The 80-member Raritan Valley Symphonic Band will present its annual free holiday concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, in the auditorium of Bridgewater-Raritan High School at 600 Garretson Road.
Under the musical direction of Dr. Christopher G. Sumner, the band will liven this holiday season with a concert titled "Joy," because the band hopes to spread merriment through music.
The concert will begin with a pieces that portray a sense of the winter holidays. The pieces include "Festivo," "The Willows of Winter" and "Joy Revisited."
The first half of the program will conclude with Alfred Reed’s "Russian Christmas Music."
The second half of the program will consist of holiday music, such as "Sleigh Ride," "Rhapsody for Hanukkah" and "A Christmas Festival."
The Somerville High School Choir, directed by Karen Gorzynski, will entertain with traditional songs, including the classic "White Christmas."
Dr. Sumner made his inaugural debut as artistic director and conductor at the annual RVSB Pops concert earlier this year. For 14 years, he has been the instrumental music director at Piscataway High School in Piscataway.
Dr. Sumner is also the associate principal clarinetist of the Riverside Symphonia, for which he is also the personnel manager and contractor.
This concert is made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission through the State/County Partnership Local Arts Program.
For information about the concert, becoming a sponsor, to request assistance for persons with disabilities, or to inquire about joining the band, consult the website at www.rvsb.org, or call 908-359-3136.
The RVSB assistant conductor is Meredith S. Boyan, who teaches the symphonic band, concert band and instrumental lessons at Mountain Lakes High School.
