SCOTCH PLAINS — On Sunday, May 19, at 3 p.m., the community is invited to a free concert paid for by a grant, followed by a modestly-priced Italian dinner, at the Willow Grove Presbyterian Church. This concert will include classical jazz by composer Scott Joplin, selections from the Broadway musicals Fiddler on the Roof and The Sound of Music, as well as music by Bach, Vivaldi, Dvorak and Rachmaninov.

The professional performers, who are members of the Scotchwood Chamber Ensemble, will include pianists Victoria Griswold and Harry Skip Ungar, violinists Barbara Brandyberry, Lu Ann Schnable Kaldor, Vivian Lopez and Luba Schnable Ungar. They will be joined by advanced students from the Blue Hills Chamber Ensemble.

After the concert, a separate-admission buffet Italian dinner will begin, downstairs in the church’s Fellowship Hall. The buffet will include a garden salad, spaghetti in a meatless tomato sauce, meatballs, and meatless eggplant parmesan. Dessert will include cookies and pie, with coffee, tea and milk. The dinner cost will be $10 for each adult and teenager, and free for children under 13, payable at the door by cash or check.

Dinner reservations will be required to insure seats and plan the amount of food. To make reservations, email augustar@verizon.net or call (908) 377-3469 with a message including one’s name and the number of adults and of all children who will be coming for dinner. Willow Grove Church is located at 1961 Raritan Road, Scotch Plains.

There will be a short meditation from the church pastor before dessert. This message is designed to inspire everyone, regardless of religious background.

This program is made possible in part by a 2024 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners, which pays the professional performers. Four additional free concerts featuring a variety of music will be similarly provided this fall.