Dear Friends,
Imagine life in total darkness. Imagine life with extreme autism, and the endless restrictions this frightening condition imposes. Then imagine possessing an unfathomable musical genius, an ear so finely tuned it can memorize the great masterpieces on one hearing and reproduce them in minutes with the same hands that can not even fasten a button or tie a shoe lace.
Now meet Rex. Aged 14.
Rex Lewis-Clack does not need to imagine. His mind has been described by CBS's 60 MINUTES as ''an island of genius in a sea of disability''. He IS this extraordinary human being, a rare dichotomy in nature, a living cocktail of the entire gamut of human disability and extraordinary ability. He is one of the world's few living, musical 'savants'.
It has been my honor and great personal fortune to have met Rex, and to have worked closely with him for a year.
During that time I have discovered that there is no single institution in the US for Rex. There are schools for the blind, centers for autistic children, and great conservatories of music for the most gifted. However, a blind, autistic, musical genius pretty much inhabits a niche of his own.
Consequently, Rex's education requires several hours per week of extra-curricular, private coaching with experts in the field of piano, voice, composition, improvisation and physical therapy. These are essential to justify the gift of music that he so abundantly possesses. Put simply and literally, music IS Rex's life.
My aim, with your passionate and pro-active support, is to attract 300 people into this beautiful hall, kindly donated by Hollywood Forever, on June 27th. There, I will sing a benefit recital in Rex's name, accompanied by the russian pianist Anastasia Nemirovich-Danchenko, with a special appearance and performance by Rex himself!
In doing so, we can collectively ensure that Rex's educational needs are looked after for many years to come, and that financial support will be the one obstacle that Rex never has to face.
I invite you to find out more about the exceptional life of Rex Lewis-Clack by following the links below.
As I then ask you kindly to commit to this one evening in June, I am reminded of the line from ''The Impossible Dream", a song I taught Rex recently: "Be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause!" Let's do so for Rex!
With my sincere thanks,
Sam McElroy
ALL PROFIT FROM THIS CONCERT WILL GO DIRECTLY TO REX'S EDUCATION TRUST, ADMINISTERED BY CATHLEEN LEWIS.
TICKETS FROM $25. DONATIONS WELCOMED!
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=1653305
