Chorus teacher spearheads concert for injured student

DR. PHILLIPS – Fans of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are invited to indulge in the some the band’s greatest hits from the 60s in an upcoming concert performed by the Frankie Valli Tribute Show. 

The four-piece band will be performing its popular show, “Let’s Hang On!,” as a benefit concert Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Dr. Phillips High School Performing Arts Center.

Concert-goers will have the opportunity to enjoy cherished oldies such as “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” “Who Loves You” and many more by the tribute band. 

The Frankie Valli Tribute Show will be headlining the concert, which is a benefit for Dr. Phillips High School student Emily Nelson. Nelson was shot four times in her back and face outside her home June 11 and is in recovery. 

The family of five — Emily’s mother, Andrea, and her three younger siblings — faces mounting physical therapy costs as the high-school junior learns to navigate with the use of a wheelchair and tries to recuperate as much use of her legs as possible. 

Upon hearing of the shooting, DPHS chorus teacher Chris Barletta shared a Gofundme page detailing the incident and financial strain the family has undergone following Nelson’s incident on his personal Facebook page. The end result was the idea to perform a concert in her honor and donate all proceeds to the family. 

“It was my idea,” said Barletta, also a singer in the tribute band. “I’m the chorus teacher here, but I’ve been traveling around the country for nine years doing a Frankie Valli Tribute Show. What happened was that I put her Gofundme page on my Facebook, and then the guys saw it, and we started talking about how we should do a benefit show for her at the school. So the guys all volunteered their time and the band volunteered their time to do the show for her.”

The concert will open with a performance by the DPHS student jazz ensemble followed by a 90-minute performance by the Frankie Valli Tribute Show. Barletta hopes to have the show, which is selling tickets ranging in price from $10 to $20 based on seat location, sell out.

“No one deserves that, so my thought was, if we do the show here, at least I’ll have a bunch of kids who’ll want to come see it to make fun of me because I’m their teacher,” he said. “So hopefully, it’ll be easier to sell tickets and also maybe the Dr. Phillips community will want to come and support one of our own. You know, we’re a family here of Panthers.”

Tickets are available at bit.ly/2ybNZAg.