Local musician Chizuko Purschwitz is bringing together musicians to help with the recovery efforts in Japan after the country was ravaged by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

The benefit concert will be held at the Pynelogs Cultural Centre on May 28, with live music starting around 5:30 p.m.

The show will display the talents of many different styles of music and will have something for everyone according to Purschwitz.

“Already we have  Kurt Reichel, Deb Ede, Bill Cropper, the Dry Gulch Ramblers, Mike and Fraser Smith, Steve O’Shaughnessy, Barry Moor and  Anne Jardine. We hope to have hopefully a few more musicians as well,” said Purschwitz.

Being from Japan made this a very personal event for the musician, who felt she had to try and help in some way.

“Through my belief we know we can be powerless against nature. The people there are just coming together and rebuilding. This will take years and I wanted to help in some way,” Purschwitz said.

She was in Mexico at the time of the tsunami and like millions of people around the world she watched in disbelief as the waters flooded over the land. It was at that point she felt she has to do something to help. “I felt numb. Even though we knew something like this could happen no one expected it.”

Advance tickets will be sold at Springs Health Food Store, Essential Department Store and Invermere One-Hour Photo Shop for the show at a cost of $30 with tickets at the door costing $32.

There will be dessert and coffee or tea along with some appetizers for people at the event along with the chance to bid on silent auction items.

All money raised at the event will go to help out the relief effort in japan.

As for the support she has received from Pynelogs, musicians and local residents.

“It is overwhelming,” she said.

As for why she hopes people will come out and support the event, Purschwitz said that Japan as a country needs help now from the world and she knows the Columbia Valley is always there to help their neighbours and strangers from around the world when something like this happens.