The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band will present its spring concert, “The Greatest Generation” on Sunday, April 9th at 3:00 p.m. in the Bridgewater-Raritan High School auditorium. The school is located at 600 Garretson Road, Bridgewater, New Jersey. Admission is free and open to the public.
The concert will honor the men and women who served our country during World War II and will feature music of that era. The concert will open with a presentation of the colors by the Honor Guard from the Avenel Detachment of the Marine Corps League. Concert highlights will include Richard Rodger’s stirring music from Victory at Sea, accompanied by video excerpts from the 1950’s series, Overture from Brigadoon by Frederick Loewe, an arrangement of Big Band hits, including Undecided, How High the Moon, and I’ll Remember April, as well as a sing-along of Irving Berlin’s God Bless America.
Continuing its mission to introduce audiences to music by some of America’s most talented composers, the band will premiere Passacaglia and Interlude by noted New Jersey composer, author, lecturer and teacher, Gerald Sebesky, who has composed over 350 publications for concert band, stage band, chorus and orchestra, and is a former member of the RVSB. Tom Sargent, who is also a former RVSB member, commissioned the piece for the RVSB. After the concert, a collection of World War II photographs, many taken by famous LIFE photographers such as Alfred Eisenstadt and Carl Mydans, and published in the book LIFE the First Decade, will be on display.
The RVSB is under the direction of Larry Markiewicz, who is a Director of Bands at Bridgewater-Raritan High School in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Mr. Markiewicz has been a guest conductor and clinician with many groups, including wind bands, student leadership seminars, and the top competitive drum and bugle corps worldwide. The assistant conductor, Jennifer Garibaldi is the principal clarinetist of the RVSB and a music educator in the Hillsborough school district. The RVSB is a 70-member adult symphonic band with its volunteer membership drawn from central New Jersey and the surrounding area. The band has a rich 22-year history and has become known for its tradition of bringing quality music to the community, frequently featuring some of New Jersey’s most talented soloists, and providing free and accessible music education outreach to the community.
The Band’s upcoming concerts include its annual pops concert on Friday, June 16th at 8 pm at Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough, New Jersey and an outdoor concert on June 23rd on the Borough Hall lawn. Admission is free and open to the public for both events.
The concert is made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program. The Band is sponsored by the Jointure for Community Adult Education and by contributions from local businesses, corporations, foundations and private citizens. For more information about the concert, becoming a sponsor, to request assistance for persons with disabilities, or to inquire about joining the Band, consult the Band’s website at www.rvsb.org or call 908-359-3136. Those who require special services are asked to contact the Band at least three weeks before the concert.