ROCmusic, a community-based program that provides after-school tuition-free music and string instruction to children in the City of Rochester, will present a one-hour Winter Holiday concert titled “ROC the Night Away” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the David F. Gantt R-Center, 700 North St.
The concert, which is free and open to the public, features Christmas, Chanukah, and pop favorites including Feliz Navidad! and What a Wonderful World. The students of ROCmusic will be joined by Sound ExChange, a local ensemble of Eastman School of Music graduates and students.
ROCmusic is an El-Sistema-inspired after-school music education program. A partnership between the Hochstein School of Music & Dance, Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, Eastman Community Music School, City of Rochester, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Rochester City School District, ROCmusic currently serves more than 55 students ages 6 through 18.
Students in grades 1 through 3 receive instruction in singing, reading and writing music, and preparation for future string instrumental study by learning recorder and drums. Students in grades 4 and up receive group ensemble rehearsals and private lessons in violin, viola, cello, or double bass.
Sound ExChange is composed of a core group of six musicians who function in a variety of roles as performers, composers, producers, curators, and educators. The ensemble is dedicated to exploring alternative ways of presenting and creating music to invigorate the concert experience. Locally, Sound ExChange has given performances in such venues as RoCo and Artisan Works and been featured in the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival.
More information about ROCmusic can be found online at https://www.esm.rochester.edu/rocmusic/ and about Sound ExChange at http://www.soundexchangeproject.com/ .
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