Newburgh Free Academy's 90th Anniversary Winter Concerts Welcomes Alumni and Community

Newburgh Free Academy's Main Campus hosted their 90th Winter Concert this week. The concert included different performances from a variety of musical groups. The finale included the traditional Hallelujah Chorus and welcomed alumni from as early as 1964 and as recent as 2018 as well as retired teachers and special guests of current scholars. 

 

 

Program

Greeting.............................................Mr. Roberto Cruz, Assistant Principal

 

A Cappella Mixed Chorus Ms. Jillian Caci, Conductor

Mrs. Karin McCartney, Accompanist

The Star Spangled Banner ............................................John Stafford Smith

Ad Astra...............................................................................Jacob Narverud

The Work of Christmas.............................................................. Dan Forrest

Blow the Candles Out.................................................Traditional/arr. Smith

 

Wind Ensemble

Mr. Christopher Zoutis, Conductor

Brookshire Suite...................................................................... James Barnes

Fanfare and March

Little Jazz Song Fugue

Symphonic Overture..............................................................Charles Carter

A Fireside Christmas............................................................Sammy Nestico

 

Orchestra

Mrs. Monica Antonelli-Guido, Conductor

Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No. 2................................................. J. S. Bach Arr. J. Woolstenhulme

Faeries (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies).........................P.I. Tchaikovsky /Arr. Chip Davis

Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.....................................P. O’Neill, R. Kinkel /Arr. Bob Phillips

 

Madrigals

Ms. Jillian Caci, Conductor

 

Run to You ..............Osula, Kaplin, Hoying, Grassi, Maldonado, and Bram

Fire Fire in My Heart...........................................................Thomas Morely

O Vos Omnes ............................................................L. Tomasso da Vittoria

Forever Gone .......................................................................... Susan LaBarr

 

Full Orchestra, A Cappella Chorus, Alumni, and Guests Guest Conductor Kristen Johnson

Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah...............................................G.F. Handel

 

Orchestra

President - Robert Vargas

Vice President - Shabab islam

Secretary - Sage Galati

Delegate - Sophia Parker

Violin I

Jeremy Kurtz +

Brandon Latchman +

Ada Johnston + x

Hannah Cullen +

Sage Galati+

Steven Rosas

Shabab Islam +

Elijah Culbreth

Milan Melendez

Stephanie Gonzaga

Alison Rall

Soprano

Hayley Benedict x

Therese Fischer

Olivia Fava +

Sage Galati

Alto

Bianca Cabrera

Kayla Garcia

Abigail Ho

Violin II Isabel Borges

Raj Patel

Miranda Torres

Luis Jiminez

Daniel Valenzuela

Sophia Parker

Hayley Steindorf

Viola

Chelsea Pryce

Eileen Corrales

Nicole King

Jalynn Sanchez

Dulce Vazquez

 

Madrigals President 

Therese Fischer

Tenor Mason Davis

Antonio Perez+

Sam Sukhai+

Quinn Workman 

Angela Torres

Cello

Robert Vargas 

Analiese Ringgenberg

Shane Goodshield

Joselita White

Cheyenne Bedell

Emma Cosgrove

Bass

Maura Pasqualicchio

Erik Lopez

Baritone Spencer Conti x

Matthew Levenstein x

Bass

Aidan O’Shea

Ian Poveda+

John Ulrich

 

Wind Ensemble

President - Luke Ramjug

Vice President - Michelle Wang

Secretary - Ryan Terwilliger

Delegate - Jose Santiago

Flute                               

Nia Bryan

 

Concert Band President - Jaslyn Martinez

Vice President - Jacob Tigar

secretary - Louissaint Nahum

Delegate - Tyrell Pittman

John Maresco * 

Eric Stevens*

Ashley Romano*

Christian Rodriguez

Grace Teall

Riley Lee

Madison Valenti

Nicole Dunne

Michelle Wang

Enrique Montalvo

Jaslyn Martinez

Madelynne Stipak

 

Clarinet

Tai Garay *

Emma Yeaple*

Nyssa Eyo

Jackson Chris

Jannotti Jamilee

Oglesby Khloe Holloway

Bass Clarinet

Nicholas Patterson

Alto Saxophone

Andy Mejia *

Clark Shackleton *

Anita Sanchez Garcia *

Jillian Torres

Micah Stevens

Fredy Sierra

Ryan McMahon

Andreas Kavallaris

Alexander Guevara

Tenor Saxophone

Leo Betcher

Colin Reiss

Marcos Banegas

Noah Barrow

Baritone Saxophone 

Aaron Walden

Trumpet

Luke Ramjug *

Boone Brackett *

Jacob Johnston *+

Andrew Nieves *

Dylan Sczerba *

Jacob Reynolds

George Eliadis

Nahum Louissaint

Arnav Shah

Tyrell Pittman 

French Horn

Dylan Sczerba *

Jacob Tigar

Trombone

Rebecca Ferguson *e x+

Julius Olitan *

Baritone

Horn

Jose Santiago *

Sammy Polycarpe *

Tuba

Alex Yakle*

Percussion

Marc Alberti *

Matthew Levinstein *

Carlo Rossi *

Isaiah Campbell *

Alexander Arellano

Ryan Terwilliger *

Jesus Martinez

Kyle Deyo

Samuel Garcia

Isaiah Heyward *

Starquan Robinson 

Leandro Orfano

John Eliadias

Andres Rosas

• Orchestra Winds and percussion
  + All County
  x Area All State e All State

 

“Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them - a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” -Gerald Ford, former President, United States of America

 

A Cappella Mixed Chorus

President - Ian Poveda, Vice President - Chandini Persaud, Secretary - Alexandra Garcia , Delegate - Madison Valenti

Soprano

Hayley Benedict

Emily Brueckner

Ashaureah Calame

Olivia Fava +

Therese Fischer

Meghan Higgins

Abigail Ho

Gurleen Kaur

Morelia Ortiz

Addison Parker

Chandini Persaud

Scarlen Reyes

Lauren Romero

Alyssa Tarantino

Kathryn Turenchalk

Madison Valenti

Tais Zosaya

 

Alto

Isabella Catanzaro

Miranda Conte

Astry Fuentes

Alexandra Garcia

Kayla Garcia

Leah Isaacs

Tegan Maher

Ava Morill

Tyra Osuba

Elizabethe Pacheco-Pineda

Scarlen Reyes

Alyssa Similton

Joy-Ann Stewart

Sophia Turenchalk

Jillian Torres

Fatima Vidals

Tenor

Mason Davis

John O’Sullivan

Antonio Perez +

Sam Sukhai +

Juan Tehuitzil

Bass

Kyle Deyo

Vincent Domingues

Jacky Kwok

Matthew Levinstein x

Aidan O’Shea

Ian Poveda +

Christian Rodriguez

Gregory Ruffin

John Ulrich

+ All County

x Area All State e All State

 

Conductors:

Christopher Zoutis is a native of Newburgh, NY, and holds undergraduate degrees from the State University of New York at Potsdam with a double major in music and American-European history. He was awarded a full performance scholar-ship at Michigan State University, where he received a Masters Degree in Clarinet Performance and Woodwinds. He was the recipient of numerous college honors including the Performers Certificate. He was also presented the award for Most Outstanding Clarinetist in his graduating class. After graduation, Mr. Zoutis pursued post-graduate studies in orchestral conducting at the Juilliard School in New York. Mr. Zoutis’ principal conducting teachers included directors from the New York City Opera, New York Grand Opera Company, and Frederick Fennell, founder of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. As a performer, Mr. Zoutis has played clarinet with the Lansing Symphony, the Jackson Symphony, the Westchester Philharmonic, and the Queens Symphony of New York. He is a conductor, guest soloist, recitalist, and frequent free-lance clarinetist with numerous ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area. Mr. Zoutis has been a teacher with the Newburgh Enlarged City School District for the past thirty-four years. He has also been an adjunct professor at Orange County Community College. In the summer you can find him teaching 12th grade Economics, Government, and US History at NFA. Mr. Zoutis presently resides in Walden, NY, with his wife Mary and their two children, Guy and Gabrielle.

 

Jillian Caci has taught in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District since 1989, teaching general music, chorus, piano, and music technology on all levels. She currently directs the Chaminade Women’s Chorus, the A Cappella Mixed Chorus, and the Madrigals Singers at NFA. She has presented conference sessions and performances at the County, State, and National Level, and also guest conducts within the State of New York. Her ensembles have performed at the local, State, and National level, the Legislative Office building in Albany, with the Poné Ensemble, and at NYSSMA Majors evaluations festival, receiving Gold ratings. Jillian holds a Bachelor of Music from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology from Marist College, and TI:ME Level 1B Certification in Music Technology. She has served in a variety of offices for the Orange County Music Educators’Association, including Library Coordinator, Public Relations, Vice President, President, and Past President, and most recently initiated and chaired the new All County Vocal Jazz program. She has also served on the Orange County 4H Leaders’Association and as a visual artist in residence for Cornell Cooperative Extension. As a vocalist, she has sung for US Military induction and change of command ceremonies, for events such as the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, and with touring choirs throughout Europe in venues such as Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame, the Colon Cathedral, and the Sacré Coeur. She enjoys spending time with her family skiing, bicycling, and hiking the High Peaks region of NY.

 

Monica Antonelli-Guido was a musician from an early age, having played woodwinds, percussion and cello through-out her formative years. An NFA alum, she began studying guitar at age 14 and studied classical and jazz guitar at SUNY New Paltz. She earned her undergraduate degree from The College of St. Rose in Music Technology with a minor in Jazz Guitar Performance in 1994. After work-ing as a free lance audio engineer, studio musician and private guitar instructor in New York City and the Hudson Valley area for 14 years, she earned her Master’s Degree in Music Education and graduated with honors from Western Connecticut State University in 2006. She taught in the Beacon and New Paltz school districts before coming to NECSD in 2009 where she has taught Orchestra, Band and General Music K-8 in Vails Gate, GAMS, New Windsor School and Temple Hill Academy. She currently teaches guitar and directs the Orchestra and the Robert D. Williams Men’s Glee at NFA Main, where she is pleased and proud to continue the tradition of inspiring students to share their gifts and talents of music making with the world around them. She teaches guitar privately and provides classical and finger style guitar for local weddings and musical theatre productions. Mrs. Antonelli-Guido resides in New Paltz with her husband and two children.

 

2001. Dr. Paul Carroll has taught music in Newburgh since 2001. Prior to that, he taught instrumental and general music Elizabeth, NJ and Brooklyn, NY. He has performed with such prestigious groups as the Group for Contemporary Music, the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, Ensemble 21, Pulse Percussion Ensemble, and the Princeton Composers’ Paul studied in Copenhagen, Denmark with the late percussionist Bent Lylloff, where he performed with the Athelas Ensemble and the Ensemble Figura. Dr. Carroll has worked closely with many composers and has had compositions dedicated to him including “Sit Down

Stand Up” by Robert Pollock and “Ritual” by Peter Zaparinuk. During the summer of 2009, Paul performed a series of solo percussion recitals and workshops in Maui and the Big Island of Hawai’i. He can be heard on many recordings, including the 2008 release of Charles Wuorinen’s The Dante Trilogy on Naxos. Most recently, Paul has recorded and performed with the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble on a se-ries of collaborations with the Composers’ Concordance. Paul Carroll was honored.

to have studied with percussion pioneers Raymond DesRoches and Bent Lylloff as well as the legendary jazz drummer Joe Morello. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and Masters degree from the State University at Stony Brook, and a Bachelor of Music Degree from William Paterson University.

 

Kristen Johnsen is in her 11th year of teaching, and currently teaches 4th and 5th Grade Band in all three elementary schools at Nyack Public Schools. Prior to her appointment in Nyack, Ms. Johnsen taught 4th through 8th Grade Orchestra in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District from 2009-2013. She started

her career in 2008 teaching 4th and 5th Grade Band in the Warwick Valley Central School District. Ms. Johnsen attended the State University of New York at Fredonia, receiving both a Bachelor’s of Music Education with a concentration in clarinet, and a Master’s Degree in Music Education. She is also a graduate of Newburgh Free Academy’s Class of 2004!

As a student and alumnus, she has per-formed the Hallelujah Chorus on Bb clarinet, cello, and violin. Ms. Johnsen is excited to make music with many of her former students again!

She plays Bb and Eb clarinets in the New York Wind Symphony, and enjoys per-forming on various woodwind instruments in pit orchestras, including the NFA Spring musical. She currently lives in Rockland County with her husband Christopher and their adorable dog, Piper.

 

 

NFA Music Council Executive Officers:

President Scarlen Reyes

Vice President Annaleise Riggenberg

Secretary Christian Rodriguez

Treasurer Sam Sukhai

 

 

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!