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"Rider Presents" Performing Arts Workshop Two hundred students from high schools throughout central New Jersey boarded school buses on Friday morning, November 17 and headed to Rider University for the first "Rider Presents" program. Once on campus, the students flowed into the university's Yvonne Theater and the fun began. Rider's renowned Performing Arts Department shared a behind-the-scenes look at the school's fall production "Urinetown" and a performing group from Rider's Westminster Choir College will followed with a vocal music workshop. This program was jointly sponsored by Rider University and the Central New Jersey Education Foundation Partnership.
The Partnership is an affiliation of twenty-two education foundations in Mercer County and beyond. The non-profit foundations exist to bring additional resources and opportunities to the schools in their towns. "Rider Presents" provided a unique chance for students with an interest in performing arts to see high-level university programs in action. Students from Allentown, Hopewell Valley, Lawrence, Princeton, South Hunterdon, Trenton, Washington Township and West Windsor-Plainsboro participated. The area education foundations organized the program with Rider and facilitated participation by funding transportation if necessary. The Partnership also co-sponsors a Public Affairs Forum at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School in the spring. As part of the Rider program, the Performing Arts Department under the direction of Patrick Chmel offered an inside look at musical production with insights from the pros in the areas of choreography, pit orchestra, make-up, lighting, stage direction and acting. There was a vibrant question & answer session as students enjoyed the interactive performance of one act of "Urinetown." Rider provided lunch for the students and in the afternoon Westminster's James Jordan and the Williamson Voices entertained the group and then invited students to join them in a moving rendition of "Wade in the Water." |
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