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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 ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ 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 ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ 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 ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ 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.
- 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 ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ 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!