Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Celebrating 30 Years

The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a concert April 21 in a new venue, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

The concert will be held at 3 p.m., and admission is free and open to the public.

The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band was founded in 1984 by Anthony Isch, former director of bands at The College of New Jersey. It is now recognized, according to a release, as one of the state’s premiere volunteer symphonic bands.

The band currently has 100 members from central New Jersey and the surrounding area, and they play everything from classics to Broadway.

In this 30th anniversary concert, the band will be performing “Anniversaries & Remembrances,” with songs including “Pineapple Poll,” Percy Grainger’s “Irish Tune From County Derry" and more.

In addition, the release said, the band will perform pieces that are also celebrating milestones in 2013, including music from “Phantom of the Opera,” which opened on Broadway 25 years ago. They will also play “Peer Gynt Suite” because the original play by Henrick Ibsen opened 150 years ago.

The release said that many of its own musicians will be featured as soloists, including flutists Marissa Fleming and Carter Dreves. There will also be a euphonium solo by David Linton, Jr., and a saxophone solo by Melissa Santamaria.

Bridgewater residents Ray Brungard on bass clarinet, Bill Hein on trombone and Dennis Mancl on oboe are currently members of the band.

In addition to the anniversary concert, the band was honored with a proclamation at the April 9 Hillsborough Township Committee meeting, and has also been honored by the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Somerville Borough and Raritan Borough.

The concert is being made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, and is sponsored by the Jointure for Community Adult Education and local businesses, corporations, foundations and private citizens.