Spring Gala Will Bring Music to Downtown Nyack

New music director Matt Rupcich and the Rockland Camerata will present a spring gala on Saturday, June 11 at the , 18 S. Broadway.

Featuring works by Benjamin Britten, Giuseppe Pitoni, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Randall Thompson and Felix Mendelssohn, the program’s highlight will be Franz Joseph Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, scored for soloists, chorus, string quartet and organ. 

Rockland Camerata is also thrilled to feature nine-year old Noah Sadik, a student at the United Nations School and a featured boy soprano with the New York Philharmonic, singing the beautiful solo in Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer.

The program, entitled “New Beginnings & Troubled Times,” starts promptly at 4 p.m. with a reception for audience and musicians to follow.

Rupcich, a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory with a Master’s in choral conducting from the University of Maryland, he is also the concert and choral director for the Blue Hill Troupe in Manhattan, an adjunct professor of choral music at Hunter College (CUNY), and is the middle school choral director and dean of student activities at Trinity School.

“Choral music is in my blood, and I have a strong desire to share that love, passion, and joy with others in the wider community,” Rupcich said.

The Rockland Camerata is entering its 33rd year of presenting excellent choral music in the area. Rupcich follows two great conductors of the Camerata: Sheila Schonbrun, (1999-2010) and founder William Reese (1978-1999).

“At 18, I was the youngest person yet to be admitted to the Chicago Symphony Chorus under the direction of Margaret Hillis," Rupcich reminisced. "Under her tutelage, I sang Britten's War Requiem with Sir George Solti conducting and Schoenberg's Gurrelieder with James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. These unique experiences have shaped me into the musician, singer, conductor, and person I am today, and also the reason why I pursued a formal education in music.”

Rickey Marks of Piermont, a Camerata soprano and Board member—who met Rupcich last Christmas when she performed in New York Revels—lauds his work ethic.

“He is very, very committed to excellent choral music, and he is intense but fun to work with," Marks said. "He believes in choral singing as a ‘holistic’ pursuit. So he gives us ways to make the sound better, to get the effects necessary, as well as the pronunciations. I've never had so much fun warming up, as he is extremely creative in the warm ups he does."

Gala tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. For further information, call (845) 634-5562; or contact Marks at www.sizzleflash@gmail.com.