Schoharie Valley Concert Band on Broadway

SCHOHARIE - Saturday, February 10 at 7:30PM at CRHS

Snow Date – Sunday, February 11 at 3PM

Conductor Samantha Baldwin has scheduled the Schoharie Valley Concert Band (SVCB) Valentine Pops Concert which features Broadway musicals for Saturday, February 10th at 7:30PM at Cobleskill-Richmondville HS Auditorium with a snow date of Sunday, February 11th at 3PM. Students will be admitted free and the performance is open to the general-public.  

Sarah Tomic will be the featured flute soloist on Warren Barker’s arrangement of “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” written by Harold Arlen in 1938. Sarah is a native of Schoharie County and 2007 graduate of Schoharie CSD, where band teachers Jerry Law and Mark Pracher inspired her to pursue a career as a band director. Sarah earned a BA Degree in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia and a MA Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College.    

At Middleburgh J/S HS, Sarah is the director of the concert, jazz, and marching bands plus the modern band, which she co-founded. She is on the creative team for the annual spring musical, directing the pit band and co-producing the show.  Sarah also directs the Middleburgh Summer Community Band.

Sarah’s full-time teaching career began in New York City, where she created a modern band and directed the concert band at the Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx using grant funds she won from Amp Up NYC and VH1 Save the Music.  In 2017 Sarah was selected as the teacher of honor from the Bronx at a gala hosted by Amp Up NYC and VH1 Save the Music. 

As a 2018 Astor Fellow, Sarah attended the International Society for Music Education’s Music in Schools Seminar in Prague. From 2014-2021 she was a participant in the Carnegie Hall Music Educators Workshop.       

Sarah has been involved with the SVCB since she was in elementary school, winning the Donald Webster Solo Competition in the Grade 6-8, Grade 9-11, and Senior categories and performing as the Senior soloist with the SVCB in 2007.  She has enjoyed being a full-time member of the SVCB since 2023.  

“Bright Lights on Broadway” is a medley of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” by Irving Berlin; “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” by Jule Styne; and “Comedy Tonight” by Stephen Sondheim.  

“Dear Evan Hansen” is the story of a student suffering from extreme anxiety who tells a web of lies to be accepted in high school.  Michael Brown’s arrangement of this 2017 Broadway smash hit includes the songs “Waving Through a Window”, “For Forever”, and “You Will Be Found”. 

Alfred Reed’s arrangement of Meredith Willson’s 1957 Broadway production and 1962 film hit “The Music Man” includes highlights from “Till There Was You” and “Seventy-Six Trombones”. 

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “Carousel” is a song to comfort main character Julie Jordan after her husband Billy dies.

 “Les Misérables” is Warren Barker’s arrangement of five songs from Claude-Michel Schonberg’s 1980’s musical which dealt with 19th century social unrest and injustice in France.

“Selections from Chicago” is Ted Ricketts arrangement of four pieces from the 1975 musical based on the 1926 play “Chicago” written by Maurine Dallas Watkins about actual criminals and crimes on which she reported. 

Ted Ricketts' arrangement of composer Marc Shaiman’s lightning-fast “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the 2001 musical “Hairspray” will round out the Valentine Pops Concert program.          

The Schoharie Valley Concert Band is open to all area residents including high school and college students.  Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings from 7-9:15 PM. in the Cobleskill-Richmondville HS band room.  Rehearsals for the Spring Concert Series will begin on March 7, 2024.  For information on how to join the band, please contact Conductor Samantha Baldwin at svcbconductor@gmail.com.