Award-winning singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and mega-social influencer Montana Tucker will headline Concert-4-Kindness Sunday, January 15 at the Carroll and Barry Kay Performing Arts Hall at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
Although this Boca-born girl is a world-renowned artist who has opened up to mega stars including Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, Flo Rida, and Pitbull, she’s also focused on making the world a kinder, more inclusive place.
Recently appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” she talked about reclaiming her family’s roots in Poland as she explored her maternal grandparents’ experience during the Holocaust.
That journey was captured on film, and became the six-part educational Holocaust documentary series How To: Never Forget. It has been featured across all of Tucker’s social media platforms educating many of her 14 million followers.
Recent surveys have shown that many in the “TikTok generation” are woefully unclear about the basic facts of the Holocaust. A national survey of adults under the age of 40 in 2020 indicated that large numbers do not realize that the death toll reached 6 million Jews, and a tenth of them stated that they had not even heard of the term “Holocaust” before.
“We need everyone to bring their friends, family and colleagues, from young adults, parents and grandparents to Gen Zers, millennials and newborns to join us, so together we can resonate with acceptance, kindness and light,” Tucker said.
Hosted by FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Concert-4-Kindness looks to deliver a “we are the world” style moment, according to its marketers.
Tucker to perform original folk songs in concert
Tucker will perform many of her famous original works including “Be Me” and “I’m Not Alone”. Tucker wrote these two singles to inspire others to respect their own inclusion and the diversity of others.
Although Tucker and her dancers will headline the multi-art show, more than 125 multi-cultural artists and presenters will take part.
FAU’s Director of Dance, Clarence Brooks, will perform “Sweet in the Morning,” choreographed by Lenny Williams, with music by Bobby McFerrin. Brooks has performed with over 60 US companies and has toured the US, Europe and Asia.
BriGuel, the world-famous bilingual arts duo from Spain and New York, will be performing their own brand of social impact music and sharing clips from their award-winning films and videos. Both descendants of Holocaust survivors, they work to raise awareness and support for displaced Ukrainians who find sanctuary at the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation in Poland.
Florida Vocal and Chorale Soleil, a new band, will join forces vocally to develop arts-conscious youth to be the leaders of tomorrow. Florida Singing Sons has performed with such esteemed local companies as the Florida Grand Opera and the New World Symphony and has toured the United States and major cities in Europe.
Local students and their mentors sponsored by the Nat King Cole Generation Hope will perform the instruments. The Boca Raton-based nonprofit provides a legacy of music education, mentoring, and resources to youth with the greatest needs and the least resources.
Concert-4-Kindness benefits FAU’s “Making a Difference Fund” for scholarships and student programs in the future Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Building and Jewish Studies at FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.
The futuristic building will bring together, under one roof, all interdisciplinary education focusing on human rights education, conflict mitigation, ethics and diplomacy, leadership training, and peacemaking. It will also house FAU’s Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights, a university-wide effort uniting scholars, students, practitioners, and community leaders involved in the themes of social justice, human rights, peace, and nonviolence.
Party 4 Kindness
where: Carol and Barry Kay Performing Arts Auditorium, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
when: 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 15th
cost: Tickets start at $10
Information: www.fauevents.com; 561-297-6124