Voices of Hope

On Sunday November 23, 2008, the ALS Hope Foundation will be holding its second annual “Voices of Hope” at the Waterford Room in the Radisson Hotel in Valley Forge, Pa.  Following a lunch buffet we will present the one act comic opera “The Beautiful Bridegroom” composed by Daniel Shore. In this tuneful and lyrical Mozart pastiche, a widow decides she'd rather get a husband for herself than for her unmarried daughters, and the maid and matchmaker plot twists take everyone by surprise.  A concert will follow that includes not only broadway and classical pieces but the premiere of an original composition based on the Spoon River Anthologies, by Stephen Senderoff who is living with ALS. The Opera and concert will be performed by the Sunderman Conservatory under the direction of Dr. Kathleen Sasnett.  All proceeds from this event will go directly to the ALS Hope Foundation.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive, degenerative disease that robs its victims of the ability to walk, to grasp, to speak, and, eventually, to breathe.  ALS can target anyone at any time, and once diagnosed, the typical patient lives only two to five years. The ALS Hope Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis through innovative and collaborative research while supporting excellence in care through the ALS Center of Hope at Drexel University College of Medicine.