Performances by folk favorites Aztec Two-Step and the Lee Lund Studio Teen Company are among the highlights of the third annual benefit for The Jamie A. Hulley Fund for the Arts to be held on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. A silent auction and reception begins at 6 p.m. and the program will follow at 7:30 p.m. in the Kelley Auditorium.

All proceeds from the evening will benefit the fund's growing list of exciting art scholarships, awards and programs, as well as celebrate the life of Jamie Alaine Hulley, daughter of Fairfield University psychology professor Judy Primavera and Fred Hulley Jr. Jamie Hulley was an Orange resident and arts enthusiast whose dream of a career in the arts was cut short when she died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 20.

The fund offers scholarships and awards at Racebrook School and Amity middle and high schools, in Orange and Woodbridge; Wesleyan University; Fairfield University; Action for Bridgeport Community Development; and the Lee Lund Dance Studio in Milford. In the past year, it has grown to include a visiting artist program and drama club production grant at Amity High School, a summer arts internship stipend for college students, and the Jamie A. Hulley "Musicians Unplugged" Series at Fairfield University, which kicked off with a well-attended talk with Talking Heads musicians Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth.

Primavera said she hopes to continue to expand the number of annual arts programs sponsored by Jamie's Fund. "Jamie never believed in small dreams, so why should we?" she said. "The impact her Arts Fund is having reflects her energy and her caring nature."

The 2005 benefit features a concert by Aztec Two-Step, a staple of the American folk scene since the 1970s. The duo of Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman met at an open mic night in a Boston folk club in 1971 and released its debut album, "Aztec Two-Step," the very next year. Quickly becoming a staple of FM and college radio, the album was in print for an impressive 15 years and formed the foundation for more than three decades of recording and performing. Aztec Two-Step's 1986 release, "Living in America," was cited on Billboard magazine's year-end critics' poll and received the 1987 Best Folk Album award at the New York Music Awards.

Named for a line in "A Coney Island of the Mind" by Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Aztec Two-Step manages to combine the politics of the time in which the duo formed with a thoroughly modern music sensibility.

"In the midst of pure-as-silk harmonies and tight pop-rock-folk arrangements, Fowler's songs are biting commentaries of contemporary society," wrote a Boston Globe reviewer.

Fans should expect to hear a mix of old favorites and new tunes from their recently released eighth studio album "Days of Horses."

The evening also includes a performance by the Lee Lund Studio's Teen Company, a 16-member auditioned company that once counted Jamie Hulley among its accomplished dancers. Her sister, company member Kari Hulley, will perform during the benefit.

Lee Lund, a talented choreographer and dancer, has been teaching in Milford for more than 20 years. Backed by years of training at the Juilliard School, the Martha Graham School of Dance, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and other top programs, she danced on Broadway in "Hello Dolly," "West Side Story," and "Promises, Promises." Her many television credits include appearances with Mary Tyler Moore, Ben Vereen, Bill Cosby and Goldie Hawn.

The show will be hosted by master of ceremonies and auctioneer David Raffauf.

In addition to the performances, this year's benefit includes a silent auction, featuring a week at an inn on Lake Winnepesaukee, a $500 weekend at Mohegan Sun, a full-length raccoon coat, sports memorabilia and more. Prints of Jamie's artwork will be on sale.

Wine and light hors d'oeuvres and desserts will be served during the evening. Tickets to the benefit are $35. For tickets, call (203) 891-8869 or e-mail jamieart@snet.net . Donations may be made to: Jamie A. Hulley Fund for the Arts, P.O. Box 1208, Orange, CT 06477-7208. For more information, visit www.jamiehulleyartsfund.org .

Posted On: 08-05-2005 10:08 AM

Volume: 38 Number: 10