Award-winning singer/songwriter, dancer, actress and mega social influencer Montana Tucker will conduct Concert-4-Kindness on Sunday, January 15 at Florida Atlantic University’s Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium in Boca Raton.
Although this Boca native is a world-renowned artist having performed for big stars like Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, Flo Rida and Pitbull, she is equally focused on making the world a kinder, more inclusive place.
Recently featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, she spoke about tracing her family roots back to Poland, where she researched her maternal grandparents’ experiences during the Holocaust.
Captured on film, this trip became the six-part Holocaust education documentary How to: Never Forget. It was featured across Tucker’s social media platforms to educate many of her 14 million followers.
Recent polls have shown that many in the “TikTok generation” are utterly confused about the basic facts of the Holocaust. A 2020 national survey of adults under 40 showed that a significant number do not understand that the death toll reached 6 million Jews, with a tenth of them saying they had never heard the term “Holocaust” before.
“We need everyone to get their friends, families and colleagues, from teenagers, parents and grandparents to Gen Zers, Millennials and Baby Boomers, to join us so that together we can radiate acceptance, kindness and light,” Tucker said .
Concert-4-Kindness, hosted by FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, aims to deliver a “We are the World”-style moment, according to its marketers.
Tucker to play popular original songs at a concert
Tucker will perform several of her popular originals, including “Be Myself” and “I’m Not Alone.” Both singles were written by Tucker to inspire others to respect their own and the inclusion and diversity of others.
Although Tucker and her dancers will direct the multi-arts show, more than 125 multicultural performers and presenters will be involved.
FAU Dance Director Clarence Brooks will perform “Sweet in the Morning”, choreographed by Leni Williams with music by Bobby McFerrin. Brooks has performed with more than 60 American companies and toured the United States, Europe and Asia.
BriGuel, the internationally renowned bilingual artist duo from Spain and New York, will perform their own brand of socially impactful music and share clips from their award-winning films and videos. Both grandchildren of Holocaust survivors raise awareness and support for displaced Ukrainians finding sanctuary at the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation in Poland.
Florida Singing Sons and Chorale Soleil, a new ensemble, will join forces vocally to transform arts-loving youth into tomorrow’s leaders. Florida Singing Sons has performed with renowned local companies such as the Florida Grand Opera and the New World Symphony, and has toured the United States and major cities in Europe.
Local students and their mentors, sponsored by Nat King Cole Generation Hope, will perform instrumental pieces. The Boca Raton-based nonprofit organization provides a legacy of music education, mentoring, and resources for youth with the greatest needs and fewest resources.
The Concert-4-Kindness benefits FAU’s Make a Difference Fund for scholarships and programs for students in the future Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies building at FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.
The future building will bring together under one roof all multidisciplinary educational institutions focused on human rights education, conflict de-escalation, ethics and diplomacy, leadership training and peacebuilding. It will also house FAU’s Peace, Justice, and Human Rights Center, a university-wide project that brings together scholars, students, practitioners and community leaders working on the issues of social justice, human rights, and peace and nonviolence.
Concert-4-Friendliness
Where from: Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, January 15
Costs: Tickets start at $10
Information: www.fauevents.com; 561-297-6124