High School Musicians Alongside Professionals Perform April 22 With FREE Admission

Richmond County Orchestra (RCO) is celebrating Motown music with a Side-By-Side production with Curtis High School band members on Sunday, April 22 at 3 p.m. at the Music Hall at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden. RCO, in collaboration with Staten Island Rock Band Not From Concentrate will perform music by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Jackson 5 & More. An original piece by Curtis High School Big Band leader Ray Scro will have its world premiere of his original piece called "Django Improvisations" is based on a melody by John Lewis. Scro has a solo on Soprano Sax in the piece. Scro, a long time faculty member is retiring at the end of this year. Scro and RCO's Maestro Alan Aurelia created the very first Side-By-Side production which is a residency program at Curtis High School that began in 2009.

The production is the culmination of the Richmond County Orchestra's educational outreach program "Side-By-Side", a 10-week residency program that takes place at Curtis HS. It features RCO professional musicians who assist music students with free coaching sessions leading up to this production. RCO has a similar program with Stuyvesant HS in Manhattan. THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

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 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 high 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 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.