First Note Play presents “Girls Empowered: Valencia High School Benefit Concert” at the Canyon High School Performing Arts Center Wednesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. The event will raise funds for the Valencia High School Jazz Choir and Wellness Program. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The concert is the celebratory and fundraising finale of the Girls Empowered six-week program, recently attended by students. All proceeds from this concert will be shared between the Valencia High School Choir Program and Valencia High School’s Viking Wellness Program. Both programs have encountered hardships due to the pandemic.

The Valencia High Choir Program, led by Choir Director Christine Tavares-Mocha, has suffered funding losses due to cancellations of in-person performances, the program’s typical fundraisers.

The choir turned to creating a variety of online music programs to make up some of the losses. Funding is needed to cover payments for sheet music, recording engineers and services, original arrangements, accompanists and guest lecture/master class clinicians.

The Viking Wellness Program, led by Jacqueline Pershing, supports the mental health, well-being, self-advocacy, and educational outcomes of all students families, and staff at Valencia High. The funds raised will help in the development and implementation of a continuum of early interventions as well as promoting student wellness and academic success for all students.

Co-Hosts, Girls Empowered Founder Sally Colón-Petree and Tommy Jackson, sponsor and First Note Play CEO, are both heavily involved in youth empowerment programs and have joined forces to bring this program and benefit concert to Valencia High School.

“We are honored to be sponsoring the Girls Empowered program for VHS and to help this generation reach their greatness,” said Jackson. “They are our future.”

The benefit concert will feature performances from multiple artists and genres from some of Los Angeles’ acclaimed and on the rise artists including:

Ellee Duke, charted #1 on Billboard, ill Nicky with over 20 million streams, Josh Logan the CMT nominated artist who appeared on “Songland” on NBC and rising artist Paige Christine.

The Valencia High Choir Program will also be featured with performances from Two ’N Four and Soundwaves Vocal Jazz Ensembles.

Girls Empowered is a six-week mentoring program to encourage, empower and engage the lives of teen girls in junior high and high school. The program was founded in 2019 by Sally Colón-Petree a Certified Transformational Life Coach, documentarian and mom of two teenage daughters at Valencia High, who was moved to take action after seeing teens struggle with peer pressure, bullying, low self-esteem and not having tools to combat it.

Girls Empowered provides resources for educational development and goal setting, encouraging community and cultural awareness, identifying the dangers of social media, demonstrating etiquette and leadership skills and promoting healthy lifestyles.

At the end of the program, the girls are welcomed to the Girls Empowered alumni, where they are encouraged to “pay it forward” as a new mentor for the next generation of girls.

The concert will be held at the Canyon High School Performing Arts Center, 19300 Nadal St., Canyon Country, CA 91351

Tickets are $10. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

For more information email Girls Empowered.