Celebrate the holidays with the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band at their “Holiday Classics” concert on Sunday, December 17. Musical Director William Berz will lead the band in a selection of light classical works and traditional holiday classics, joined by guest conductor Thomas Bourgault. The concert be held at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, 128 Merriwood Road, Bridgewater at 3 pm and admission is free.

John Philip Sousa’s Congress Hall March starts the performance. This march was first performed in 1882 by the US Marine Band at the historic Congress Hall Inn in Cape May, NJ.

Two popular transcriptions will then be performed. Finlandia by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius was written in 1899 as a covert protest against the Russian Empire. The melody has been associated with Finnish nationalism and has become a second national anthem for Finland. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Rhosymedre is the middle movement of three organ preludes composed in 1920 based on Welsh hymn tunes.

Guest conductor Thomas Bourgault leads the band in Gustav Holst’s Second Suite for Military Band in F major. This four-movement wind band classic is centered on English folk songs and dances, including the well-known “Greensleeves” which is the tune of a popular Christmas carol.

Karl L. King is one of America’s leading march composers and the first half concludes with his Peacemaker March. Composed in 1955, this march differs from traditional marches by use of both minor and major keys.

The concert’s second half begins with Robert W. Smith’s Jingle Bells Forever, a clever setting of “Jingle Bells” in a march style featuring allusions to Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Sean O’Loughlin’s Imani captures the mood of the seventh principle of the African American Kwanzaa celebration of family and culture. This composition includes the band singing the “Imani” tune, which means “faith”.

David Bobrowitz and Kenneth P. Soper’s A Chanukah Celebration is a melody of five traditional songs: “Chanukah,” “The Dreydle Song,” “O Chanukah,” “Rock of Ages,” and “Who Can Retell.”

The program concludes with two-holiday favorites by legendary composer and arranger Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride and A Christmas Festival.

Musical Director William Berz is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University where he served on the faculty for 42 years, including 11 as Director of the Music Department. Dr. Berz returned to the RVSB podium last year after previously serving as its Musical Director in the 2000s.

Guest Conductor Thomas Bourgault is a 20-year veteran in music education. He is currently a band director at Bridgewater-Raritan High School where he oversees their Wind Ensemble, conducts all concert bands, assists the marching band, and teaches music elective courses. Dr. Bourgault is also an active composer and arranger, with several notable premieres performed at Bridgewater-Raritan and regional and national wind band programs.

RVSB comprises about 65 musicians from the northern and central New Jersey area. Band membership includes professional musicians and music educators, as well as amateur musicians ranging in age from high school through retirees.

This concert is funded, in part, by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission. For more information about the band please visit the website.

Time: 3:00 — 4:30 pm EST

Free!

Registration