Recital Feb. 21 to benefit Crisis Center

First Congregational Church of Dundee will host a benefit recital featuring soprano AnDréa James and guitarist Fareed Haque at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. The community is invited to this charity performance, which will benefit the Community Crisis Center in Elgin.

James' passion for music led her to a degree in vocal performance from Augustana College in Rock Island in 2004. During her junior year, she sang in the Südostbayerisches Städtetheater in Passau, Germany while studying German at the Üniversität Passau. After graduating, she was an adjunct professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Conn., where she taught private voice and started an opera program. She has worked as a soloist and has accompanied and directed in various churches and schools over the past 10 years. She now teaches private voice and piano at Hix Brothers Music in Batavia, while pursuing her master's degree in vocal performance from Northern Illinois University. She will have just completed her graduate recital and will offer selections from that program. AnDréa is the wife of the Rev. Aaron James, senior pastor at First Congregational Church of Dundee.

Fareed Haque is a nationally renowned guitarist. He spent a year studying with renowned jazz guitarist Jack Peterson at North Texas State University. Fareed's growing interest in the classical guitar led him to transfer to Northwestern University, where he completed his studies in classical guitar. He is famous for bringing classical and jazz styles to his jam band collaborations, including, but not limited to, those with Sting, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Holland, Joe Henderson, Joe Zawinul, Ramsey Lewis, Nigel Kennedy, Bob James, David Sanborn, many symphony orchestras and dozens of other well-known artists. Haque received the "Most Valuable Player" award at the 2002 High Sierra Music Festival and voted "Best World Guitarist" by Guitar Player Magazine in 2009. Fareed is now a professor of jazz and classical guitar Studies at Northern Illinois University; tours extensively with his jam supergroup, Garaj Mahal, and will offer a mix of classical repertoire and original compositions For more, visit www.fareed.com.

There is a suggested donation of $15 per person; your freewill offering for the recital will benefit the Community Crisis Center in Elgin.

Please join us for this benefit recital at First Congregational Church of Dundee, "The Church on the Hill." The church is located at 900 S. Eighth St. (Route 31 and Angle Tarn), West Dundee. For details, call the church at (847) 426-2161 ext. 202 or visit www.fccdundee.com.