Friday concert benefits stricken tenor

MATAMORAS — At 7 p.m. on Dec. 14, a concert to benefit Marshall Cooper will be held at Saint Joseph’s Church, 308 Avenue F, in Matamoras. Marshall was hospitalized four weeks ago because of a severe infection following a hip replacement procedure. Marshall is a self-employed opera singer and voice instructor, without medical insurance. His hospitalization is creating a strain on him, his wife Barbara, and his three daughters, Megan, Alexis, and Emily. “I was onstage last year singing in a Harrisburg, PA., production of “Norma” when I felt a stabbing pain in my left hip,” noted Marshall. “The pain grew worse and forced me to cancel performances. I could not walk across the stage.” After getting a $40,000 quote for a hip replacement Marshall heard about medical tourism and began researching his options over the Internet. His research led him to India. There, an orthopedic surgeon could provide the latest surgical procedure for a fraction of what it would cost in the United States. The only problem is follow-up, finding an orthopedic surgeon here who will agree to provide follow-up for a procedure that he did not perform. Unfortunately six months after the surgery in India an infection occurred and another operation is now necessary. Since then, prolonged hospitalization and the extended administration of antibiotics have severely weakened Marshall’s immune system. So Marshall is forced to wait until these conditions are under control, thus lengthening the time he must spend in recuperating. Marshall is a Lirico Spinto Tenor who spent 20 years performing and teaching in Europe. Returning to the US, he began performing and teaching locally. He now lends his talent to local religious groups and is a singer for Temple Shari Tefilo Israel in South Orange, N.J. Marshall’s good friend and neighbor, Dan Bradley, has taken it upon himself to organize the benefit at Saint Joseph’s. “Marshall was my vocal instructor, and in turn I taught his daughters piano. The events leading to his illness are of tragic proportion, but what will follow once he is back on his feet will amount to years of catching up. The family is in need of support,” Bradley said. The concert will feature the Tri-State Chorus, which was a program that was already planned, but Father Riccardi of Saint Joseph’s was very generous in enabling this to be used as a benefit for Marshall. “I will also perform (Bradley is a pianist redolent of the Victor Borge school of comic piano), and will be joined by Carol Diefenbach, who will perform selections from Handel’s Messiah,” said Bradley For those unable to make the concert please send checks to St. Joseph’s Church, Attention Cooper Family, 307 Avenue F, Matamoras, PA 18336. Checks should be made out to Marshall Cooper.