Welcome to the official website of the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band! Feel free to contact [email protected] with any questions about the band or membership inquiries.
Rehearsals are held weekly from September through June on Wednesdays from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in Bridgewater, NJ. When the Bridgewater location is unavailable for rehearsals, our alternate rehearsal location is at Franklin High School in Franklin, NJ. In unusual circumstances, alternative locations may be scheduled.
Our next concert will take place on Sunday April 28 @ 4pm at the Franklin High School in Somerset, NJ. The poster and program notes are to follow, but please read about our last concert below!
Children’s Concert & Instrument Petting Zoo
“Heroes and Villains”
Raritan Valley Symphonic Band
Sunday, February 11 @ 2 pm
Children of all ages are invited to the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band’s annual
Children’s Concert “Heroes and Villains” on Sunday, February 11. The performance
will be held at Bridgewater-Raritan High School at 2 PM and admission is free.
Immediately following the concert, all children are invited to visit the “Instrument
Petting Zoo”, where they will have the opportunity to speak to the musicians and
see and hear the instruments up close. Each child will receive a passport to
collect stickers for each instrument they visit.
Under the direction of Mr. John Hylkema and Mr. Frank Amato, this year’s concert
features music representing various heroes and villains in cinema. The concert
opens with Summon the Heroes, originally composed by John Williams for the
1996 Summer Olympics.
Star Wars – The Marches highlights different celebratory and sinister moments
from the original and prequel trilogies. Most famously, the “Throne Room March”
from Episode IV, “Auggies Great Municipal Band” from Episode I, and the “Imperial
March”, which became the theme music of the Sith Lord, Darth Vader.
The audience is then taken on a journey back across the galaxy with a medley of
tunes from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. Don’t forget to look out for Groot!
Avengers: Endgame features the final battle of our Marvel heroes against the evil
warlord Thanos. Next, be ready to snap along to Cruella De Vil, though if she
doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will! Then, join Mr. Incredible and his superhero
friends as they prepare to save the earth with a medley from the 2004 Pixar film
The Incredibles.
The RVSB journeys to the Pride Lands with the majesty and power of music from
The Lion King. Our program ends with a medley of music from Pirates of the
Caribbean – Curse of the Black Pearl where the line between villain and hero is
often blurred, especially for our friend, Captain Jack Sparrow.
This program is sure to delight adults and children alike! We hope you can join us
for this special performance!
RVSB comprises about 65 musicians from the northern and central New Jersey area. Band membership includes professional musicians and music educators, as well as amateur musicians ranging in age from high school through retirees.
This concert is funded, in part, by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission.