Rehearsals underway for M-W faculty concert

CENTRAL VALLEY — The performers are nearly ready, their instruments are finely tuned, songs and lyrics well-rehearsed, and it’s almost time to take to the stage.

The Souza Scholarship for the Performing Arts and the Monroe-Woodbury Music Boosters will co-present the 23RD Annual Monroe-Woodbury Faculty Recital, “A Celebration of Music” on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Monroe-Woodbury High School Auditorium.

Recently appointed Monroe-Woodbury District Music Coordinator Nicole Regan is busily organizing this latest recital. Prior to assuming this position upon the retirement of her predecessor Linda Dziuban, Regan taught 5th grade band at Central Valley Elementary School. She also was a band teacher at the Monroe-Woodbury Middle School for four years prior to that.

She majored in (French) horn at the Crane School of Music, where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education.

And during her tenure as president of Orange County Music Educators, the organization was honored as recipient of the Arts in Education Award from the Orange County Council of the Arts. During her free time, she plays in area churches, accompanies students on piano and spends time with her son and husband Rick Regan, who is also involved in the faculty recital, as he is wind ensemble instructor at the high school.

Souza Scholarship This annual M-W Music Faculty Recital was established in February 1990 to raise funds in support of the Souza Scholarship for the Performing Arts. That group, formed in 1980 to honor the memory of late Monroe-Woodbury music teacher Robert W. Souza, produces fund-raising community plays (such as “Godspell,” “Brigadoon” and “The Secret Garden”), provides performance opportunities for local students and awards annual scholarships to promising performing arts participants in the Monroe-Woodbury school district.

Since 1980, the fund has awarded more than $300,000 to students in grades seven through twelve.

Music Boosters The Monroe-Woodbury Music Boosters was formed in July 1991 to advocate for music education within the district. Since then, the Music Boosters has continued to award scholarships students in grades 5-12 each spring, purchase music-related equipment, provide financial assistance to students for music trips and support various in-school arts programs.

The Music Boosters annual scholarships are awarded to talented students to encourage and reward student involvement, development, and dedication to the performing arts in the areas of band, chorus and orchestra.

Music Boosters also funds music-related special projects and events. Most recently, the organization has sponsored programs by the New York Philharmonic Brass Quintet, the Western Michigan Jazz Quartet, Barrage, the Potsdam Brass Quintet, the West Point Clarinet Quintet and others.

The show will be an eclectic musical journey from Broadway’s “Avenue Q,” to a World Music drum ensemble, to a classical horn concerto, a string-ensemble version of a Led Zepellin hit, individual and group vocal acts, to a performance by the New York Swing Exchange, and the traditional finale appearance of the Monroe-Woodbury faculty, under the direction of Dr. David Crone.