Three evenings of enjoyable listening were provided by the talented students and staff who are involved in the Visual and Performing Arts program in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District.
The signature event of this program, the Festival of the Arts, was showcased with three musical performances over the last two weeks of March before a packed house each night at Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium.
The 2025 Festival of the Arts was launched when the Choral Concert was held on Wednesday, March 19. Students from the primary schools, intermediate schools, middle school, and high school in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District–an estimated 1,000 young voices—performed that evening.
A week later, the Orchestra Concert was presented on Wednesday, March 26, followed by the production of the Band Concert on Thursday, March 27. Intermediate school, middle school, and high school students–an estimated 400 students each night— played their instruments at those two concerts
While the 2025 edition of the Festival of the Arts has been a big hit, the best is yet to come, so predicted Matt McCarthy, the school district’s Supervisor of Arts Education who served as the master of ceremonies during all three concert nights.
“What a way to kick off our spring concert season. The performances each night were simply phenomenal,” Mr. McCarthy said. “We have a ton of momentum behind our ensemble programs right now, with overall program enrollment continuing to increase going into 2025-26. It is going to be exciting to watch as all of these young musicians continue to develop their abilities.”
The Festival of Arts is still not finished for 2025.
The Visual Arts Show, which is the fourth and final event in the Festival of the Arts, will be exhibited on Thursday, May 22. The display of paintings, sculptures, and all forms of artwork will be held in the high school’s cafeteria. Doors will open at 6 p.m.