President Marty Schmidt ’81 and his wife, Lyn, invite the Capital Region to join them for the RPI Bicentennial Holiday Concert and Victorian Stroll Kick-Off, which will take place on Saturday, December 7, at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on RPI’s campus.

This event is free and open to the public, and a reception with refreshments will follow.

The concert, titled “The Unbroken Circle,” will also serve as the kick-off for the 42nd annual Troy Victorian Stroll through a partnership with the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce. It will include performances from the Rensselaer Wind Symphony, the Rensselaer Concert Choir, and the Rensselaer Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Robert Whalen, lecturer in music and conducting. 

“We hope that this program may uplift and inspire both through its outwardly celebratory works like Gustav Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ and Alexander Borodin’s ‘Polovtsian Dances,’ as well as through the richly expressive works of Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Richard Wagner, and Johannes Brahms. It is a program of solace, unity, and joy, and we are delighted to have this evening kick off the Troy Victorian Stroll, which brings its festive spirit to our community every year.”

In addition, the winner of the 2024 Rensselaer Concerto Competition, Luca Osborne ’24, will join the Rensselaer Orchestra to perform the first movement from Jean Sibelius’ beloved Violin Concerto. 

“The orchestra and I are delighted to work on Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with our former concertmaster and Rensselaer alumnus, Luca Osborne,” Whalen continued. “Luca was a dedicated leader of the Rensselaer Orchestra and has given extraordinary preparation to his performance of the first movement of this concerto. This work is a technical and expressive Everest for the soloist, and we all are proud of the work he has done on this piece.

“Both Luca’s preparation and the amazing work of all the students in musical ensembles at RPI are testaments to the inherent value of creativity and expression in the context of a polytechnic institute, and we are grateful for the special emphasis that RPI places on the arts and culture.” 

The Holiday Concert is an annual tradition that celebrates peace and unity, the creativity and hard work of RPI students, and the confluence of science, engineering, and art. As part of its Bicentennial, Rensselaer has highlighted its partnership with its home city, and by combining the concert with the Troy Victorian Stroll, is demonstrating its commitment to community engagement.

RSVP now.