Young Musicians Delight With Seasonal Sounds

Long Valley Performing Group finished 2011 the way it began; bringing musical joy to listeners in the area.

The following information is a press release provided by the Long Valley Performing Group. 

The Bells were ringing. The Angels were singing. The seniors were mesmerized by the magic of the nutcracker soldiers. 

Long Valley Performing Group presented a night of magic through its Winter Wonderland holiday concert at the House of the Good Shepherd on Dec. 17, 2011.

More than 80 seniors filled the beautiful social hall. The young performers’ rendition of traditional holiday tunes filled the space with joy, cheer and nostalgia. Nine performers ranging from ages 7 to 11 graced the concert with carefully selected pieces. 

The pint-sized performers in tuxedoes and gowns clearly endeared the seniors.  The Quintet from Ridge High School brought sophistication and delight that kicked the concert up a notch. The father-daughter ensemble’s rendition of John Lennon’s "Imagine" provided the concert with a refreshing folk flavor contrasting the otherwise classical mood.

The concert climaxed with the duet from Helene Friedlander and Mark Weisman, two accomplished pianists who spearhead the Piano Workshop at Chester, a major supporter of Long Valley Performing Group. Their spirited performance brought the entire audience to their feet. This is the second time Long Valley Performing Group brought the joy of music to the House of the Good Shephard. 

The group debuted to the welcoming arms of the HOTGS on March 7, 2011. The year saw an ambitious four community concerts from the group and tremendous growth of its performers.

Vincent Jiang, Jenna Cooley and Thomas Xing won first place at the Russian Festival competition and performed at Carnegie Hall on Dec. 11, 2011. Tyler Xing won second place at the same festival. Megan Jin won first place at Cecilian Piano competition and performed at Lincoln Center also in December, 2011.  Thomas Xing went on to win first place at both Crescendo Festival International Competition and Golden Key Vienna Competition.  He will perform at Carnegie Hall again on Jan. 28, 2012 (his fourth appearance there) and participate in the eight-day Vienna Music Festival where he will perform at three gala concerts and visit museums of music giants Haydn, Schumann and Mozart in July, 2012.  

Kevin Liu, the accomplished clarinetist whose debut with the group charmed the audience in March, went on to form the Ridge Chamber Quintet with four other Ridge High School classmates and started their own community concerts with great success.

After the concert, several seniors spoke to Lan Ma, one of the founders of Long Valley Performing Group, with tears of joy in their eyes, saying how they have been waiting for the group’s return and that it is definitely worth the wait. Lan promised the seniors that the group will try its best to come back again soon.  

The concert at HOTGS marked a perfect ending of 2011 and heralds a great year with a wider community reach in 2012 for LVPG. 

LVPG thanks all local businesses who have generously supported it through advertisement in its concert programs. Continued support from like-minded businesses and the public is critical to keep this free public music venue alive to serve our community.