Benefit Concert:

a study in excellence

Highbridge Voices held their most important fundraising event of the year, the 2012 Benefit Concert, on Thursday, May 31^st at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. A new location for the event this year, the 449-seat hall has long been a favorite with performers and audiences alike for its wonderful acoustics, intimate feel, and beautiful newly renovated interior.

Before the concert began, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour catered by Seasons catering, which was followed by an exciting and musically diverse performance by the Highbridge Voices Concert and Chamber choirs.

The concert began with a set of selections from the Broadway stage including Sieze the Day from Newsies, The Kite from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, I Won’t Grow Up from Peter Pan and Children Will Listen from Sondheim’s iconic Into the Woods. Each of these selections featured lyrics about children or childhood.

After a rousing response from those in attendance, the Chamber Choir took the stage to showcase some of the selections that they had recently performed on tour in Canada and at the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.  La Borinqueña started off the Chamber Choir’s set of foreign language songs and featured soloist Kenyette Belle.  Three French songs followed including the quick and precise Il est bel et bon, the beautifully flowing Caresse sur l’océan with soloists Sadia Perez and River Johnson, and lastly, Ah, si mon moine voulait danser, a traditional Québécois folksong.

       The ladies of the chorus                          Chamber Choir sings selections

        show unwavering focus                            from French-speaking Canada.

The 2012

Valentine's Day

Saturday, February 11th was a great afternoon for more than eighty-five Highbridge Voices students and their siblings to enjoy food, drinks, dancing, video games, and a great DJ during the 2012 Highbridge Voices Valentine’s Day Party.  This year's Valentine’s Day Party was our best attended yet, and what better way to make it through that last week of school before mid-winter break than to spend an amazing Saturday with your Highbridge Voices friends on a perfect February day?

In what has now become something of a tradition at Highbridge Voices, every student in attendance was also offered the opportunity to place their own hand print on the longest wall of Rehearsal Hall Two. By the end of the party, over 100 hands that were painted to mirror the colors of the gathering area covered the long white wall of the room that houses the Music Styles and Literature classes and Chamber Choir's Wednesday and Friday afternoon rehearsals.  It remains great fun for the students to see their own hand print as part of the decorations at the Highbridge Voices facility on Merriam Avenue.

mark on Highbridge Voices.              eager to get their chance.

After three and an half hours of dancing, eating, and playing, everyone agreed that the 2012 Highbridge Voices Valentine’s Day Party was a big success, and we were thrilled to see so many of our students celebrating Valentine’s Day with us. So, now it is only one week before mid-winter break which will usher in an amazing spring at Highbridge Voices.  Be sure to check back frequently to learn about our upcoming events.

       A dance contest draws                          Great weather and great friends

      particular attention.                                  made for the perfect day.

The Fall 2011

Semester Ends with a

Wonderful Winter Concert

The Highbridge Voices Concert Choir brought its Fall 2011 semester to a close with the annual Highbridge Voices Winter Concert at Sacred Heart Church located in the heart of the Highbridge community.

With an audience that rivaled the size of any that Highbridge Voices has had in the past, the Concert and Chamber Choirs delighted their friends and family with musical selections ranging from German Lieder to holiday favorites.  Under the direction of Music Director Mary Clementi, the 2011 Winter Concert also featured a debut solo by Michael Rondon, Jr. in Bach's Bist Du Bei Mir and an inspired Djembe accompaniment by long-time Highbridge Voices student Pablo Quezada during the Chamber Choir's performance of African Noel.  The final selection of the evening was particularly impressive as the choirs split into six parts to perform Hope for Resolution: A song for Mandela and de Klerk which brought down the house.

After the performance had come to a close and the audience had left the church, Highbridge Voices students knew that their semester was not quite over.  The next day all Highbridge Voices students, and their brothers and sisters, were invited to to attend the annual Holiday Party hosted in the Highbridge Voices rehearsal hall.

Swift during karaoke.                              joining the fun.

Beginning at twelve noon, the holiday party soon got into full swing.  Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, choir members spent their time both playing outside and dancing inside. And if dancing and playing outside weren't enough, of course there was karaoke, plenty of food and drink, and an annual Highbridge Voices holiday tradition; the holiday ice cream bar!!!

The fall 2011 semester was a tremendous success, and it is clear that the choir is excited to ring in the new year with more great music, great grades, and great fun.  With all that was accomplished, Highbridge Voices leaves this year proud of its students, thankful for its supporters, and excited about the future.

After a karaoke success, these                             Great weather, great friends,

four girls are all smiles.                                         and a great game.

A

Snowy Halloween

at

Most New Yorkers were unpleasantly surprised by the unexpected "winter wonderland" that greeted them on Saturday morning, but for the students of Highbridge Voices it added to the excitement and adventure of the annual Highbridge Voices Halloween party. 

Singing ghosts, goblins, and super heroes spent the afternoon dancing, eating and bobbing for apples, while a Nor'easter roared.  Despite the inclement weather, Mr. Rivera and Mr. Casolari grilled (yes, grilled) hot-dogs and hamburgers outside, much to the amusement and enjoyment of the students and staff.  This may very well have been the best Highbridge Voices Halloween Party yet.

Here are some photos from the party:

Highbridge Voices

Begins Their Fall 2011

Semester with Auditions at

New Student Auditions

Highbridge Voices will be holding its annual fall auditions in a number of local schools in the Highbridge community.  All interested fourth and fifth graders that either attend school or live in the South Bronx community of Highbridge are invited to audition.

Highbridge Voices staff will be visiting the classrooms of participating schools to give students a more in-depth description of our programs and to answer any questions that the students may have.  At these presentations, students will be invited to take a permission slip home to their parent or guardian that, when signed, grants that student permission to audition for Highbridge Voices when the staff returns to their school on their specified audition day.

Highbridge Voices' auditions are relatively short in length and are intended to gauge a child's true interest in the program, their ability to follow directions, and their natural talent in pitch matching, rhythm, and overall singing.  If selected by Highbridge Voices, their name will be submitted to a school administrator to review their academic standing and evaluate whether the Highbridge Voices musical and academic programs would be a good and long-term fit for the selected student.

All students who have auditioned will receive written notification of the result of their audition/interview within two weeks.  If accepted, they will be asked to bring an adult representative from their family to a meeting at Highbridge Voices to enroll the accepted student in the program.  If students are not selected in this semester's auditions, they are strongly encouraged to reaudition when Highbridge Voices holds auditions at their school again.

The Fall 2011 Presentation/Audition Schedule:

Tuesday, September 13th

PS 11 Presentations

Sacred Heart Presentations

PS 199 Presentations

PS 204 Presentations

Friday, September 16th

Sacred Heart Auditions

Saturday, September 17th

Auditions at Highbridge Voices

1360 Merriam Avenue at 170th Street

Monday, September 19th

PS 204 Auditions

Tuesday, September 20th

PS 126 Presentations

PS 73 Presentations

Bronx Academy of Promise Auditions

Thursday, September 22nd

PS 126 Auditions

PS 73 Auditions

Highbridge Voices is an amazing academic, musical, and social experience for its participants.  We look forward to seeing you at our presentations in your school and hearing you at an upcoming audition.

The Highbridge Voices programs will resume with the annual Parent Meeting for all returning students on September 23rd at 6:30PM.  This meeting, for both Highbridge Voices students and an adult representative from their family, is an opportunity for families to register their children in the program and for Highbridge Voices to share some upcoming events and exciting changes that have happened within the program since the end of last semester.

Following the parent meeting, Highbridge Voices classes and tutoring/homework will resume on Tuesday, September 27th at 3:15PM with Concert Choir rehearsal beginning on Wednesday, September 28th at 3:15PM.

We look forward to seeing all of our returning students again, so don't forget about the meeting on September 23rd at 6:30PM, and we'll see each of you at classes on September 27th for the beginning of an amazing new semester!

"Oh Say Can You See..."

Highbridge Voices

On a warm, early summer evening with perfect weather, a late-setting sun and more than 46,000 Yankee and Brewers fans in attendance, the Highbridge Voices Chamber Choir sent their soaring voices aloft as they offered their rendition of the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium.

“This was an once-in-a-lifetime experience…I’ll never forget it…” said Pablo Quezada, 13, a member of the Chamber Choir for two years.

June 29, 2011 marked the choir’s debut performance in the new Yankee Stadium, just ten blocks from their Merriam Avenue home. In the performance, the Chamber Choir, led by Highbridge Voices Executive Director Bruno Casolari, was accompanied by members of the Bronx Brass Ensemble. “This arrangement was written specifically for our choir to showcase some of their amazing vocal abilities; like tight three part harmonies and soaring high notes,” said Casolari.

The choir first recorded their rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner in early May and spent the following month perfecting their performance in preparation for their Yankee Stadium debut. At the sound check earlier in the day, as the choristers first began to sing, there were looks of astonishment on their young faces as they heard their voices echoing through the cavernous space that is Yankee Stadium. But their wonder soon turned into a performance as they remembered some of the instructions provided by the voice faculty as they were preparing their students for their debut - don’t listen to the echo, focus on your singing, listen to each other and you’ll be fine – they certainly were.

“This was a great moment for the Highbridge community. We can all be very proud of Highbridge Voices and all our kids have accomplished” said Jim Dineen, a Highbridge Voices Trustee in attendance at the game. That sentiment was felt by all of the young singers who graced the field that evening, as well as the more than 200 family members and Highbridge Voices students who were also in attendance.