Rockville Centre students perform All-District Orchestra; three scholarships awarded

Katie Mark, director concert for the Rockville Centre Union Free School District, opened the All-District Orchestra concert and introduced student performers from grades 5 through 12, noting the program’s continuity across the district’s music program.

The event included the announcement of three scholarships by Mrs. Debbie Cuevas, president of the Sponsors of the Arts organization. Mrs. Cuevas read excerpts from applicants’ essays and named Miles Musa, Rachel Dryden (not present), and Haruka Brown as scholarship recipients; scholarship amounts were not specified in the remarks.

"Keep practicing, keep working hard, and you'll be right up here in these spots soon enough," Katie Mark told the fifth- and sixth-grade students, urging continuation in orchestra programs.

Mrs. Debbie Cuevas read portions of student essays before announcing winners. An excerpt read for one recipient said, "I love music more than most things in the world," followed by the announcement that the award would go to Miles Musa. For another recipient not in attendance, Cuevas read a passage describing a family musical heritage and said the scholarship would go to Rachel Dryden. Cuevas announced a third winner as Haruka Brown after reading an essay that described music as a "life buoy" that helps the writer cope with stress.

The concert program recognized a student video production team from the district’s TV studio and video club, whose members were listed by name as Chris Francois, Malachi Bernsharoff, Nancy Loveras, Robert Pottinger, Matt Tomassoni, and Rory Zuckerman. Mr. Robert Lichter was identified as the students’ advisor.

Miss Ng led the seventh- and eighth-grade combined orchestra and introduced soloists for the program's opening piece. Elena Vigneronce, identified as the high school salutatorian and "principal violist," addressed younger students and encouraged them to remain in orchestra: "the arts are just such an integral aspect in every part of your life, and I really do encourage the fifth and sixth graders to continue with orchestra throughout their middle and high school careers."

High school teacher Mrs. Jennifer Weiss was absent from the concert due to an emergency; Miss Ing, the middle school orchestra teacher, stepped in on short notice to rehearse and conduct the high school chamber orchestra. The program concluded with a new arrangement titled A Folk Tune Festival; composer Katie O'Hara Labrie addressed the assembled students and described the piece as written to combine elementary, middle and high school players. "I wrote the arrangement that you're about to hear called A Folk Tune Festival," Labrie said, explaining that the piece draws on beginner string tunes and presents them in symphonic arrangements so older students can "show off their skills" while younger students play intermediate versions.

Organizers said the evening was the first time the district had staged a grades 5–12 grand finale with every orchestra student in the room participating. No formal board action or vote occurred during the event; the announcements were ceremonial and programmatic.

The concert highlighted the district’s ongoing music instruction from elementary through high school, scholarships funded by a local sponsors organization (amounts and funding details not specified), and collaboration among district music teachers and students across grade levels.