Sussex County Youth Orchestra’s 35th Anniversary Concert planned for June 5th

The Sussex County Youth Orchestras (SCYO) will present their 35th Anniversary Concert on the Green, under the pavilion at Sussex County Community College at 3 p.m. SCYO consists of the Rocking Strings Orchestra, the Preparatory Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra, each of which will dazzle and delight the audience with varied musical selections.

The Rocking Strings Orchestra will present a very light program featuring “Remember Me” from the animated movie “Coco.” It is a heartfelt song by the team of Kristen and Robert Lopez. They will also perform “Momma Mia!” both a Broadway musical and a movie, written by Stig Anderson and arranged for our Rocking Strings Orchestra by Jerry Tedesco, a catchy tune that will certainly be recognizable by children and adults alike. Dawn Tedesco also conducts the Rocking Strings Orchestra.

The Preparatory Orchestra, under the musical direction of John Sepe, will perform selections from the Broadway hit, “Aladdin,” and the very light and humorous composition by Brahms, “Allegro Giocoso.” This will be Sepe’s final appearance with the SCYO and the Preparatory Orchestra. He will be retiring after more than 25 years with the SCYO.

“Our staff and young musicians wish him well as he and his wife, Angela, begin a new adventure in Florida,” wrote Dawn Tedesco.

The Youth Orchestra, with Jerry Tedesco conducting, will feature the group’s senior tuba soloist, Wesley Sanders, performing “The Blue Bells of Scotland.”

Sanders is a senior at Vernon Township High School where he is the principal tubist of his school’s wind ensemble and the drum major of the Viking Marching Band. He was selected for the North Jersey Area Wind Ensemble, North Jersey Region I Wind Ensemble, New Jersey All-State Orchestra and All-State Wind Ensemble. He was also chosen as the recipient of the 2022 NJ Governor’s Award for Band, presented to only one band student in the state of New Jersey. Sanders was the winner of the 2022 NJ Wind Symphony Youth Soloist Competition as well. He will attend Princeton University studying biochemistry with a minor in tuba performance.

The SCYO has also invited Stephanie Leotsakos, soprano, and Jon Hartlage, tenor, back to the SCYO stage to sing the famous duet: “O Soave Fanciulla” from the opera “La Boheme” by Giacomo Puccini.

Selections from the Broadway musical and movie “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein will bring back fond memories when the Youth Orchestra plays “America” and “Maria.”

“Our outdoor concert is the perfect setting for Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, which will feature all three orchestras and will include bellowing chime sounds and cannon explosions depicting the war between the French and Russian armies,” added Dawn Tedesco.

The SCYO was founded in 1987 by Dawn Tedesco, to fill a void in Sussex County. At that time, there were no string programs in the Sussex County pubic schools. Today, only Vernon and Sparta Township schools have string programs.

This 35th Anniversary outdoor concert is free and will take place rain or shine. Chairs will be available under the pavilion or bring a lawn chair. Donations will be accepted.

For more information, visit the SCYO website: scyo.org. Funding for this concert has been made possible in part with funds from the NJ State Council of the Arts, Dept. of State, a partner agency for the National Endowment of the Arts, as administered by the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council.