For Immediate Release
November 13, 2026
Media Contact: Mara Rupners
914-251-6263 / mara.rupners@purchase.edu
The Performing Arts Center, SUNY Purchase Presents Songs of the Spirit: A Concert for Peace
December 5 & 6, 2026
Purchase, New York – November 13, 2026 (for immediate release). The Performing Arts Center, SUNY Purchase (The Purchase PAC) will ring in the holiday season with Songs of the Spirit: A Concert for Peace, on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6.
Songs of the Spirit: A Concert for Peace is being billed as “an invitation to come together to ring in the season of light with a joyous community celebration of unity through global music, dance, and spoken word.”
The concert will feature a roster of artists from around the world. The headliners are The Living Legends of New Orleans: Cyril Neville, George Porter, Jr., John “Papa” Gros, Raymond Weber, and Flagboy Giz of the Wild Tchoupitoulas Black Masking Indians.
Also on the roster are: Emeline Michel (queen of Haitian song), Amir ElSaffar (connector of jazz and Arabic Music), Haleh Liza Gafori (Persian poet and performance artist), Craig Harris (trombonist and composer), Basya Schechter (hazzan / cantor, singer-songwriter), Chanon Judson (dancer / choreographer), and Jerome Jennings (drummer / bandleader).
Sharing this stage with these professional artists will be the Westchester Children’s Choir and SUNY Purchase Conservatory students in dance, acting, and music, including the Purchase Symphony Orchestra and the Swinging Panthers Purchase Jazz Choir. The musical and spoken word selections reflect of the theme of peace, and the vibe of the evening will be collaborative, with artists performing solo and in groups to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Proceeds from the event will benefit SUNY Purchase Conservatory programs.
“Our focus this season is on creating moments of joy and community,” says Ian Driver, Director of The Purchase PAC. “This concert is a perfect example! It also highlights the creative and collaborative spirit that exists on the SUNY Purchase campus. It has been exciting to put together, and I am sure it will be even more exciting for our audiences to experience.”
Songs of the Spirit is produced in partnership with Jonathan D. Secor of Secor Productions. Secor is an independent producer and SUNY Purchase alum who has worked in and around the arts for over three decades as a facilitator for creative artists and ideas.
Songs of the Spirit: A Concert for Peace will take place at The Performing Arts Center, SUNY Purchase, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577. Tickets are available on The Purchase PAC website at https://www.artscenter.org/events/songs-of-the-spirit-a-concert-for-peace/
