CB “Save The Music” Concert returns for its 23rd Year, Continuing its rock-driven tradition

"The Save The Music Foundation, dedicated to ensuring access to music education in underprivileged areas, was an immediate fit."”

- Joel Chodoroff

When the Central Bucks “Save The Music” Concert (CBSTM) returns to Holicong Middle School this month, audiences will once again be stepping into more than a performance. They’ll be participating in a community tradition that has grown over the past 23 years into the largest and most successful Save The Music benefit concert of its kind.

Held at Holicong Middle School in Doylestown on January 30 and 31, this year’s concert weekend, in association with presenting sponsor Cafe with Soul, will raise money for both the national Save The Music Foundation and the Central Bucks Scholarship Instrument Program. Ten percent of proceeds stay in the district to provide instruments for students with financial need, while the remaining ninety percent supports music programs in underserved communities across the country. Since its inception, the show has donated more than $450,000 to Save The Music and $11,000 to the scholarship initiative launched in 2024.

“We had no idea what this would become,” said Joel Chodoroff, Director of Bands at Holicong Middle School and one of the founding members of the concert. “When Jim Glaser ( Holicong choir director) and I put together that first little recital in our minds, we never imagined it would turn into this.”

The idea came to life in 2004 when Chodoroff and Glaser began discussing ways to motivate and inspire their students. “Our first thought was that we wanted to put together a concert with adult and professional performers to show the kids that if you keep practicing your instrument, this is a level you can achieve,” Chodoroff explained. “It was like a motivational tool.”

Soon, they realized that attaching a charitable mission would not only enrich the meaning of the performance but also draw a wider audience. The Save The Music Foundation, dedicated to ensuring access to music education in underprivileged areas, was an immediate fit. “For us as music teachers, there’s such a natural connection to that,” he said.

What began as a modest recital featuring a handful of teachers and friends quickly blossomed. The first year brought in just under $500, but the momentum never stopped. Today, a typical concert weekend raises around $50,000, and organizers anticipate surpassing the half-million-dollar milestone in total contributions to Save The Music Foundation this year.

Behind the scenes, planning has expanded as dramatically as the show itself. What once involved two teachers now depends on a seven-person “brain trust” of Central Bucks educators—including Chodoroff, Glaser, Abby Marchione, Jennifer Repper, Amanda Romig, Ian Sanchez, and Jessica Tosti, alongside critical support from CB Music Supervisor Mike Gruver.

Every performance now features full lighting rigs, a professional sound and lighting crew, special effects, themed costumes, and high-energy arrangements organized into a variety of medleys ranging from 15 to 20 minutes long that rotate between the three performances. “It’s become a two-hour rock concert,” Chodoroff said. “We want phones out with flashlights on like you would see at a true rock concert. It’s meant to be a fun atmosphere; not a sterile, sit-on-your-hands, polite applause at the end, typical school concert.”

Each year, the show is built around a theme. For 2026, the organizers chose R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. in recognition of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, a theme that will tie together every medley and musical moment throughout the weekend.

The concert now takes place across three shows. All three are staged in Holicong’s 822-seat auditorium, which sells out every year. Over the course of the weekend, approximately 2,500 attendees will cycle through the venue, many returning annually whether or not they have students in the show. “So many people tell us their kids graduated years ago, but they still come back because it’s so much fun,” Chodoroff said.

For the Friday evening’s 7:30 pm performance, audiences will see appearances from the CB West Orchestra, Lenape Jazz, the CB West Chamber Choir, Holicong’s H-Factor vocal ensemble, Tamanend’s Gold'n'Blues, and select members of the Tamanend Chieftains. 

Saturday afternoon’s concert at 3pm will showcase the All-Star Elementary Choir, made up of young vocalists representing elementary schools throughout Central Bucks, along with Holicong H-Factor, select members of the Tamanend Chieftains and the Holicong Robe Choir. 

The Saturday evening show at 7:30pm brings in the Holicong Strings, Jazz Band, and Wind Ensemble, in addition to Holicong H-Factor, Tamanend Gold'n'Blues, and select members of the Holicong Robe Choir.

Because the medleys shift from one performance to the next, no two shows are identical, Chodoroff explained. 

While the early concerts consisted entirely of adult performers, one of the most exciting evolutions has been the increasing involvement of students from across the district. This year, between 150 and 200 students will take the stage during each show to add their own talents and energy.

“Probably the biggest change from the first one to this one is the number of students we incorporate,” Chodoroff said. “They get to feel like rock stars, performing to a packed auditorium that’s just there to have fun and sing along.”

Even with the growing student presence, the backbone of the performance remains the “pros”, the group’s affectionate name for the ensemble of adult musicians, primarily Central Bucks teachers and local professionals who volunteer their time and talent each year. 

The concert’s impact extends far beyond the stage.

Two years ago, organizers formalized their new financial model: ninety percent of revenue goes to the Save The Music Foundation, and ten percent stays within Central Bucks to support the district’s Scholarship Instrument Program. This local  program provides instruments to students whose families cannot afford them, and also helps newly arrived English-language-learner students connect socially and emotionally through music.

“In just two years, the funds from this scholarship program have made it possible for about 80 CB students to receive instruments,” said Chodoroff.

Nationally, the effect is even more remarkable. Through its partnership with Save The Music, the CBSTM Concerts have supported music programs in 14 states and opened the door to music education for more than 2,000 students. “We realize we’re lucky,” Chodoroff said. “Central Bucks has the means to support the arts, and that’s not the case everywhere. Being able to give that experience to others; that’s the important thing to us.”

Local businesses also play a major role. Sponsorships allow companies to promote their services to the 2,500 attendees who pass through Holicong each year, while also supporting a cause cherished by the community. 

“The businesses that become sponsors get their names out there, and we promote them every way we can, like on shirts, social media, and printed materials,” Chodoroff said.

But beyond the financial and educational impact, the concert offers something deeper; a rare opportunity for the community to gather simply for the joy of music.

“I feel that it’s important to give people a chance to come together for no other reason than to support music education and support kids,” Chodoroff said. “We want to play good music and remind people that this doesn’t happen everywhere. In fact, we are the only ones in the world who do a concert of this magnitude for the Save the Music Foundation. It only happens here.”

For ticket information to this month's shows, visit www.purplepass.com/cbstm26.