Artists like Sara Bareilles and Christina Aguilera have been said to empower women through songs like “Brave.” Now, at The Empow(her) a charity concert in support of domestic and sexual violence victims, these songs will carry deeper meaning for the SU women singing them.  

Hosted by the two all-female a cappella groups on campus, the event will be held at 8 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel on Oct. 11. The event will be held by the Mandarins and Main Squeeze a cappella groups. All the proceeds from the event will go to Vera House Inc., which is located on the Northside. Sponsoring the night is the A Cappella Council at Syracuse University.  

For the first time in the event’s four years of running, the concert will also include women-identifying members of co-ed a cappella groups. Women from Oy Capella and Groove Stand will be participating in this event and Otto’s Empire Belly Dance Troupe, according to their Facebook event page.  

The setlist will include songs written and performed by women and symbolize women empowerment. Some of these songs are written by Sara Bareilles, Christina Aguilera and many others, Yael Kortsarz, a member of Main Squeeze, said. 

Kortsarz said that the first time they held Empow(her) was her freshman year and that having a supportive group of women helped her in her first year.  

“Having such a large group of women from Main Squeeze and Mandarins to love and support me was something I could never thank the people before me enough,” Kortsarz said. “They created an event that speaks to so many of us.” 

Kara Mueller, a member of The Mandarins, described the concert as girls coming together and having a good time making music.  

Mueller added that it’s a great way for women to support each other as well as bring entertainment to the SU community to raise money for a good cause. 

Chris Benton, the director of marketing and communications at Vera House, said that the organization provides hope and healing to victims of domestic and sexual violence, and elder abuse. The organization offers counseling, advocacy, shelter and prevention education programming. In addition, they offer 24-hour assistance for anyone affected by these issues. 

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Benton added that Vera House was able to get into contact with Empow(her) because there are prevention educators that work on college campuses. He said that the ones at SU contacted them about the event. 

“Some of the members came to one of our presentations,” Benton said, “and our representatives further discussed with them the work we do on campuses.”  

Benton believes that the organization does wonderful things and the event they planned will be a lot of fun and she said it will hopefully attract people. 

She added that “when organizations hold fundraisers for Vera House, it’s great because we’re able to reach different communities that we may have not able to reach before.” 

Benton said that statistics still show that a lot of people are affected by domestic and sexual violence. It’s important that more people attend these events so more people know about the services they offer, she said. 

Marissa Dworken, a member of The Mandarins, described the event as a performance for women that is based on themes like strength and support, but all are welcome to attend the event.  

Benton said the honor from this event comes from the women who selected them to represent the cause.  

“I hope that people will learn more about these issues and the services we have to offer,” Benton said. 

Published on October 7, 2019 at 1:27 am