Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • November 2, 2011 Ridgewood The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra will begin its 2011-12 season with a concert featuring guest artist Sergej Bolkhovets in a performance of the “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major” by Sergei Prokofiev. The program will also include Sibelius’ march from the “Karelia Suite” and Schubert’s “Symphony No. 9 in C Major.” The concert, which will open the orchestra’s 72nd season, will take place on Friday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. at West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood. “Sergej Bolkhovets has already received great acclaim in Europe,” said Manny Sosinsky, president of the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra. “We are thrilled and honored to be able to present this phenomenal violinist to an American audience. We’ll also be featuring one of Schubert’s best loved symphonies. Please join us for this wonderful evening of music.” A native of St. Petersburg, 28-year-old Bolkhovets began studying the violin at the age of six. He graduated from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin, and has won prizes at several prestigious international competitions. Bolkhovets has performed as a soloist in Sweden, Germany, Portugal, and Poland. In addition to his solo career, Bolkhovets has played in numerous orchestras, including the Radio Orchestra of Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsche Symphonie Orchester, Orquestra do Algarve in Portugal, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm, and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. West Side, which is located at 6 South Monroe Avenue (on the corner of West Ridgewood Avenue) is a new venue Russian violinist Sergej Bolkhovets to perform The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra for the Ridgewood Symphony’s concerts. Subscriptions for the four-concert season are available for $70 ($50 for seniors, $35 for students), and individually by general admission ($20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for students in advance; $23, $18, and $13 at the door). On Nov. 17 at 7:45 p.m. at West Side, the RSO will also open the first hour of its dress rehearsal to school-aged children and their parents so they can hear a preview of the next evening’s subscription concert. Admission to the dress rehearsal will be free. The Ridgewood Symphony is led by Artistic Director Arkady Leytush, who has worked with a wide variety of orchestras, including the New Jersey Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New York Chamber Symphony, New World Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra, Sofia and Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquestra Filarmonic de Buenos Aires, and many others. This season’s RSO programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on programs, subscriptions, or advance ticket sales, call (201) 612-0118, or visit the RSO website at www.ridgewoodsymphony.org. A mysterious container found at the Broad Street parking area in Ridgewood was treated as a suspected bomb for about two hours until the Ridgewood Police Department ascertained that there was no threat to shoppers, pedestrians, or local merchants. The Ridgewood Police Department with the support of the Bergen County Bomb Squad and the Ridgewood Fire Department and New Jersey Transit Police cordoned off the area for about two hours on Oct. 21, from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m., after the police were notified about an abandoned package at the parking lot. “We located a hard plastic case and blocked off the area until the item was determined to be no threat,” Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward said. Police made absolutely sure the suspected container was not a bomb. “We would like to thank the residents and commuters Local, county police respond to suspected bomb for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience,” Chief Ward said. “However, our primary concern must be the safety of the community. We must treat each and every incident as real until proven otherwise. We would also like to remind citizens to stay vigilant and to call in the suspicious items and not to simply assume someone left something behind accidentally. We are thankful that the item turned out to be a portable overheard projector, and not a dangerous device. Even though there was no threat, such an incident provides the members of our department and the assisting agencies the experience of a coordinated response. Each event helps sharpen the skills of the responding officers to ensure that when we are faced with a real incident, we will be fully prepared.” J. KOSTER