Special Events

Upcoming IRIS Celebrations

Bill of Rights in Concert on October 7, 2010The Bill of Rights
Set to Music by Neely Bruce

Please join IRIS as we honor refugees and celebrate our basic rights and freedoms with a choral singing of The Bill of Rights, performed by over sixty area singers and musicians.

October 7, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, 177 College Street, New Haven
“Desserts from Around the World” reception to follow concert

Sponsor The Bill of Rights in Concert >

Learn More | Why The Bill of Rights at IRIS? | Reserve Seats Online | Join the Chorus!

The Bill of Rights
Set to Music by Neely Bruce

IRIS is proud to present The Bill of Rights, a choral singing of the first ten amendments of the Constitution of the United States of America.  Connecticut composer Neely Bruce set The Bill of Rights to music in 2005, drawing from the “Shape Note” singing tradition (featured in the movie “Cold Mountain”).  This dramatic and unusual piece is only 30 minutes long and will feature special guest readers of each amendment.

Following the benefit performance, “Desserts from Around the World” reception will offer international coffees, teas, and sweets from many countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Cuba—the homelands of many refugees at IRIS.

Proceeds from the performance will benefit IRIS in its work to help refugees start new lives, regain hope, and contribute to the vitality of their community.  For more information about IRIS programs and services, please call us at (203) 562-2095.

Why the Bill of Rights at IRIS?

At IRIS we work with refugees—men, women, and children who fled their native countries because they feared persecution or death for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion. Refugees come from war-torn places such as Afghanistan, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, and Somalia, where they could not live freely and their rights were not protected. They have been invited by the U.S. government to start new lives here. They come to find freedom and opportunity. The Bill of Rights protects our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble and more—many of the very freedoms that are denied to refugees throughout the world, causing people to be killed, families uprooted, and lives shattered. We are proud that refugees are granted freedom and protection in this country every year. We celebrate The Bill of Rights and all the people who have worked over the centuries to uphold it.

Though we might not agree on the scope and meaning of each amendment, the roots of our collective freedom may be found in The Bill of Rights.

Join the celebration—and the conversation—October 7, 2010.

Sponsorships at various levels are available.  For information, please contact Executive Director Chris George (cgeorge@irisct.org, (203) 562-2095) or Development Manager Lucile Bruce (lbruce@irisct.org, (203) 562-2095).

Reserve Your Seats Online

Seats are $50 each and may be purchased securely online using our PayPal account. To make your purchase, please select number of seats from drop-down menu and then press "Buy Now" button. Please print out your PayPal confirmation as your receipt.

Purchase Prices

 

If you prefer to request tickets by mail, please send your name, address, telephone number and check for the total amount of your ticket order to:
IRIS – Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
attn The: Bill of Rights in Concert
235 Nicoll Street, New Haven, CT 06511

Your tickets will be held at the door.

Join the Chorus!

If you love to sing, we invite you to join the Bill of Rights chorus. If interested, please send an email to our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@irisct.org. We will send you a copy of the score once you have registered with us.

Here’s what the commitment involves:

Performance Date:  Thursday, October 7, 7:30 PM. 
Mr. Bruce will conduct the concert and rehearse the chorus.
Rehearsal Schedule
(all rehearsals will take place in New Haven, convenient to downtown, venue TBA). 
Please come to as many rehearsals as possible:
Saturday Sept. 11, 10 AM – 12 Noon
Saturday Sept. 18, 10 AM – 12 Noon
Saturday Sept. 25, 10 AM – 12 Noon
Saturday, Oct. 2, 10 AM – 12 Noon
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 5:30—8:30 PM

Thank-you dinner for singers, featuring delicious Afghani and Iraqi food—don’t miss it!  Followed by rehearsal 6:30 – 8:30 PM.
Thursday Oct. 7, PERFORMANCE – please arrive at 4:30 PM for final rehearsal. 
Performance begins at 7:30 PM.

Again, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SING IN THE CHORUS:
Please email volunteer@irisct.org or call the IRIS office at (203) 562-2095.  We will send you a copy of the score once you have registered with us.

THANK YOU FOR RAISING YOUR VOICE TO SUPPORT NEW HAVEN’S REFUGEES!

 

Bill of Rights in Concert on October 7, 2010

Grand Opening!

Clothes without Borders
A Second-hand Boutique

A project of IRIS

 

 

Thursday, September 10th
5:00 to 7:00 PM

900 Grand Avenue
New Haven, CT

You are invited to celebrate the opening of the IRIS Thrift Shop — selling clothing, furniture, household items, books, artwork and more... all for the benefit of new Americans in Connecticut.

Stratton Faxon logo

Made possible by the generosity of Stratton Faxon and hundreds of other generous groups and individuals from all over Connecticut.