In a fierce competition at the 2019 Bach To Rock Battle of the Bands, 36 bands went head-to-head at City Winery in New York City on Sunday, June 9.
Over 800 proud parents, family members and fans came to support and cheer on students from Bach 2 Rock Port Washington, Bach 2 Rock Mamaroneck and Bach 2 Rock Nanuet.
The groups performed in both the Main Space and The Loft at City Winery and rocked the iconic hotspot.
“The students, who range in age from 7 to 18, and their band coaches worked tirelessly for months to prepare for this tremendous event and I’m beyond proud of all the performers,” said Bach 2 Rock Port Washington Director Elana Hayden. “While this is a competition, the main point is for the kids to have a great experience, to get to perform in a top New York City venue – and to have fun and feel like a rock star!”
Six seasoned music industry professionals, Carolee Goodgold (Carly Simon), John Miller (Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton), Brandon “Taz” Niederauer (Lady Gaga, Dr. John), Cameron Rasmussen (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway), Jason Reese (Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti) and Wayne Schuster (Blood, Sweat, and Tears) judged the performances.
Over 150 students performed on stages that have hosted Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega, Joan Osborne, Taj Mahal, Patti Smith, and Buster Poindexter to name a few.
The bands were scored on several criteria including musical ability, technical ability, stage presence, material, creativity, and professionalism. All the competitors study a variety of musical disciplines at Bach to Rock music school on Port Washington Blvd, including music theory, instrument instruction, recording arts, performance arts, voice lessons and band coaching.
The Port winners included:
Elementary School Division
1st Place Winner: Blue Tomorrow – Maya Serrano, Kian Marcus, Evan Kim, John Murphy (Rich Kulsar, band coach)
Runner Up: Four Day Weekend – Molly Plunkett, Emma Piperno, Zoe Eng, Jackson Brous, Thomas Twomey (Eitan Prouser, band coach)
Runner Up: ZAPD – Aneesha Mirza, Preston Zickerman, Devin Chan, Zachary Silverman (Rich Kulsar, band coach)
Middle School Division
1st Place Winner: Changing Tides – Matthew Prudenti, Leo Rainone, Quinn Dougherty, Todd Rubenstein (Eitan Prouser, band coach)
Runner Up: Shock Therapy – Noemi Bolano, Ryan Halley, Max Kabot, Robby Dring, Ian Laurence (Eitan Prouser, band coach)
Runner Up: KonKussion – Ella Pourmoradi, Noa Pourmoradi, Ava Petersen, Wes Petersen (Eitan Prouser, band coach)
High School Division
1st Place Winner: M.O.A.B. – Drew Brodsky, Nicole Victory, Luca Bombardiere, Griffin Jacobs (Eitan Prouser, band coach)
Runner Up: Juvenile Hazard – Melissa Bilgé, Eric Holm, Aden Neuwirth, Dylan Miller, Zach Pfeil-Schaub (Sean Hardin, band coach)
Runner Up: Anti-Social Media Recordings – Grace Ain, Jonah Gillenwater, Franco Chimenti, Zen Lee (Sean Hardin, band coach)
Submitted by Bach 2 Rock Port Washington.
