Light Opera of New Jersey announces the inaugural LONJ Youth Ensemble Concert, which will take place on Saturday, October 10 th  at 2 pm, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Basking Ridge. The concert will include arias, art songs, and musical theatre selections, ranging from Mozart to Sondheim, performed by 18 young vocalists who make up the LONJ Youth Ensemble.

The LONJ Youth Ensemble is a new program that provides training and performance opportunities for young singers ages 13 to 20.  Participants entered the program through a rigorous audition process in June and, in August, took part in intensive workshops led by music theatre professionals, including sessions in acting, vocal production, auditioning, and music theory.  After the October concert, they will give a series of performances at various nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

Students participating in the program are:  Averie Brosnan (Califon), Lillian DeGroat (Wayne), Evie Eggers (Montvale), Kathryn Giles (Frenchtown), Emma Jerome (Pemberton), Charvi Kendule (Short Hills), Sid Kamat (Short Hills), Sabrina Kossup (Belleville), Elizabeth Larson (Elizabeth), Grace Menjivar (Pompton Lakes), Leena Rao (Short Hills), Isabelle Schleicher (Branchburg), Luke Schnaudt (Whitehouse Station), Emi Simonds (Bloomfield), Audrey Sussman (West Orange), Noah Travaille (Sparta), Logan Twisler (Washington) and Reyna Vesavada (Livingston).

The Youth Ensemble Concert will be directed by Susan Speidel, who is the Shari Loe Youth in Arts Director for LONJ and was brought on by LONJ to create educational programming for young performers in the field of opera, operetta and musical theatre.