An Ottawa project that provides university courses for homeless and low-income people will be the beneficiary of a benefit concert CAUT is sponsoring this month.

Featuring internationally recognized pianist Yaroslav Senyshyn and flautist Susan O’Neill Senyshyn performing a program of Lizst, Franck and Chopin, the concert will be held at 8:00 p.m. Friday, April 27 in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 82 Kent Street, Ottawa.

Proceeds from the event will go to Discovery University, a program that brings university courses to low-income and homeless people in Ottawa.

“The courses, taught by volunteer faculty from the University of Ottawa and Saint Paul University, provide an opportunity for individuals who might otherwise not be able to attend university to learn new ideas, learn more about themselves, develop critical thinking skills and enhance self-awareness, competence and autonomy,” said CAUT executive director James Turk. “In some cases, Discovery University has opened the door to a degree at a local university.”

Yaroslav Senyshyn, a member of CAUT’s executive, trained under the late great Antonina Yaroshevich of the Kiev Conservatory and is one of Canada’s finest pianists. He also studied with Damiana Bratuz, Howard Munn, Clifford von Kuster, Katherine Wolpe and Pierre Souverain. His performances have won him acclaim at major concert halls worldwide, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and Massey Hall and the Grand (Bolshoi) Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The Washington Post has described Senyshyn as a pianist of “enormous power” and “sophistication.”

Recipient of a National Arts Centre Orchestra Bursary and winner of a University of Ottawa Concerto Competition, Susan O’Neill-Senyshyn studied with principal flautists Ervin Monroe (Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Robert Cram (National Arts Centre Orchestra), Paul Edmund-Davies (London Symphony Orchestra, UK) and Geoffrey Gilbert, who taught many top players, including the internationally acclaimed flautist James Galway. An active soloist and chamber musician, O’Neill-Senyshyn has performed in both England and Canada.

Concert tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students, and are available through Ticketmaster Canada. CAUT also welcomes donations — payable to CAUT and sent to 2705 Queensview Drive, Ottawa ON K2B 8K2 — so free tickets can be given to students enrolled in Discovery University courses.