Toms River Student String Quartet Performs With Pro Musicians

TOMS RIVER, NJ — It's an opportunity that few students get. And on a day where Toms River Regional students and parents took their school funding fight to Trenton, it's a reminder of what could be lost if pthings continue on the same course.

A string quartet of Toms River Regional high school students performed Tuesday evening with the musicians during the touring show Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown at the Strand Center for the Arts in Lakewood.

The show pits Rolling Stones tribute band Satisfaction against rival Brit boys Abbey Road in an all-out musical showdown for rock dominance. The string quartet performed seven songs with the bands.

Abbey Road plays beloved songs spanning the Beatles' career. They engage in a "showdown" of the hits with Stones tribute band Satisfaction - The International Rolling Stones Show, who offer a faithful rendition of the music and style of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the bad boys of the British Invasion. The production includes multimedia, period costumes and vintage instruments and has toured for years.

The string quartet, with Toms River North senior Cole Calavano and juniors Sean Payba and Michael Tresvalles and Toms River South senior Jenna Aldo, joined the bands for the songs "Eleanor Rigby," "Yesterday," "A Day in the Life," "Hello Goodbye," "Hey Jude," "As Tears Go By," and "Ruby Tuesday."

The four students belong to prestigious area ensembles, including the New Jersey All-State Orchestra, the New Jersey State Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Garden State Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Cane Preparatory Orchestra.

The students got the opportunity when the showdown's producers approached Toms River Regional School District Orchestra Director Susan DeGoey looking for a quartet who could hold its own with a rock band in front of an audience. The show commonly hires a local quartet to augment the production while on tour.

Calavano, 18, has been playing violin for nine years. He is a member of the New Jersey All-State Orchestra, the New Jersey State Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Cane Preparatory Orchestra.

"I love making music and being able to put emotion in it," he said. Calavano plans to attend a conservatory and continue studying music.

Aldo, 17, has been playing violin for eight years. She is a member of the Garden State Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the All-South Jersey Regional Orchestra. "Violin is something that allows me to disassociate with what is going on in the world, and is something I am really passionate about."

She is a member of Toms River South’s tennis team and participates in the Mock Trial Club and plans to study political science in college.

Payba, 16, has been playing viola for seven years. He is a member of the Garden State Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. "All my siblings played instruments growing up, so I picked up viola so I could join them," he said.

Payba is a member of the school’s Chess Club and plans to study computer science after he graduates in 2021.

Tresvalles, 16, has been playing cello for eight years. He is a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. "Live music hits a lot harder than recordings, so getting to play classical music is a plus to playing cello," he said.

Tresvalles also is part of the Toms River North Nautical Stars theatre company and is a member of the Asian National Thespian Society. He is planning to attend medical school after college.

Of the four students, only Aldo is a Beatles fan. " 'Help' has to be my favorite song," she said.

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