August 02, 2010
With the delightful scent of freshly grilled food carried along
on a warm summer breeze, alumni and friends were joined by
residents from the surrounding community on Wednesday, July 28,
2010 for the 12th Annual Summer Concert and Barbecue. The theme of
the concert was “Summer Latin Heat” and featured the Queens
Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Constantine
Kitsopoulos.
Photo Gallery
A
highlight of the evening was the performance of Willie Martinez and
La Familia Sextet with violin soloist Matthew Kimura, Queens
Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition Winner.
Founded in 1953, the Queens Symphony Orchestra is the
borough’s only professional orchestra and the oldest and largest
professional arts organization in Queens. The Queens Symphony
Orchestra is made up of professional, union musicians who also
perform on Broadway, with the New York City Ballet and other
freelance orchestras.
“What’s special about a summer concert at St. John’s is that we
invite the Queens community to enjoy a free night of good music,”
said Joseph Sciame ’71Ed, Vice President, St. John’s University
Office of Community Relations, which sponsored the concert. “This
year, funding from New York State and New York City has been cut
back. The Queens Symphony Orchestra is only performing once during
the entire summer, and we’re fortunate to have that single
performance on our Great Lawn. The music is great, the performers
are terrific, and inviting our neighbors from the community to be
with us really reflects the St. John’s spirit of what we’ve been
doing for more than 140 years. It’s our gift to the community and
to our St. John’s family.”
Jerrold Ross, Ph.D., Academic Vice President for the
Staten Island campus and Dean, St. John’s School of Education added
a unique touch by serving as Guest Maestro for the performance of
St. John’s Alma Mater. “I’ve never conducted a real symphony
orchestra before,” he said. “Of course, when I was a music student
we studied conducting and the students conducted each other, so
conducting a really professional group is very exciting.”
Many guests arrived early to stroll around campus before enjoying
the barbecue, which was sponsored by the University’s Office of
Alumni Relations, and mingle with other members of their St. John’s
family.
“This is a wonderful way to spend an evening,” remarked Sharon
Burns Perez ’72Ed. “My husband and mother-in-law are here with me.
The campus is absolutely beautiful, and we just stopped into St.
Thomas More Church, which is lovely. So many of these buildings
weren’t here when I was a student, and it’s really amazing how the
campus has changed.”
“Tonight is really very nice,” agreed Melania Voutsinas ’07C, ’10G.
“I brought my mom, who loves Spanish music, and it’s nice to have
her with me on this beautiful campus. I was showing her around, and
she really liked the church. And of course, the barbecue is
great!”
Alumni were quick to acknowledge the ongoing importance of
St. John’s in their lives, and welcomed the opportunity to stay
connected to the University that has always meant so much to
them.
“I went to school on Schermerhorn Street, and I always enjoy coming
to the Queens campus because it’s so lovely,” noted Marybeth
Riordan ’56UC. “St. John’s means a lot to me. The Catholic
teachings that the University proclaims have always been very
important to me. I would rather not have gone to college than to
have gone anyplace other than to St. John’s. It will always be a
significant part of my life.”
For Daniel Drebycz ’07C, spending time at St. John’s means “…coming
back to the family that I’ll always belong to. I lived, breathed
and loved St. John’s when I was a student here, and I still
continue to love it even after I’ve graduated. St. John’s is a very
special place for me.”
More Information
For information about upcoming events of interest to alumni, please
call Mark Andrews, Associate Director, Alumni Relations at (718)
990-5897 or e-mail andrewsm@stjohns.edu.