A Morgan Hill music teacher and volunteer will combine her two passions to put on a benefit concert to support local wildlife at 7pm Jan. 19 at Advent Lutheran Church, 16870 Murphy Ave.
Heather Faulhaber will be joined by Bay Area artists Martin Rojas Dietrich and Justin T. Plank, and accompanied by pianist Anny Cheng for a wild animal-themed performance of art songs and musical theater selections by composers such as John Duke, Aaron Copland, Jake Heggie and Ricky Ian Gordon.
Faulhaber is a professional singer, a volunteer at Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center and a local voice coach at Music As Language.
WERC’s “Educational Ambassador” animals will be on site at the fundraiser to greet audience members. A reception with the artists will follow the performance.
There is a suggested $10 donation at the door, but “we will accept any donation someone is willing to offer,” Faulhaber said.
A Morgan Hill resident and professional singer, Faulhaber began volunteering at WERC more than a year ago. “You help take care of animals; you feed them; you help clean up after them. It’s really insightful to see what it takes to take care of these animals in the area.”
A silent auction, which includes jewelry pieces created by a local artist, will also be part of the benefit event.
WERC, which was established in 1990 by wildlife pioneer Susan Howell, cares for California native wildlife, including songbirds, hummingbirds, birds of prey, small mammals and bobcats. WERC’s ambassadors are often seen at local schools, parades and festivals.
