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Bravura Philharmonic Holiday Concert, Sunday, Dec 8, 7pm, Princeton Alliance Church,

By E von Autenried
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                           
Contact: Elizabeth von Autenried (609) 790-9559                                     
Email: evonautenried@gmail.com
Website:  www.bravuraphil.org                                                         November 15, 2013
                                                                                                                                                                       
Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra
Holiday Concert – Sunday, December 8, 2013, 7pm
Chiu-Tze Lin, Music Director and Conductor
“Holiday Joy from Near and Far”
The award-winning Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra, based in the West Windsor/Plainsboro area, is presenting its annual Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 8, at 7 pm.  The Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra consists of professional musicians, high-level amateurs, university students, and gifted pre-college students. Its conductor, Ms. Chiu-Tze Lin, is a highly-acclaimed musician who has performed around the world and is active throughout the Tri-State Area.
The concert will be held at the Princeton Alliance Church, which is located at 20 Schalks Crossing, on the corner of Scudders Mill Road and Schalks Crossing in Plainsboro, NJ.  A community chorus of singers from area choruses and church choirs will bring us selections from the Christmas section of Handel’s “Messiah." It will be conducted by Dr. John Leonard, Director of Choral Activities at The College of New Jersey.  
John Leonard has led and prepared TCNJ’s choral ensembles in performances throughout the tri-state region including multiple concerts at Lincoln Center and the prestigious “Great Music at St. Bart’s” concert series in New York. Under his leadership, TCNJ’s Chorale has commissioned, performed, and recorded numerous premieres. Dr. Leonard was the Artistic Director of Cantus Novus chamber choir in Bucks County, PA, and produced the ensemble’s first professional recording. Dr. Leonard received his Doctorate in Conducting from Indiana University, and has taught at the primary through collegiate levels.
The concert will also feature the world premiere of "A Christmas for Everyone" by the 17-year-old composer, Matthew Liu.  This composition is a musical journey for choir and orchestra that takes us around the world, from dazzling Latin dance rhythms to exotic, expansive Asian sounds, and impressions of gorgeous music from Europe. With the choir singing out with encouraging words to all, "A Christmas for Everyone" shares a message of a Christmas for every nation and generation to cherish and enjoy. Matthew Liu is a senior from the Marlboro High School.  He has won the grand prize of the NJ Music Educators Association Young Composers Competition.  His work was featured nationally at the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Concert. Matthew’s compositions have been premiered at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as overseas in Taiwan. Matthew is currently a student in the Julliard pre-college program, studying with Eric Ewazen.
17-year-old violinist and concertmaster of the Bravura Youth Orchestra NaYoung Yang will perform the Scottish Fantasy by Bruch. NaYoung Yang, from Freehold, NJ, a senior at the Biotech Vocational High School of Monmouth County, is a consummate musician.  She is a student in the Julliard pre-college program as a student of Ann Setzer.  NaYoung has performed as a soloist in Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall. She has won over 20 national and international music competitions since 2008.  She has played as a soloist with the NJ Inter-generational Symphony Orchestra, the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey, the Camp Orchestra of Westminster Conservatory, and the Island Chamber Symphony in New York.
The concert program will include the “Water Music” by Handel, with its familiar and festive melodies. The orchestra will also perform a lively celebration of Russian tradition with the overture to Glinka’s ”Ruslan and Ludmilla.” The “Festive Sounds of Hanukkah” represents a holiday tradition from the rich cultural diversity of Central New Jersey.  The audience will be invited to join in the ever-popular holiday music sing-along at the end of the concert. 
Partial Funding of this concert is provided by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission. 
General admission is $15, $12 for seniors and students.  Premium seating is available at $25 each. Tickets purchased in advance are $12 and can be obtained online from the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra website www.bravuraphil.org or by calling (609) 790-9559, (732) 792-2070, or emailing bravura.orchestra@gmail.com.  Further information regarding the orchestra can be found at  www.bravuraphil.org.