Post date: Nov 7, 2015 8:01:28 PM

Jeffrey Koc performed as a violist with NJ Youth Symphony at Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway on Jan. 25, 2014.

nj.com

NJ Youth Symphony presents concerts at Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway

Suburban News

The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) presents two concerts on Jan. 18 and 25, at the Union County Performing Arts Center at 1601 Irving St., in Rahway. Pictured is the Clarinet Ensemble. (courtesy photo) Suburban News

The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) presents two concerts on Jan. 18 and 25, at the Union County Performing Arts Center at 1601 Irving St., in Rahway. The Junior Wind Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble, Flute Forum, and Fortissimo Flutes will perform on Jan. 18 at 3 p.m. and the Preparatory String Ensemble, Junior String Ensemble, Flute Choir, Philharmonia, and Sinfonia will perform on Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, available by calling 908-771-5544908-771-5544.

The Junior Wind Ensemble, made up of woodwind and brass students in grades four-eight, will perform selections from Rimsky-Korsokov’s Scheherazade arranged by L.C. Harnsberger. The Clarinet Ensemble, celebrating its inaugural year, will perform works by J.S. Bach and Beethoven. Both the Junior Wind Ensemble and Clarinet Ensemble are conducted by Bryan Rudderow. The Flute Forum and Fortissimo Flutes will perform contemporary works by Pierre Max Dubois and Philip Martin and are conducted by Diana Charos Reilly.

Works to be performed on Jan. 25, include Saint-Saens’ Danse Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah, performed by Philharmonia and conducted by Mark Gunderman, and Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2, performed by Sinfonia and conducted by Kristi Geronimo. The Preparatory and Junior String Ensembles, conducted by Michele Hatcher, will perform both classical and contemporary works, including Soon He Newbold’s Fire Dance, and conclude the program with a performance of Rossini’s William Tell Overture arranged by Sandra Dackow.

“All sections of NJYS’s orchestras perform at a very high level, but the woodwinds in particular have a distinctly elitist nature because of the demands of orchestral wind playing," said Artistic Coordinator and Conductor of Flute Choir, Flute Forum, and Fortissimo Flutes, Diana Charos Reilly. "Having a large flute population allows NJYS to truly get the best player for each ensemble, and when you put 26 wind players in a rehearsal together, the skills of blending, communicating, ensemble playing, movement and playing as one truly requires teamwork. With all of our ensembles, from the youngest string players to the most advanced winds and brass, we strive to emphasize that every link is important, no matter what the age or the level of the player.”

The New Jersey Youth Symphony, the orchestral and ensemble affiliate of Wharton Music Center, features fourteen ensembles, available by audition for students in grades three-12. Its premiere ensemble, Youth Symphony, was awarded first place in the prestigious 2014 Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival and has appeared in such internationally renowned concert halls as Carnegie Hall in New York City and Musikverein in Vienna. The New Jersey Youth Symphony was recently featured on NJTV’s The State of the Arts and appeared at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center for its 35th Anniversary gala concert.

Wharton Music Center, where creativity and expression converge with exploration, provides a diverse range of classes and programs as New Jersey’s largest independent nonprofit community performing arts center. Serving nearly 1,200 students with high quality instruction in all instruments and voice, musical theatre, drama, and dance, Wharton and its esteemed faculty of talented professionals offer instruction for beginners of all ages, as well as an in-depth, sequential course of study through its Achievement Program, and orchestral and ensemble training with the New Jersey Youth Symphony, its orchestral and ensemble affiliate.

Innovative programming and more than 500 classes taught weekly, from Early Childhood Music, music theory, and audio recording to Introduction to Instruments, ensures that there is something for all ages and interests.

Part of the mission as a community school for the performing arts is to engage, educate, and enrich our community with a broad spectrum of accessible programming. Dedicated to serving the community, Wharton Music Center provides instruction at local public, private and charter schools in after-school settings and during the school day. From an assembly program to a full-year residency, our outstanding faculty collaborates with school principals and staff to offer customized curriculum to meet the needs for music, drama, and musical theatre instruction for each school or organization. One of the highlights of our community programs is the Paterson Music Project, an El Sistema-inspired program that provides intensive music instruction to elementary school students attending the Community Charter School of Paterson.

Wharton Music Center builds personal connections in the community through an array of faculty and student performances, many of which are free and allow community members to become more involved with Wharton Music Center. These often interactive Community Concerts include classical, jazz and family programs and are held at a variety of venues throughout the region. New Jersey Youth Symphony ensembles, both large and small, perform throughout the community.

Located in Berkeley Heights and New Providence, Wharton Music Center and New Jersey Youth Symphony serve students from thirteen counties.

For additional information about community programs and class offerings visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org or call 908-790-0700908-790-0700.