Richmond County Orchestra Presents AMERICANA

The Richmond County Orchestra (RCO), under the direction of Maestro Alan Aurelia, presents: AMERICANA, a musical star-spangled tribute to the United States that includes a full orchestral patriotic favorites such as the Star Spangled Banner, Stars and Stripes Forever and 1812 Overture sprinkled with dancing by members of the New American Youth Ballet choreographed by Elizabeth Flores. Performers include Nezad Marsic, Alison Madill and John Griffen.

The performance is Sunday, June 25 at 3 p.m. on the Staten Island Campus of St. John's University. Suggested Donation: $10; Free for children

About the featured performers:

Nedzad Marsic was born in Podgorica, the capitol of Montenegro. He started to sing at 12 years old with the Montenegro Folklore Ensemble. In festivals called the Podgorica Spring, "Prolece Podgorica", he would perform and he would win first prize numerous of times gaining popularity and honorable mention. He recorded his first record in 1988 with one Yugoslavia's greatest production companies, PGP RTS and was widely seen throughout Montenegro's newspapers and media- radio & television. In 1990, he fell in love and moved to the United States where he continued to sing in local Yugoslavian clubs, and continued to record Montenegrin singles. In 2014 and 2015, he participated in yearly festivals called UTEX, for which he won first prize on both occasions.

Alison Madill received an undergraduate degree in music from West Virginia University as well as a masters in music from Bowling Green State University. She has performed as a young artist with the Toledo Opera and was a featured performed with The Huron Playhouse and Emerald Island Repertory Theater. She has sung with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as well as the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. She has studied at the Austrian- American Mozart Academy in Salzberg Austria where she performed such roles as Die Konigan Der Nacht from die Zauberflute and Valencienne from Die Lustige Witwe. She is currently splits her time between raising her family, working on Wall Street and working as the creative arts assistant for the Church at the Gateway in Staten Island.

John Griffin last appeared with the Richmond County Orchestra earlier this month at Beatles Blast at The St. George Theatre. An active member of the local theatre community, past credits include Les Miserables (Valjean), Man of La Mancha (Quixote), and the title roles inShrek: The Musical and Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Elizabeth Flores, Co-Founder and Creative Director of the New American Youth Ballet has performed as a soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy where she received training on full scholarship, as well as received classical training from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Ms. Flores additionally was accepted to train with the London Royal Ballet School. She studied Voice and Musical Theater with The Juilliard School and choreographed for their musical theater productions during her time there.

Ms. Flores, known for her creative and entertaining choreography has staged numerous full-length ballets with professional symphony orchestras including: The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Coppelia. Her original works include: The Helen Keller Ballet and Anna Pavlova Inspiration of The Dance, which premiered at Carnegie Hall and Someday, based off of Alison McGhee's #1 NY Times Bestseller, which premiered in NYC. Ms. Flores has also choreographed for numerous events including Kleinfeld's Bridal showcase.

The program is as follows:

1. Star Spangled Banner sing along with Lory

2. Hoe Down by Arron Copland

3. Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber danced by members of the New American Youth Ballet choreographed by Elizabeth Flores

5. Kad prosetam Crnom Gorom, by Bozidar Ivanisevih arranged by Milo Belevie sung by Nedzad Marsic

6. 1812 Overture by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Intermission

1. Our Armed Forces arr. by TSgt. Jason (Marc) Oliver USAF (ret.)

2. The Impossible Dream (The Quest) from Man of La Mancha, sung by John Griffin

3. John Williams Medley by John Williams

4. .God Bless America by Irving Berlin arr. by Chris Rinnaman, Alison Madill

5. Stars and Stripes Forever by John Phillip Sousa New American Youth Ballet.

THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS.

About Richmond County Orchestra:

Founded in 1998, under the direction of Maestro Alan Aurelia, The Richmond County Orchestra continues its effort to enhance the musical and cultural life of Staten Island and strives to inspire a love of music through a presentation of the classical repertoire and programming that encourages interaction with audience members. The orchestra offers live performances in the three council districts of Staten Island, presenting works of living composers as well as music from the past, providing its listeners with an opportunity to explore a new artistic language. In addition, the RCO offers educational innovations designed to capture the interest of young students who want to pursue a career in music. Musicians from the RCO have gone into high schools and coached students in after-school programs which have culminated in Side-By-Side concerts with the students and the Orchestra.

The popularity of the RCO has grown so much over the years that they have been called upon to perform in various venues throughout the tristate area, including the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Natural History, Fairfield University, Washington Square Park, Asbury Park and more.

Tickets to all Richmond County Orchestra concerts are free for students and children.