Youth arts festival raises funds for orchestra, chorale

Folk songs, opera, classical symphonic music and chorale singing will be performed at the Youth Arts Festival 2009 presented jointly by the New Jersey State Youth Orchestra (NJSYO) and the Concordia Youth Choral (CYC) at St. Mary’s Church, Phalanx Road and Route 34,, Colts Neck, on March 29.

The fundraising festival for both organizations will showcase the musical and singing talents of more than 250 students from kindergarten through high school in a 4 p.m. afternoon performance and in a 7:30 p.m. evening performance.

Ted Dalmazio, the president of the NJSYO that is based at St. Mary’s, said the two performances offer two different programs.

The afternoon program will include the NJSYO Preparatory String Orchestra playing selections from Isaac’s “Apollo Suite” and Mozart’s “Serenade and Dance.” The Concert Youth Orchestra’s selections will include the 4th movement of Brahms’

Symphony No.1″ and Saint-Saens’ “Bacchanale” from “Samson and Delilah.”

The Treble Makers, the CYC students from kindergarten through second grade, will sing French, English and Austrian folk songs for their afternoon performance. The Concordia Junior Chorale (Grades 3 through 6) will continue with Irish songs, some in Gaelic, and Italian songs of the sea, including “Santa Lucia.”

The Concordia Opera Lab (teenagers interested in the opera) will present selections from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado,” Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and Bizet’s “Carmen.”

For the evening performance, the NJSYO Chamber Players will offer a selection from Mozart’s “Piano Concert in A Major” and later join with CYC’s intermediate and senior members for a rendition of Glick’s “Psalm Trilogy.”

NJSYO’s Senior Youth Orchestra will continue the evening’s presentation with the overture from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and later join the chorale members with selections that include Ayres’ “Cantate Domino.”

In May, the chorale will makes it debut appearance with the Monmouth Symphony Orchestra at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank and it is set to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in 2010.

Tickets for the 4 p.m. March 29 performance are $10, and $8 for children 12 and under and people age 65 and older. For the 7:30 p.m. performance, tickets are $15, and $10 for children and seniors. Tickets may be available at the door if space permits. For information call 732-495-7993 or click on www.concordiayouthchorale.org.