Briarcliff Students Shine at Rivertowns Music Festival

A select group of middle school band and orchestra students from Briarcliff, Croton, Ossining and, Sleepy Hollow gathered with their instruments for the 11th annual two-day Rivertowns Music Festival. The Festival culminated with a free concert at the Croton-Harmon High School Auditorium at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 3.

This unique annual opportunity for young musicians allows them to learn and perform traditional music at a higher level for enrichment, and also to play outside their school’s music rooms. Students gather for an intensive full rehearsal Friday afternoon before the concert with the added bonus of spending time meeting and connecting with students from other districts both on-stage and during breaks.

This year, the Honor Orchestra performed Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio," Hofeldt's "Lullaby," "The Black Sea" by Gackstatter, and "Libertango" by Piazzola. The Honor Band performed Edmondson's rousing "Normandy Beach," Bocook's "Shackelford Banks," Barnes' "Yorkshire Ballad," and Bruno Mars' popular "Uptown Funk."