoping to influence others to share the same love for music that she has.

She has been taking voice lessons for five years with Pamela Hoffman, a Brookfield resident who has appeared at Carnegie Hall singing Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and has traveled all across the country with various vocal companies such as the New York City National Opera Company.

Singing is just one of Miss Tsacoyeanes’s many passions. She has been a volunteer at Danbury Hospital for four years and “absolutely loves it,” she says.

“Even as a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a doctor,” she said. “With my Fisher-Price stethoscope, I would listen to my grandfather’s heart and would make a ‘diagnosis.’”

Now that she is older, Miss Tsacoyeanes still aspires to become a doctor, eventually a neurologist.

Miss Tsacoyeanes’s grandfather was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Her grandmother had the disease, and her uncle is suffering from it as well.

Parkinson’s disease has hit her family hard and so this summer the high school student decided it was only right to have a benefit concert that would raise money for the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.

The concert will take place on August 21, starting at 3 pm.

Other featured singers include Megan LaPorta, Katie LaPorta, Miheer Sane, Rick Hulswit, Lexy Walewski, and Pamela Hoffman, among others.

The program will consist of a broad range of music genres from classical to contemporary.

Suggested donation is $8, and all donations will be forwarded to the Connecticut chapter of The American Parkinson’s Disease Association.

Newtown Meeting House is at 31 Main Street in Newtown, at the flagpole.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by contacting Erica Tsacoyeanes at 203-217-8906.