PATCHOGUE, NY – FEBRUARY 23, 2006 – As part of a yearlong cultural performance series, the St. Joseph’s College Council for the Arts is proud to present an unparalleled performance by the Abaca String Band on Sunday, March 12, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. Abaca’s unique instrumentation of eight-string guitar, mandolin, violin, viola and double bass suits a repertoire that ranges from Bach to the Beatles. The performance will take place in the D’Ecclesiis Auditorium. This event has a suggested donation of $5 and is open to the public.

The Abaca String Band was created in 1991 when the group played at membership events for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since then, the Band has played all over the country, including several high profile venues, such as the White House, Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress and the Newport Music Festival. The Abaca String Band has also performed at the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series and still makes regular appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The five musicians who make up the Abaca String Band have very impressive resumes and an abundance of talent. Andrew Schulman, who plays the eight-string guitar, is the founder and music director of the Abaca String Band. He plays at the Plaza Hotel in New York City every Sunday and his CDs, “The Baroque Style” and “Lullabies, Reveilles, (and Siesta!),” have received critical acclaim. Member Barry Mitterhoff is considered one of the best mandolinists in the metropolitan area and has played throughout Europe, Japan and Canada. Mitterhoff has also appeared with the New York City Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera and on several movie soundtracks. Violinist Robert Zubrycki has performed in “La Boheme” on Broadway and appeared as the assistant concertmaster at the OK Mozart International Festival. He is also a member of the American Symphony, the Opera Orchestra of New York and the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, among others. Julie Goodale, a violist, has played in various Broadway shows and alongside rock bands and music groups. She is a member of the New Jersey Symphony and the American Ballet Theatre. Marc Schmied, who has played the double bass in such Broadway shows as “Cabaret,” “Oklahoma” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie” has also been seen playing the double bass with rock icon, Alice Cooper.

For more information, please call (631) 447-3200 or visit www.sjcny.edu. St. Joseph’s College is located at 155 W. Roe Blvd. in Patchogue, and is accessible via the South Service Road of Sunrise Highway, just east of Exit 52 (Waverly Ave.).

About St. Joseph's College

St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in over 21 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Adult and Professional Education. Graduate degrees are also offered including an Executive MBA, a Master of Science in Management, a Master of Science Degree with a Major in Nursing, a Master of Arts in Literacy/Cognition and a Master of Arts in Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Special Education.