When pancreatic cancer hit Tyler Paul’s family, he reacted the only way he knows how: with music.
A few months after Tyler’s 2007 Staples graduation, his great-uncle succumbed to the disease. That summer, Tyler produced a concert to raise funds for the Hirshberg Foundation — a research, information and support group. It was successful, but he wanted to do more.
Tyler Paul
So Tyler conceived an 11-track album. For months talented vocalists recorded songs, ranging from “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” and “Let it Be” to contemporary musical theatre pieces like “Part of a Painting” — from the very talented duo of Benj Pasek and Justin (Tyler’s brother) Paul.
The album also includes Westport’s vocal group From the Heart. This ensemble of middle and high school performers, founded by Staples senior Caley Beretta, recorded a rendition of the inspiration song “I’ll Always be There,” written by Westporter Kevin Connors.
“Heart and Music” is available on iTunes. Just 24 hours after its release, it was already #9 in the Vocal Genre category — squeezed between Josh Groban and Norah Jones. All money raised from download sales benefit the Hirshberg Foundation.
(For more information, contact heartandmusicproject@gmail.com)