Music faculty hold annual recital on March 4

Event has raised more than $150,000 for performing arts scholarships Central Valley — The seventeenth annual Monroe-Woodbury Faculty Recital will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, in the Monroe-Woodbury High School Auditorium. The snow date will be at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 5. The event is co-sponsored by the Souza Scholarship for the Performing Arts and the Monroe-Woodbury Music Boosters. The conductor for the finale, the Faculty Chorale, will once again be Monroe-Woodbury High School choral teacher Dr. David Crone, accompanied by Smith Clove music teacher Kaarin Record on piano. Asked why this event is so special, Crone noted that the recital is always a double benefit, allowing music and other teachers to share their talents while contributing to the scholarships and other worthy causes supported by the two sponsoring groups. The program spans the musical spectrum, from classical to country, from Led Zeppelin to Les Miserables, and from brass to brass, as two different brass groups will perform. The music faculty and friends will share their talents to raise funds to encourage the district’s music and performing arts students, with scholarships and other forms of support. The annual recital was established in 1990 to raise funds in support of the Souza Scholarship for the Performing Arts. That group was formed in 1980 to honor the memory of the late Monroe-Woodbury music teacher Robert W. Souza, and award annual scholarships to promising performing arts students in the Monroe-Woodbury school district. To date, more than $150,000 in scholarships has been awarded. The Music Boosters was established in the fall of 1991 to support music education in the school district during a period of budgetary austerity. Since then, the boosters have continued to award scholarships to students at all grade levels, beginning with grade 4, purchase equipment not included in the school budget, such as the auditorium’s acoustic shells, provide financial assistance to students for music trips, and support various in-school arts programs. Music Boosters president Phyllis Beverly said the group raises about $10,000 a year to support the district’s music programs. Last year alone, the group provided nearly $9,000 in scholarships and financial assistance to M-W music students. Linda Dziuban, District Music Coordinator, organizes the event each year and encourages faculty and friends to get involved. In previewing the concert, Dziuban said: “This year’s recital will feature many of our music staff performing outstanding ensemble literature. If you enjoy the music of the Canadian Brass, you’ll love the two brass ensembles on the program.” Monroe-Woodbury’s string ensemble is rehearsing a Haydn Piano Trio and a Led Zeppelin piece, “Black Dog.” The faculty chorale will present a work entitled “New Millennium Suite” that is based on familiar folk songs such as “Down By The Riverside” and a song, “Sinner Man,” which was used in the recent soundtrack of the movie “The Thomas Crown Affair.” Two members of the Monroe-Woodbury Science Department also will perform. Eric Moller brings his Barbershop Quartet to the stage and Scott Marrone will display his piano skills. Jeanette Russell will sing a song from the Broadway Musical “Oklahoma” in honor of the Middle School’s production later in March. “I am always amazed at the professional level of performance that our music teachers bring to this concert,” Dziuban added. “Those teachers who continue to perform throughout their teaching careers bring something special to the classroom. I know our music students, and the entire Monroe-Woodbury community, will find this event to be a wonderful evening of performances that are both varied and masterful.” Tickets are $6 for adults, and $3 for students and senior citizens, and may be purchased in advance at each district school, or at the door.