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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 14, 2010) – Milligan College will host Hope for the Hopeless, a benefit concert for the International Justice Mission, on Friday, April 23, at 9 p.m. in Milligan’s Gregory Center for the Liberal Arts.
Tickets are $10. Student admission is $5. To reserve tickets, call 423.773.1144. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, as available.
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM’s justice professionals work in their communities in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure tangible and sustainable protection of national laws through local court systems.
Milligan senior Erin Elisabeth Aubrey, a music performance and psychology major from Elizabethton, Tenn., organized the concert after reading about the atrocities of the sex slave industry.
“I began researching and found out what a national and worldwide crisis this has become,” Aubrey said. “One million new children are being taken as sex slaves every year. That is absolutely horrifying. I feel like awareness needs to be raised about this issue, and my music is the only way I really know how to get a message across and make some money.”
A singer-songwriter, Aubrey plans to release her first album, “All These Ours,” in the fall of 2011. Her style is often reminiscent of the bluesy ballads of the 1930s and 1940s. Her alluring voice, unique chord progressions and honest lyrics create a one-of-a-kind sound.
During her senior year, she was invited to the Contemporary Music Center (CMC) on Martha’s Vineyard. The CMC is the nation’s only artists’ only colony, where up-and-coming musicians and entertainment executives come together to make an impact in today’s music industry.
Aubrey recently recorded several singles with 450 records, owned by Offshore Entertainment Group. The singles can be heard on her MySpace page,http://www.myspace.com/erinaubreymusic.
“I spent a semester writing and recording music, and I want to share it with Milligan and the community at this concert,” Aubrey said.
The concert will also feature Milligan seniors Haylie Black, a fine arts major from Plainfield, Ind., and Jonathan Tuttle, a humanities major from Granville, Ohio.
Aubrey’s band features Milligan seniors Troy Petrie, Thomas Salyer and Jonathan Tuttle. There will be guest appearances by sophomore Amy Aubrey, sophomore Lucas Schmidt and freshman Grizel Williams.
“As Christians, we are called to help bring healing to the world,” Aubrey said. “I hope that after the concert, people will research this cause and the organizations that exist to help the victims. I hope that in some small way, we can help restore healing to the victims’ broken lives.”
For more information, visit www.milligan.edu/arts.