The 2026 Summer Serenades series had an exciting start on July 7 when 550 people attended the RPO’s performance at SUNY Brockport’s SERC. New associate conductor and native Hawaiian Jake Taniguchi led his first RPO concert, starting with a lively John Williams piece, “The Cowboys” Overture, followed by fellow Hawaiian Michael-Tomas Foumai’s “Raise Hawaiki.” An emotional highlight of the evening was Robert Lowden’s “Armed Forces Salute.” Veterans were asked to stand when the music representing their service organization was played, with unending respectful applause heard for each. The audience and musicians were all visibly moved.
The Village of Brockport/SUNY Brockport collaborative evening was a huge success. Hopefully, funding can be procured to enable the RPO to perform again next year. Many local donors contributed generously to Summer Serenades this year, and grants from the NYS Canal Corporation and the Rochester Area Community Foundation, specifically for the RPO concert, made it possible. As always, all of the Serenades events are presented without charge to attendees.
The first canal side 2026 Serenade, the Big Mike and the Motivators performance on July 16, brought another favorite group to the Welcome Center. New for this season is the July 23 performance with the Joey Stempien Big Band. Stempien’s talent as a musician and arranger/composer was evident as a Brockport High School student not many years ago…