Soloist Becomes Conductor

David Lockart, a frequent soloist with the Hunterdon Choral Union under the direction of Brent Miller, has just been named the choir's new conductor.

The Choral Union will begin its 26th season with a performance of Handel's Messiah (The Christmas portion), with the Hunterdon Symphony, on Sunday, December 12 at 3:00 pm.

New voices for all parts are invited to join the chorus, although the invitation is loudest for tenors and basses! No audition is required, however choral experience is strongly preferred. Rehearsals begin Tuesday, Oct. 5th, at 7:30 pm in the Choral Room at North Hunterdon High School, and will be open to new members on Oct.5, 12 and 19.

Mr. Lockart, only the second conductor of the Choral Union since its first concert in 1985, served as conductor this spring after the death of Brent Miller, the group's founding director, in January. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College and received his Master's Degree in Choral Music from the University of Illinois. He is a former conductor of the the N.J. Region II Honors Choir and serves as music director for musical theater productions at North Hunterdon High School, where he is supervisor of music.

The Choral Union was formed to offer an opportunity for experienced singers in the community to perform major choral works with an orchestra. For more information, call 908-782-3981.

Hunterdon Youth Orchestra Camp

Once a year, the musical youth of Hunterdon have a chance to study orchestral music with Lawrence Kursar, conductor of the Hunterdon Symphony, and members of the Symphony, who serve as coaches. This year, the chance comes during the week of July 12th through the 16th.

That it happens over only five mornings of one summer week makes the transition these kids go through all the more astonishing. The students, some of whom have had little or no experience playing with an orchestra, are handed a daunting folder of REAL orchestral music (not the simplified version often used by schools) on Morning One, and go from the cacophonous chaos that surely might be played for audiences in Hell, at the first downbeat that day, - to a performance, after five mornings of intense work, that is enough to make any parent gasp with surprise, and glow with pride.

How do they do it? - Magic. (And a lot of hard work.)

The first time I attended the Friday evening concert, the culmination of one week's work, I was stunned, as were audience members all around me. "Wow!" people were exclaiming as they rose from their seats at the end. "That was amazing!" "That was wonderful!" I myself was speechless, as truly, I had not expected it to sound so good.

It happens year after year. This summer's session of the HUNTERDON YOUTH ORCHESTRA CAMP, brought to you by the Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation, with Hunterdon Musical Arts, will the be the 11th.

7th through 12th grade students of all orchestral instruments (excluding piano) are eligible. The cost is $150. Camp takes place Monday, July 12th through Friday, July 16th from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Monday through Thursday at Hunterdon Central High School, and Friday, July 16th at St. Paul Lutheran Church, on Rt. 31 in Flemington. The Friday evening concert will be at Deer Path Park. Call (908) 782-1158 to register.

You can hear the HUNTERDON YOUTH ORCHESTRA perform the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky, Friday, July 16th 7:00 PM at the Cedars Pavilion in Deer Path Park, located next to the Hunterdon County YMCA, at 120 West Woodschurch Road (off Route 31), Flemington, NJ 08822. The concert is free.

Need Some SPACE?

Are you feeling cramped and earthbound? Unwind on the wide, green grounds of Deer Path Park Thursday, June 24th at 7pm and let the CELESTIAL SOUNDS of the HUNTERDON SYMPHONY Pops Concert transport you.

Music at a heavenly price: This concert is FREE.

What else is great about the Pops Concert? - Your children don't need to sit still and behave. Hand them a frisbee and send them into orbit. Out behind the lounging listeners, reclining on their lawn chairs and blankets, the distant, happy sounds of children-not-made-to-stay-quiet blend with the crickets and chirping summer birds as YOU renew your ability to breathe, peacefully enjoying the HUNTERDON SYMPHONY perform music-you-know, including themes from Star Trek, Hair, E.T., 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as Mars and Jupiter from The Planets, by Gustav Holst.

The kids may think they are inside a video game, when they stop in their tracks to listen, suddenly recognizing the music from Halo, Civilization and Star Wars coming live through the twilight. (Combine that with a visit to the ice cream truck usually standing by on-site, and they won't know what century they are in...)

The concert will be conducted by Lawrence Kursar, and is presented by the Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation with Hunterdon Musical Arts, as part of the MUSIC UNDER THE STARS series. Deer Path Park is located next to the Hunterdon County YMCA, at 120 West Woodschurch Road (off Route 31), Flemington, NJ 08822.