Richmond County Orchestra to Present MUSICAL MIRACLES for 75th Israel Anniversary

Celebrate the 25th season of the Richmond County Orchestra and the 75th Anniversary of Israel with Musical Miracles, a full-orchestral production on Sunday March 26, 3 p.m. at JCC of Staten Island, 1466 Manor Rd, Staten Island, NY 10314. Students and Children admitted FREE. Tickets $20 at the door, $15 per person with advance purchase: https://richmondcountyorchestra.org/events

Enjoy music by Meyerbeer, Mendelsohn and Offenbach, Leonard Bernstein, Max Steiner's music from "Gone with the Wind" and Jerry Bock/ Sheldon Harnick's, music from "Fiddler on the Roof". The performance features Soprano Alison Madill, Baritone Joe Lodato, Dancer Anna Polyachenko, guest conductor Donna D'ermilio and guest conductor Valeda Zaage Bell who will be conducting the RCO through the orchestral premiere of her own composition of "Turn Again to Life." This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the New York City Council.

About the featured performers:

Conductor Alan Aurelia founded the Richmond County Orchestra in 1998 to provide Staten Island with the best live musical performance. Maestro Aurelia has served on the music faculties of Borough of Manhattan Community College, Brooklyn College, College of Staten Island, and Wagner College and The Staten Island Conservatory of Music. He is a regular guest conductor in Massa, Italy. Under his leadership, the RCO has performed at such prestigious venues as the Guggenheim Museum and Carnegie Hall.

Guest conductor Valeda Zaage Bell received her Bachelor's of Music degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She attended Manhattan School of Music, Temple University, Brooklyn College and Hunter College from graduate work. She studied piano with Charles Fischer and orchestral and choral conducting with Elizabeth A. H. Green and John Sinclair. Ms. Zaage-Bell has conducted many orchestras throughout the United States and has taught music at Curtis High School, New Dorp High School, Port Richmond High School, and Wagner High School. She has served as Music Director for local productions of "Once Upon A Mattress," "Marat/Sade," and "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Guest Conductor Donna D'Ermilio holds degrees in Music from Wagner College and New York University. She currently teaches music, theater, and communications classes at St. Joseph Hill Academy. She is also choral director of the St. Joseph Hill Singers, and received the 2015 Minty Award for Theater Educator of the Year, honoring her work directing over 30 musicals at St. Joseph Hill. Ms. D'Ermilio's conducting credits include Guys and Dolls, The Apple Tree, Pippin, Chicago, Annie, and Fiddler On The Roof.

Narrator, Tania Eicoff is a teacher of French, English, and English as a Second Language. She has worked at Port Richmond High School and St. Joseph Hill Academy, hosting exchange programs and traveling with students to France for many years. Mrs. Eicoff's interests include environmental activities, winning first prize City-wide four times for Trashbuster activities in both schools. She loves the ballet, local Staten Island theater, opera, and all genres of music.

Clarinetist Leslie Jay has performed in venues ranging from Grand Central Terminal and public libraries to Alice Tully, Merkin, Weil and Town Halls. Her resume includes performances with the Amato Opera, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Concert Pops of Long Island, Dobbs Ferry Opera, and Opera Northeast among other ensembles, as well as a joint recital in Chengdu, China with faculty at Sichuan University. Ms. Jay holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale,

Baritone Joseph Lodato is a top contender for the Verdi baritone repertoire on the international scene. He has sung the title roles of Rigoletto and Don Giovanni, as well as Amonsaro in Aida, Renato in Un Ballo in Maschera, Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, and Peter in Hansel and Gretel. Projects in 2022/2023 include Jose's feature film debut as "The Opera Singer" in Kill Room starring Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Joe Manganella; his Lincoln Center concert debut on the American Songbook series, and concert appearances with Vero Beach Opera, Boheme OperaNJ, and Opera at Florham.

Alison Madill received an undergraduate degree in music from West Virginia University and a Master in Music from Bowling Green State University. She has performed with the Toledo Opera and was a featured artist with the Huron Playhouse and Emerald Island Repertory Theater. Alison studied at the Austrian-American Mozart Academy in Salzberg, Austria where she performed such roles as Die Konigan Der Nacht from Die Zauberflute and Valencienne from Die Lustige Witwe. She currently splits her time between raising her family, working on Wall Street, and as the Creative Arts Assistant from the Church at the Gateway in Staten Island.

Anna Polyachenko is a dancer/teacher whose dance performance experience includes performing at Busch Gardens, Disney World, and the Ailey Citigroup Theater. She has also performed in the Christmas Show at the St. George Theater and with the Phoenix Dance Company. Ms. Polyachenko has studied at the Broadway Dance Center, the Martha Graham school of contemporary dance, and Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Clarinetist Larry Seltzer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Manhattan School Of Music where he studied with Leon Russianoff and Charles Russo. Larry has performed in and around New York with such organizations as The Absolute Ensemble, Broadway Bach Ensemble, New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, and New England Symphonic Ensemble. In October 2008 he was a member of the chamber Orchestra that provided taped and live music for NY2022, a critically acclaimed Soylent Green-inspired installation at the Guggenheim Museum.

About Richmond County Orchestra:

Founded in 1998, under the direction of Maestro Alan Aurelia, The Richmond County Orchestra continues its effort to enhance the musical and cultural life of Staten Island and students throughout NYC and strives to inspire a love of music through a presentation of the classical repertoire and programming that encourages interaction with audience members. The orchestra offers live performances in the three council districts of Staten Island, presenting works of living composers as well as music from the past, providing its listeners with an opportunity to explore a new artistic language. In addition, the RCO offers educational innovations designed to capture the interest of young students who want to pursue a career in music. Musicians from the RCO have gone into NYC high schools and middle schools and coached students in after-school programs which have culminated in Side-By-Side concerts with the students and the Orchestra.

The popularity of the RCO has grown so much over the years that they have been called upon to perform in various venues throughout the tristate area, including at Carnegie Hall, NYC; the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Natural History, Fairfield University, Washington Square Park, Asbury Park and more. Tickets to all Richmond County Orchestra concerts are free for students and children.

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