SUNY Orange orchestra to perform

MIDDLETOWN — SUNY Orange student Justin Randolph and Monroe-Woodbury High School senior Stephen Gorgone, winners of the college’s seventh annual concerto/aria contest, will be the featured soloists during the community orchestra concert at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 in Middletown’s Paramount Theatre. Under the direction of Dr. Hilarie Clark Moore, the orchestra will perform the overture to “Die Zauberflöte” (Magic Flute) by W.A. Mozart, “Torna, Vezzosa fillide” by Vincenzo Bellini, the first movement of the “Concerto in D Major, Op. 1 for Viola and Orchestra,” by Carl Stamitz, and “The 1812 Overture” by Peter Tchaikovsky. Bellini’s “Torna, Vezzosa fillide,” arranged for orchestra by Ron DeFesi, features Randolph (tenor) while Gorgone is the viola soloist for the first movement of the Stamitz. Randolph is a music performance major at SUNY Orange, where he performs with the concert choir and madrigal singers. He played tuba throughout middle school and high school. Randolph began to sing in various school vocal groups while attending Middletown High School. During his time at SUNY Orange, Randolph has been invited to perform with the Hudson Opera Theatre, appearing as the shepherd in “Tosca” and as Gastone in “La Traviata.” His stage credits also include a pair of SummerStar Theatre roles: playing Henrik in “A Little Night Music” and the minister in “A New Brain.” Randolph currently studies with DeFesi and will be auditioning for major conservatories later this year. Gorgone has studied viola for more than eight years under the private direction of Emily Faxon and Noriko Herndon. In addition, he has studied piano for the past six years under the tutelage of Celia Herman and Ron Johnson. Gorgone performs with a variety of Monroe-Woodbury High School groups, including chamber orchestra (principal violist), voice ensemble (bass and piano accompanist), strolling strings, pit orchestra, and chamber winds. He is the principal violist for the SUNY Orange Community Orchestra and also performs with the college’s chamber ensemble as a violist and pianist. Gorgone has been selected to perform with numerous music festivals including all-county, area all-state, all-state and has been invited to participate in the All-Eastern Orchestra slated for March in Providence, R.I. Gorgone was this year’s instrumental recipient of the Onondaga County Music Educators Association Scholarship, performing a solo at the all-county festival in January. During the past three summers, he has attended the New York Summer Music Festival at SUNY Oneonta. He plans to pursue a double degree in viola performance and either mathematics or physics. General admission to the Feb. 28 concert is $5. For additional information, call the Arts and Communication Department at 341-4787. Previous winners of concerto/aria contest SUNY Orange students, as well as Orange County high school students, are eligible for the concerto/aria contest, designed to provide a featured musical performance opportunity for outstanding young instrumentalists and vocalists from within Orange County. Details regarding the college’s eighth annual contest will be released this coming fall. Application deadline will be Dec. 15, 2009 and auditions will take place in January 2010. Contact the SUNY Orange Arts and Communication Department or any Orange County high school chorus, band or orchestra directors for more information. Previous winners of the contest include: 2008: James Rose (Warwick Valley H.S.), trumpet 2007: Rachel Conklin (home schooled, Washingtonville), violin 2006: Clare Herceg (Warwick Valley H.S.), flute and Emily Moore (Warwick Valley H.S.), viola 2005: Lucie Jaronowski (Monroe-Woodbury H.S.), violin and Tim Takagi (Middletown H.S.), French horn 2004: George Courtsunis (Newburgh Free Academy), piano and Radhika Shah (Warwick Valley H.S.), violin 2003: Sarah Tusch (Monroe-Woodbury H.S.), violin and Valentina Ponochovnaya (SUNY Orange), piano