A total of 19 gifted student singers from the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District, including three from the Hillside Intermediate School, were selected to participate in the 2026 New Jersey American Choral Directors Association (NJACDA) Summer Honors Choir Festival, which was held August 5–6 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
Representing Bridgewater-Raritan in the SSA Honors Choir were 14 Hillside Intermediate School students Rishav Mukerjee, Matthew Castillo, Charlie Taylor, Maxim Adlevankin, Mikaela Alvarez, Keira Conway, Vivien Huang, Maya Patrick, Aadar Rao, Rhea Rawat, Matteo Rodriguez, Kaavin Sachdeva, Olivia Sun, and Halina Zugaj.
Singing in the SATB Honors Choir were Bridgewater-Raritan High School students Drew Andersen, Gabriel Kim, Navya Kolati, Shaant Sachdeva, and Daphne Tang.
The students were selected and nominated by their sending schools in recognition of their musicianship, dedication to choral singing, and commitment to their school music programs.
Their sending directors from the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District were Anthony Sgro, Choral Director at Hillside Intermediate School, and Lisa Rotondi, Choral Director at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
According to Mr. Sgro, the NJACDA Summer Honors Choir Festival brought together dedicated young singers from throughout New Jersey for two intensive days of rehearsals, musical collaboration, and performance. The experience culminated in an Honors Choir concert on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.
Mr. Sgro continued to report on this prestigious festival.
Students participated in one of two honors ensembles led by distinguished guest conductors. The 9th–12th Grade SATB Honors Choir was conducted by Patrick Hachey, Director of Choral Activities and Lead Teacher for the Performing Arts in the Roxbury Township Public Schools. The 6th–8th Grade SSA Honors Choir was conducted by Amanda Hanzlik, President of the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Region and Director of Choral Activities at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut.
Over the course of the festival, students rehearsed alongside singers from schools throughout the state, worked with accomplished choral educators, and prepared challenging repertoire for the culminating concert. The experience provided young musicians with an opportunity to strengthen their vocal and ensemble skills while becoming part of a larger statewide community of singers.
The participation of Bridgewater-Raritan students in the NJACDA Summer Honors Choir reflects both their individual accomplishments and the district’s continued commitment to providing students with meaningful opportunities to grow as musicians beyond the school concert stage.
Mr. Sgro concluded:
Congratulations to these outstanding singers for representing the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District at Rutgers University.