Please join us for our annual Spring Concert on Sunday, April 26th at 3pm at Franklin High School in Franklin, NJ! Admission is FREE!

The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band presents its annual Spring concert, “Music From the Masters” on Sunday April 26 at 3 PM. Under the direction of Music Director William Berz, the concert will be held at Franklin High School, 500 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset, NJ. Admission is free!

The program features a wind band transcription of Carl Orff’s popular cantata “Carmina Burana”. Other works by composers Richard Strauss, J. S. Bach, John Philip Sousa, Clare Grundman, and Alfred Reed will be performed.

 The concert begins with Richard Strauss’ Königsmarsch (King’s March). For Carmina Burana (Songs of Beuern), composer Carl Orff set twenty-four 11th through 13th century poems to music. This transcription by John Krance was completed while consulting with composer Orff.

Following intermission, the program resumes with John Philip Sousa’s Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) march, followed by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Fantasia in G Major.

 Alfred Reed’s Ballade features RVSB alto saxophone soloist Frank Amato. Clare Gundman’s Kentucky 1800 is based on the tunes of three American folk songs. The program concludes with selections from the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.

 RVSB comprises about 70 musicians from the northern and central New Jersey area. Music Director William Berz is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University where he served on the faculty for 42 years and was Director of the Music department for 11 years.

 Soloist Frank Amato has been the principal saxophonist of the RVSB for over 10 years and was recently appointed as the band’s Assistant Conductor.

 This concert is funded, in part, by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission. This concert is sponsored by Joe Kozoh and Associates of Keller Williams Realty. For more information about the band please visit www.rvsb.org.