NEWARK — The Newark Central School District once again is hosting an evening of holiday music with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performing the Newark High School auditorium at 7 p.m. Dec. 1.
The event is being hosted by the Newark Central School District in conjunction with Wegmans, Lyons National Bank, and the Greater Newark Chamber of Commerce.
“This marks the 22nd year were have hosted the RPO in our community,” said Cynthia Briggs, NCSD Music Department Leader and Kelley School instrumental music teacher. “These holiday concerts in Newark are a wonderful annual holiday tradition that so many of us look forward to.”
Jherrard Hardeman, 25, who has begun his first season with the RPO as Assistant Conductor and Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, 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 Dvorák program on the Sunday Matinee series March 24.
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. 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.
Admission to the RPO concert is $5 for students, $10 for senior citizens and $12 for adults. Advance tickets are available at the Newark and Lyons branches of Lyons National Bank and at the Newark Central School District office on the fourth floor of the Newark Municipal Building at 100 E. Miller St. Tickets will 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.