Newark Orchestra Concert Funds War Memorial
A 25th anniversary performance of Requiem for 9/11 on November 8 will direct proceeds to a Claymont site honoring military sacrifice.
By Elijah Fitzgerald ·
The Newark Symphony Orchestra is using its 25th anniversary concert to raise funds for a memorial in Claymont. The event takes place on Sunday, November 8, at 3 p.m. at The Independence School on Paper Mill Road.
Music with a Mission, the nonprofit organizing the event, announced that part of the ticket revenue will go to the Guardian of Defenders Memorial. The organization describes the project as a place for healing and remembrance. It connects the concert's theme to the physical monument in Delaware.
The main piece on the program is Requiem for 9/11, composed by Wilson Gault Somers. The work traces the emotional arc from grief to hope following the attacks in 2001. Somers said the memorial is a fitting partner for the performance. He noted that it honors the heroes and the resilience of the human spirit. "We are so very honored to offer support to this effort," Somers said.
The Guardian of Defenders Memorial is located at 1300 Philadelphia Pike. Navy Commander John Gayton and Army Major Donald Van Alstyne created the site. Both men served in Iraq and Afghanistan and received Bronze Stars for their combat service. Their work counseling troops helped shape the memorial's focus on renewal.
Gayton mortgaged his own home to start the funding process for the monument. The Guardian of Defenders Foundation now manages donations for the site's perpetual care. The memorial serves families, veterans, and first responders who lost loved ones on September 11 and in subsequent wars.
The concert also features Simeone Tartaglione's Improvviso on Giuseppina Mira's E fu notte. Tartaglione and Somers will share the podium as conductors. The Newark Symphony Chorus and Friends will perform, joined by guest violinist Alessandra Cuffaro.
The Newark Symphony Orchestra has operated as a volunteer ensemble since 1966. It runs programs like the Youth Concerto Competition and Instruments in the Attic. Music with a Mission supports local composers and directs net proceeds to public causes.
