Works by Schubert, Mozart, Handel and Lauridsen are highlighted on the program along with contemporary music featuring young artists from SOTA. “This is the future for our art form,” notes ROS Artistic Director Eric Townell. “The SOTA Concert Choir sounds great, and they have terrific spirit. We hope to see several SOTA alumni among the ranks of the ROS in future years.” “The Better Together concert is a wonderful opportunity to work in collaboration,” says John Gabriele, who teaches piano and music theory at SOTA and directs the Concert Choir. “The ROS does great things in this city and we’re happy to be associated with them.”

The School of the Arts Concert Choir recently earned national renown in its first-ever competitive outing, taking the gold medal and four of seven Maestro awards in the Heritage Choral Festival in Washington, DC. Several students were recognized for their solo ability in addition to their work with the choir.

The School of the Arts – SOTA – is a public city school located in the heart of Rochester’s Cultural District. The Friends of School of the Arts, a 15-member volunteer board, focus their energies on responding to student needs at SOTA. Fundraising events and grants are the primary source of funding. “The majority of the 1,200 SOTA students are able to more fully participate in their arts education programs with financial support from Friends,” says Jean M. Graupman, Executive Director of Friends of SOTA. “School of the Arts students’ success in the academics, arts and sports result, in part, from an arts-based education through which their creative energies are internalized. Preparation, practice and structure become a natural part of their future endeavors.”

The Rochester Oratorio Society, now in its 66th season of concerts and its sixth under Townell, is the leading large, adult mixed chorus in the area. In addition to concerts and tour performances, the ROS each year creates collaborative projects that build civic identity and enhance the environment for the arts in Rochester. “Hopefully we can float all the boats a little bit higher,” says Townell.

Nocon & Associates, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., is the corporate sponsor for the event. Tickets for Better Together are $25.00 for and $10.00 for students with ID. They are on sale at all local Wegmans. Tickets may also be purchased through the ROS website at www.ROSsings.org, the Friends of SOTA website at www.friendsofsota.org, or the SOTA website at www.sotarochester.org, or by calling the ROS office at 585-473-2234. Contributions to the Friends of SOTA may be addressed to: Friends of SOTA, 45 Prince Street, Rochester, 14607. Donations to the ROS Endowment Fund in honor of Community Engagement may be addressed to 1050 East Avenue, Rochester, 14607.