Benefit concert planned for Feb. 25

Courtesy photo Jaime Jorge will bring his ‘Healing Music’ to a benefit at the Wallenstien Theater Feb. 25.

by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Staff Writer | February 19, 2018 2:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — Violinist Jaime Jorge will perform in a benefit concert at 3 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Wallenstien Theater on the Big Bend Community College campus. The “Healing Music” concert is a benefit for Jorge’s international ministry and the Moses Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

The church is working on a building project, said congregation member Judy Twigg, and the church’s portion will be used to finish the project. Jorge uses the rest for charitable activities, both in the U.S. and around the world.

The church congregation was looking for a fundraising project, Twigg said. A few days later they received an inquiry from Jorge’s manager, asking about the possibility of playing in Moses Lake.

Jorge is a Cuban-born, classically-trained violinist, and a devout Christian. That didn’t go down well in the communist and officially atheist society of Cuba. His family moved to the U.S. when he was 10, according to his website.

He studied music as a teen, and his mom wanted him to become a musician, the website said. But originally he wanted a career in medicine and was accepted at the University of Illinois medical school. He left medical school in his second year for a career in music and Christian ministry.

Jorge has recorded 15 albums, mostly collections of classic hymns and inspirational music. In addition to his solo performances, he has appeared with orchestras and with his sister Mayda, a flutist, and mom Maydele, a pianist. He has played at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

For about 25 years he has maintained an extensive touring schedule and teaches music at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina.

His charitable ministry supports Christian outreach efforts in Cuba and other communist countries, including concerts. The ministry supports orphans in India and provides musical scholarships for students in the U.S. Jorge also is working on a project to open a music academy in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.