Sherrill Fulghum
The small chapel held the crowd; but it in no way could contain the joy and excitement that Jason and deMarco displayed with their music. The March 29 concert was opened by the Rochester Rainbow Gospel Choir who performed three songs.
The duo opened the show a cappella, but he song set the tone for the evening � a concert filled with beautiful music, up beat tunes, and a night of sharing. Mary native Jason Warner was raised in the Pentecostal Church full of don�ts and deMarco � Italian roots � was brought up in a church which did not stress music; yet the duo�s performance was from the heart. Jason and deMarco voices blend in harmonies and with a sound reserved for the stage of mainstream boy bands.
Jason was being groomed to be THE next male Contemporary Christian Pop singer but found he could not live two lives. Jason came out and was kicked out. But Jason has no regrets. This openly gay Christian music singer � he calls it Spirit Pop � says that coming out was the best thing he ever did. He found out what it meant by the truth will set you free. Since then Jason discovered the Metropolitan Community Church and unconditional acceptance of who he is in a church. After moving to Los Angeles he met deMarco who has become more than just support for what Jason does for a living. Jason wanted a partner who would support him; deMarco has joined Jason in love and in song. When the two perform, they sing as much to each other as they sing to the crowd. Their songs are more than about the love of God; the songs are also about love for each other. Lost microphones and forgotten words could not sway the joy of the evening.
Jason and deMarco�s music is timeless and to prove the point, the biggest selling CD at shows and on the internet -www.jasonanddemarco.com - is the Christmas CD. A new CD Songs of the Spirit is due to be released in May.
After relaying the story of their unhappy trip and day trying to reach Rochester, Jason and deMarco invited the Rainbow Gospel Choir to join them on stage for the last song �Oh Happy Day�. Jason and deMarco left the stage with the crowd yelling for more. Jason said that he had always heard you should leave them wanting more and he did.
Sherrill Fulghum
Frequently when the name Thomas Warfield is mentioned, it is followed with he is the nephew of William Warfield and Leontyne Price. But Thomas is a master artist in his own right. Warfield believes that being an artist is more than about the art. Warfield has been performing in one form or another nearly all of his life.
Along his journey Warfield has performed in many parts of the world. On one such occasion, Warfield found himself in China. Wanting to see more of the country than the hotel and the theatre Warfield hopped a train. Warfield had no idea where he was going nor that the events to follow would later change his life in ways he could have never imagined. Warfield � an American with dark skin � spoke no Chinese. When he stepped off of the train the small village was deserted except for one little girl holding a stick. The sight of the strange man terrified the child, but Warfield stood and waited. Eventually the child stopped shaking and sat down on the ground. She began to doodle in the sand. Warfield found a stick for himself and did the same. Not a single word was ever spoken but a connection and a memory had been made. Warfield boarded the train when it returned. He returned to his life as a dancer thinking nothing more of the events that had just transpired. A few years later while on the beach on Martha�s Vineyard, Warfield�s thoughts turned to the little girl in China. The memory planted a seed, but Warfield had no idea of what to do next. Warfield feels that e are all a part of the human family. Warfield�s dilemma was how he could share his feelings with the rest of the world. Believing that poetry is a conduit for communication, Warfield wrote a letter to everyone he had ever met asking them to pen a few lines on peace which would be combined to form a poem. The response was overwhelming; friends to heads of State responded. Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama also contributed to the project.
Warfield�s vision began to grow beyond poetry to other artistic areas. While working on his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Salt Lake City, Warfield founded Dance Art. Expanding on his original idea Dance Art would provide an outlet for everyone to participate in the family of humanity without fear of being excluded. Dance Art fostered friendship and togetherness. The first concert put on by Dance Art was to help the Romanian orphan children who were had HIV/AIDS. Warfield�s dream brought positive results in more ways than raising money for the children. The Mormon Church and the Bahai faith aided in funding the production. Dance Art�s last performance was a musical and dance production of the peace poem Warfield created from his world-wide contributions.
In 1992 when Warfield returned to Rochester, Dance Art became Peace Art International. Warfield has used PeaceArt to aid in humanitarian causes all over the world. Warfield uses the most unlikely combinations of cultures and peoples to create his productions. A production in South Carolina brought inner city boys together with suburban girls. Only Thomas believed that it could work. Not only was a dance and rap song production created; but also friendships � which caused some distress among the parents - between the children were made. Friendships that crossed racial and cultural barriers that had been in place for over 200 years.
People with disabilities � including an autistic child � have danced with those who do not have a disability. The autistic boy was not interested in dance, only julmping up and down. Warfield�s solution was to create the dance around the boy. His jumping became the center of the dance.
Warfield strives to include every aspect of a society in his productions � from prisoners to schools and the homeless to the elite. Rabbi Potok once said that we are all created in God�s image, but each of us is unique and has something to contribute. Thomas Warfield proves that theory every time he creates a project through PeaceArt. Warfield has not limited his talents to people. At the Art Walk opening Warfield choreographed a dance for street sweepers. Most recently he has been looking at fire engines and assessing the possibilities. For Thomas Warfield the possibilities are always endless.
Thomas Warfield was born into a musical family with a famous last name, but he has carried his own way into the world of peace and art.