(RAHWAY, NJ) -- Wharton Arts in partnership with Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) presented a free Education Concert on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at the Main Stage at UCPAC in Rahway. The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), a program of Wharton Arts, performed for nearly 1,000 elementary and middle school students from Union, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties in a special event celebrating Women's History Month.

The one-hour concert, featuring the NJYS Youth Symphony led by Helen H. Cha-Pyo, brought the music of Louise Farrenc, Florence Price, Chen Yi, and Gabriela Lena Frank to life for the young audience in a rare opportunity to engage with music, history, and culture in a meaningful way.

Said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Cha-Pyo, "Music has the power to tell stories, preserve history, and shape the future. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, the New Jersey Youth Symphony was thrilled to present Raise Their Voices!, a special educational concert highlighting the works of four trailblazing women composers who have made a lasting impact on classical music. Spanning over 200 years, the program featured composers from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, each with a unique voice that has contributed to the evolution of orchestral music and the advancement of women’s equality in the arts.”

As Wharton Arts honors the voices of remarkable women composers, students, educators, and audiences of all backgrounds were invited to join in celebrating their legacy. Their music speaks to the enduring impact of women in the arts. Young audience members also experienced a variety of symphonic dances and festival music and enjoyed a special segment introducing various orchestral instruments with visual presentations.

Wharton Arts’ mission is to offer accessible, high quality performing arts education that sparks personal growth and builds inclusive communities. Wharton Arts’ vision is for a transformative performing arts education in an inclusive community to be accessible for everyone.

The 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve nearly 600 students in grades 3–12 by audition, inspire young people to achieve musical excellence through high-level ensemble training and performance opportunities.

Here are some photos from the concert.

Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating the Main Stage, built in 1928 and listed in both the State and National Register of Historic Places, at 1601 Irving St., and the modern and intimate Hamilton Stage, at 360 Hamilton St., in the heart of Rahway, New Jersey’s Arts District.

Wharton Arts is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving nearly 2,000 students through a range of classes and ensembles. The 5 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Chorus, an auditioned choral ensemble program for students in grades 3–12, encourage a love and appreciation of choral music while nurturing personal growth and creative development. Based in Paterson, the Paterson Music Project is an El Sistema-inspired program of Wharton Arts that uses music education as a vehicle for social action by empowering and inspiring young people to achieve their full potential through the community experience of ensemble learning and playing. From Pathways classes for young children to Lifelong Learning programs for adults, the Wharton Performing Arts School has a robust musical theater and drama program and offers both private and group classes for instruments and voice for all ages and all abilities. With the belief in the positive and unifying influence of music and that performing arts education should be accessible to all people regardless of their ability to pay, Wharton Arts offers need-based scholarships.

Wharton Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Paterson, NJ and reaches students from 12 counties. All of Wharton Arts’ extraordinary teaching artists, faculty members, and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable our students to achieve their personal best.

PHOTOS AND VIDEO COURTESY OF WHARTON ARTS