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Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Annual Pops Concert – “Broadway Plus”
Raritan Valley Symphonic Band
Annual Pops Concert – “Broadway Plus”
William Berz, Conductor
Sunday, June 22 @ Franklin High School 3 pm
The Raritan Valley Symphonic Band presents its annual Pops Concert “Broadway Plus” on Sunday, June 22 at Franklin High School (500 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset NJ). Admission is free for this 3 pm concert.
Conducted by Musical Director William Berz, the band will perform a selection of popular Broadway show tunes plus three classic marches and a melody of Taylor Swift songs.
The concert features four classic songs from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story”: “Mambo”, “Somewhere”, “America” and “Officer Krupke”. This musical premiered on Broadway in 1957 and is widely performed at local theaters (Paper Mill Playhouse in 2026), in addition to several movie adaptations.
Robert Russell Bennett’s arrangement of music from “The Sound of Music” is a classic of wind band repertoire. Opening on Broadway in 1959, the 1965 film version featuring Julie Andrews won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
A medley of popular songs from Broadway musicals are included on “Broadway in the 90s”, including “Beauty and the Beast”, “Seasons of Love”, “This is the Moment”, and “Circle of Life”. Alfred Reed’s arrangement of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was made popular by legendary singer Tony Bennett.
The concert will feature three marches: John Philip Sousa’s “Fairest of the Fair”, Henry Fillmore’s “America Exultant”, and Edwin Franko Goldman’s “On the Mall”. The latter is a sing-along/whistle-along march with audience participation encouraged.
Taylor Swift’s most popular songs are included in Michael Brown’s arrangement of “Taylor Swift on Tour”. Included are “Ready for It?”, “I Knew You Were Trouble”, “You Belong with Me”, “Enchanged”, and of course “Shake It Off”.
Musical Director William Berz is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University where he served on the faculty for 42 years, including 11 as Director of the Music Department. Dr. Berz returned to the RVSB podium in 2022 after previously serving as its Musical Director in the 2000s.
RVSB comprises about 75 musicians from the northern and central New Jersey area. Band membership includes professional musicians and music educators, as well as amateur musicians ranging in age from high school through retirees.
This concert is funded, in part, by a grant from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission. For more information about the band please visit www.rvsb.org.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3102622-0
