Ramapo College Concert, A Celebration of Music, Features American Composers

(Mahwah) – An evening celebrating great American music by composers George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Thomas "Fats" Waller and Steve Perillo is scheduled Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m. in the Sharp Theater at Ramapo College of New Jersey. This is the final concert in this year’s Performing Arts Series sponsored by the Ramapo College Foundation. Reservations are required.

Internationally-known violinist and conductor Yuval Waldman is the music director of the concert. Performers include Robin Zeh on violin, Olga Terlitsky on viola, Chagit Glaser on cello, Lauren Weiss on flute and Paul Posnak on piano.

Steve Perillo is a composer by night and the president of an international tour company, Perillo Tours, by day. He resides in Saddle River. His works are a colorful and dramatic combination of pop, classical and 20th century concert styles. While eclectic, he maintains a rigorous formal technique. His catalog includes dozens of piano works, 100 pop songs, a flute sonata, brass quintet, two wind quintets, piano trio, string quartet, eight extended "tone poems" for large orchestra, a piano concerto and a "Magnificat" for mixed chorus and orchestra.

Perillo’s first commercial recording, Requiem for a Goldfish, was released on the Centaur label in September 1999. His second and third CDs were also released in 2001 on the Centaur Label - Perillo’s Magnificat and other Choral Masterpieces and Napoli! "Perillo is one of those rare artists who actually has a sense of humor, probably because he makes his living doing something else. His colorful, pop-influenced concert music sounds bright, breezy, and eclectically tuneful." – Classics Today.

Waldman made his debut as a solo violinist at the age of eight. He graduated from the Rubin Academy of Music in Tel Aviv and continued his studies in Paris, Geneva, Indiana University and the Julliard School. After winning a number of awards in Europe and the United States, he made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1969. He has performed worldwide as a solo violinist, conductor and chamber music player, collaborating with such artists as Isaac Stern, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Pinchas Zuckerman. He has recorded for Angel, Omega, Newport Classics, Centaur and Campion Records. He is the music director of the World Bank Mozart Festival (Washington D.C.), the Chamber Music Associates (New York City), the New American Chamber Orchestra and co-music director of the Waterville Valley Music Center (New Hampshire). He is a founding member of the Kinor Quartet and is on the faculty of Summertrios and the Interlochen Music Center.

For reservations, contact Kathleen Austin, (201) 684-6834 or kaustin@ramapo.edu.