Old Bethpage musical group performs at Lincoln Center

BY GARY SIMEONE

The FREE (Family Residence Essential Enterprises) Players, a special needs group based out of Old Bethpage, put on a great show this past Saturday, July 1st. The music ensemble played to a packed house at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan.

Maureen Roache, senior manager of Day Services at FREE, said that the group, which included thirty performers, put on a drum corps show, along with a dance-flag performance.

“It was definitely one of their top five performances as far as the venue and turnout,” said Roache. “They were very excited to be able to perform in front of the cameras and have such a big audience on hand to cheer for them.”

Roache said the FREE Players group has been in existence for over ten years and originally consisted of a variety of instrumentalists, including keyboard, piano players and brass ensemble.

“They were on an upward trajectory of adding more members and different instruments before the pandemic hit in 2020. That hindered a lot of their progress and the group was unable to have any practice or performances for over two years.”

The group was recently honored by the County and the Town of Oyster Bay this past Friday for their big achievement. Nassau County Legislator Rose Walker and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joe Saladino were in attendance at the Old Bethpage location to honor the Long Island band.

“This amazing ensemble is made up of talented, inspiring individuals, but they are so much more than that,” said Saladino. “They send a wonderfully strong message that people of all ability levels can make their dreams come true.”

The FREE Players are scheduled to play additional performances this summer.

To find out more about Family Enterprises and upcoming performances, you can visit the website, familyres.org