Hoff-Barthelson Music School's Festival Orchestra to Present FROM NEW YORK TO PARIS Finale

Hoff-Barthelson Music School's Festival Orchestra Finale Concert, "From New York to Paris," takes place Saturday, June 10, 2017, at 7:00 pm in the Recital Hall at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, New York.

Music Director Jun Nakabayashi leads the orchestra in performances of Debussy's evocative "Two Nocturnes," Gershwin's "Piano Concerto in F," featuring HBMS faculty member Gerald Robbins as soloist, and Bernstein's joyful "Overture to Candide."

Hoff-Barthelson Music School's Festival Orchestra is a full symphonic orchestra for high school students at the highest level of technical ability and musical artistry. Members participate in the New York Philharmonic Academy Jr. Program, which includes attending a rehearsal and post-rehearsal discussion at Lincoln Center and an evening of sectional coaching at the School by members of the Philharmonic. Lauded as one of the finest high school orchestras in the United States by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Festival Orchestra presents four concerts each year.

There is a suggested admission of $18. Students may attend free of charge. For additional information, call 914-723-1169, email hb@hbms.org, or visit www.hbms.org.

Pianist Gerald Robbins has performed throughout the world with numerous orchestras in virtually every major music center. His world premiere Genesis recordings of Litolff and Reinecke concerti, performed in collaboration with the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra and conducted by Edouard van Remoortel, elicited such praise as "Gerald Robbins's technical prowess is phenomenal"; "a keyboard voice of true eloquence"; and "a first class bravura performance." Mr. Robbins has received many prestigious awards throughout his career including a major prize at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Music Director Jun Nakabayashi is the dynamic music director of the Hoff-Barthelson Festival Orchestra and the well-regarded Taconic Opera. Active in symphonic and operatic music for the past twenty-five years, he has conducted the Bay Shore Lyric Opera, the South Bay Chamber Ensemble, Vox Artis Zenei Festival 2002 in Hungary, and the Alea II Contemporary Music Ensemble. He is committed to his work with young musicians, and has taught and conducted at the Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute at San Jose State University.

One of Westchester County's most cherished and active cultural resources, Hoff-Barthelson Music School has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and outreach. The School will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2019-2020.

The Festival Orchestra's Finale Concert is made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with support from Westchester County Government, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Photo: Pianist Gerald Robbins