The Newark Central School District will once again host a wonderful evening of holiday music with the incomparable Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in the Newark High School auditorium on Friday, December 1st at 7 p.m.
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The event is being hosted by the Newark Central School District in conjunction Wegmans, Lyons National Bank and the Greater Newark Chamber of Commerce.
“This marks the 22nd year were have hosted the RPO in our community. These holiday concerts in Newark are a wonderful annual holiday tradition that so many of us look forward to,’’ said Cynthia Briggs, NCSD Music Department Leader and Kelley School instrumental music teacher.
“The Newark Central School District would also again like to thank the many sponsors who have enabled us to present this performance at a really great price,’’ Briggs continued. “We are especially grateful for all of our donors for their generous support of this event.”
Twenty-five-year-old Jherrard Hardeman who has begun his first season with the RPO as Assistant Conductor and Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (RPYO), will be conducting the Newark concert.
A rising star in the symphonic and chamber music worlds, Hardeman leads the RPO’s signature OrKIDStra family series, education concerts at Kodak Hall, concerts for the community and beyond; the RPO’s July summer series, and a Mozart and Dvořák program on the Sunday Matinee series March 24, 2024.
By his mid-teens, the Detroit native was already attracting national attention as a classical conductor, composer, and violinist. He studied orchestral conducting under internationally renowned conductor David Robertson at The Juilliard School. Hardeman notes he cannot overstate the importance of mentorships by conductors Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, and Kevin Noe, Executive Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.
Hardeman has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Grosse Pointe Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, and the Longy Conservatory Orchestra. An innate leader, he has also formed and/or conducted orchestras at such prestigious institutions as the New England Conservatory of Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the AVANTI Summer MusicFest.
Soprano soloist Sandra Keerthi, an accomplished musician renowned for her exceptional vocal talents and unwavering dedication to the art of music, will be the guest soloist again this year at the Newark concert.
Hailing from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Sandra embarked on a journey to the United States in pursuit of her passion for Jazz, ultimately discovering her true calling in Opera.
She completed her B.S. in Vocal Performance at Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York. She was a soloist at RWU’s An Evening On Broadway and Handel's Messiah at the annual Christmas Gala. Within opera, Sandra was cast as the First Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute and Fiordiligi in RWU Opera's production of Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte. Notably, Sandra made her debut as a soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in December 2022, and she is set to be the featured soloist at their upcoming July concert in Inlet, NY, with Conductor Matthew Kraemer.
Sandra's talent has garnered widespread recognition and numerous accolades. She emerged as the first-place winner in her division at The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition in 2019. She also won the Roberts Wesleyan Concerto Aria Competition in 2021. Sandra's recent accomplishments include receiving the prestigious Encouragement Award at the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition and securing first place in the NATS Eastern regional. She also placed third in the Classical Singers National Young Artist/Emerging Professional Competition in 2023 and is the winner of the Charleston International Competition.
She has guest conducted the Resonanz outreach choir for the Rochester Oratorio Society and was the soloist alongside the Rochester Oratorio Society. She serves as the Director of Liturgical Music at St. Marianne Cope Parish. Sandra Keerthi's passion for music knows no bounds, and she continually seeks new avenues to express her artistry and connect with her audience as a global musician.
Admission to the RPO concert is $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens and $12 for adults. Advance sale tickets are available at the Newark and Lyons branches of Lyons National Bank and at the Newark Central School District Office located on the fourth floor of the Newark Municipal Building at 100 East Miller Street. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Before the concert at 6 p.m. music will be provided by the NHS Jazz Band and Fusion Ensemble in the gymnasium.
They will be directed by NHS instrumental music teacher Robert Humphrey.
Anyone with questions may call Briggs at 332-3200 ext. 3140.