Festival of Arts 2023 kicked off with fabulous Chorus Concert

Matt McCarthy struck a chord.

Then a collection of gifted choir students and their impeccable directors and teachers struck their chord.

Mr. McCarthy, who is only a week into his high-profile position as the Supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts for the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, kicked off The Festival of Arts 2023 when he spoke just before the Chorus Concert launched this priceless showcase on the evening of Thursday, March 23

His opening speech contained both his introduction of himself to the audience that crammed into the Bridgewater-Raritan High School main gymnasium as well as how precious fine and performing arts can be.

 “It occurred to me tonight that as we go through life we spend an awful lot of time alone and even more time feeling alone. But not when we sing,” Ms. McCarthy spoke. “Every culture and every religion around the world has traditions that involve individuals coming together in song and that is because when we sing together connections are formed and the more we sing the stronger those connections grow. The young people here tonight have devoted hours of hard work and practice in order to do what they are about to do. I suspect along the way they experienced a lot of joy. I hope you enjoy yourself tonight”

The tone was set for the evening.

The staff member whom Mr. McCarthy replaced was Dr. Laura Bassett, who continued to spearhead The Festival of Arts 2023 while she began her new role as the Principal of the Eisenhower Intermediate School in the school district on February 1.

She, too, expressed the special feelings that the sweet sound of choral students can produce while she cited the tireless work of the teachers and directors who fine-tuned the four choral squads who performed on this special night.

The high school’s splendid choral team sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, a performance that energized the crowd and sparked the first group who sang—the 4th Grade Choir.

The 4th grade singers teamed up from all seven of the primary schools to form one cohesive unit on March 23.

Heather Diaforli-Day, who is the highly regarded K-4 Music Teacher at Crim Primary School, served as the lead director during the concert.

She and the other directors from the six primary schools—-Janice Williams of Adamsville,

Alex Holland of Bradley Gardens, Rina Sklar of Hamilton, James Cicchino of John F. Kennedy, who accompanied Ms. Diaflori-Day up front during the performance, Brianna Super of Milltown and Gian Sari of Van Holten—-were thrilled in not only how they sang but how they meshed so well.

“All of the 4th grade choral directors are so very proud of our students' performance at the festival,” Ms. Diaforli-Day said. “They came together quickly as an ensemble, with a short amount of rehearsal time, to share their music with the community.  They were truly in awe of the high school singers!  It was a wonderful experience for all last night.”

The lineup was then turned over to the Intermediate School Choir, which was composed of the students from both Eisenhower and Hillside Intermediate Schools.

Again, the sounds were clear and quite pleasant under the guidance of Tony Sgro, the charismatic Music Teacher and Director at Hillside, and Lisa Rotondi and Lauren Smith who are the superb Co-Directors and Music Teachers at Eisenhower.

Mr. Sgro, Ms. Rotondi and Ms.Smith all joined in to provide this statement about the wonderful evening.

“We look forward to the Choral Festival because our students have the opportunity to see the entire Choral Program come alive in one musical experience. Our students not only add their own beautiful music but they also gain the context of the music-making opportunities ahead of them at the BRMS (Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School) and BRHS (Bridgewater-Raritan High School).”

A delightful evening of singing continued when the Middle School Chorus delivered their terrific performance, which featured an opening song that was accompanied by a soothing playing of the violin by a female student.

This group of 7th and 8th Graders followed the lead of Gabriel Hingelberg, the vigorous Music Teacher and Choral Director at the Middle School.

"I was so proud of the Middle School Choir and the Festival was as good as it gets!" Ms. Hingelberg claimed. "My favorite part of the evening was seeing my students’ reactions to hearing the other choirs, especially the High School. They were so happy and impressed with the sharing of music. A wonderfully successful event!" 

The high school students, who launched the concert with their fantastic delivery of the National Anthem, closed with their fine-tuned production under the astute command of Dr. John Wilson, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s spirited Music Teacher and Choral Director.

Mr. McCarthy absorbed his first Festival of Arts and came away quite impressed.

“What an amazing performance from our students tonight. It is a testament to the high caliber of instruction that our teachers provide and the talent, hard work, and passion of these young people,” Mr. McCarthy said.

Dr. Wilson was quite impressed with the outstanding performance, starting with the 4th Graders up to his high school students.

“It was such a joy to see all of our wonderful singers, from grades 4 through 12, assembled together. As our new supervisor Matthew McCarthy said, "when you sing together, you make connections." This event strengthened those connections between singers, teachers, parents and our community as a whole.”

The Festival of Arts will continue with the Orchestra Concert on Wednesday, March 29, and the Band Concert on Thursday, March 30, both slated to start at 7 p.m. and will be staged at the high school's main gym.

The District Visual Art Exhibit, the fourth and final event of the Festival, will be held on Wednesday, May 17, at 6 p.m., also at the high school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Festival of Arts will continue with the Orchestra Concert on Wednesday, March 29, and the Band Concert on Thursday, March 30, both slated to start at 7 p.m. and will be staged at the high school's main gym. The District Visual Art Exhibit, the fourth and final event of the Festival, will be held on Wednesday, May 17, at 6 p.m., also at the high school.