The concert hall was jam-packed with both students and spectators.
That concert hall was the Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, which served as the stage for the opening night performance of the 2025 Festival of the Arts.
The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District’s presentation of the highly acclaimed Visual and Performing Arts program is the Festival of the Arts.
The first of four shows in the Festival of the Arts was the Choral Concert, which was produced on Wednesday evening, March 19.
On this festive evening, student choirs from the primary schools, intermediate schools, middle school and high school in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District performed before a large audience.
The guiding force behind the Festival of the Arts is Matt McCarthy, who is the Supervisor of Arts Education in the school district.
He was quite moved by the opening show and responded with his feelings.
“It was a truly joyous evening. As I said that (Wednesday) night, "You are never less alone than when you are singing with others." This was certainly true as over 1000 student musicians delivered a spectacular performance highlighting our thriving Choral community.”
After a resounding Star Spangled Banner sung by the high school choirs, to launch the concert, the 4th Grade Festival Chorus performed under the conductors Kimberley Ladson and Elizabeth Kane.
The Eisenhower Intermediate School and Hillside Intermediate School Festival Chorus followed with their production under the direction of their conductors, Anthony Sgro and Madison Kaminsky .
The Middle School Choir then performed under their conductor, Gabriele Hingelberg.
The High School Choirs under their conductor, Lisa Rotondi, then delivered their performance,
James Cicchino conducted the closing Blessing that was performed by the combined district groups.
“Chorus participation at every instructional has grown in recent years, a testament to the hard work of our choral directors,” Mr. McCarthy said. “Their collective efforts are continually focused on making our choral program more accessible and meaningful to students.”
The Festival of the Arts will continue next with its Orchestra Concert on Wednesday, March 26, followed by the third and final musical performance, the Band Concert, on Thursday. March 27. Both shows will be played again at the high school’s main gymnasium starting at 7 p.m..
The final show of the Festival of the Arts will be the Visual Arts exhibition on May 22, which will be held in the high school’s cafeteria.
Below is a short clip of the primary school choir students singing at the Festival of the Arts.