Alan Gilbert to Conduct Thurnauer Symphony Orchestra, 2/9

When Alan Gilbert, music director of the New York Philharmonic, mounts the podium at Bergen Performing Arts Center (BergenPAC) in Englewood on Wednesday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m., he will not be leading his acclaimed orchestra. Instead, Mr. Gilbert will lend his time and talent to provide a remarkable opportunity for the young musicians of the JCC Thurnauer School of Music. Mr. Gilbert will conduct the Thurnauer Symphony Orchestra for the School's 20th annual Gift of Music benefit gala, on the BergenPAC stage. Mr. Gilbert will be joined by New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow, who will be guest soloist with the Orchestra. Rounding out the evening, additional musicians from the New York Philharmonic, including Mr. Gilbert on viola, will perform chamber music by Beethoven, Andres and Mendelssohn.

The Gift of Music, established and sponsored by Joan and Alan Handler, supports the Thurnauer School's mission, from providing the highest level of music study in a nurturing and supportive environment to being welcoming to all who dream of studying music. The school also reaches out into the community through public performances and its 12-year Music Discovery Partnership with the Englewood Public Schools, a program in jeopardy due to budget cuts.

 General admission tickets are available at the BergenPAC box office, 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood (Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), online at www.bergenpac.org, or by telephone at 1-888-PACSHOW. Event sponsorships, also available, include patron seating, a meet-the-artist reception and additional benefits. Sponsor inquiries should be made through the Thurnauer School, at 201-408-1462 or thurnauer@jccotp.org.

"We are so excited and grateful to these wonderful musicians for donating their tremendous talent to make our gala a success," said Karen Neus, event co-chair, with her husband, Michael. Amy

Machado, the other co-chair, with her husband, Richard, added, "What makes it even more special is that some of the Philharmonic members are music school parents, just like us. We all know what an amazing place the Thurnauer School is." Musician-parents will include violinist and principal associate concertmaster Sheryl Staples, principal bassoonist Judith LeClair, and pianist Jonathan Feldman; plus Yulia Ziskel, and Sharon Yamada, violins; Mr. Gilbert and associate principal Rebecca Young on viola; cellists Eric Bartlett and Maria Kitsopoulos; and Nancy Allen, principal harp, among others.

The Thurnauer School of Music (www.jccotp.org/thurnauer), established in 1984, has been designated as a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State. As New Jersey's leading community music school, it serves more than 700 students in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. It also serves as an area cultural resource by presenting more than 30 concerts annually, as well as master classes with world-renowned artists. The School is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and an integral part of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades. JCC membership is not a requirement for enrollment or financial aid at the Thurnauer School. The School is supported, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; the Richard H. Holzer Memorial Foundation; the Community Chest serving Englewood, Tenafly and Englewood Cliffs; the Sacramento Region Community Foundation; the Lillian Pitkin Schenck Fund; and numerous individual donors. For further information, contact the music school at thurnauer@jccotp.org or 201-408-1465.