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About Us
Our Mission
Allegro Nextgen develops a love of the creative endeavor through exceptional, positive rehearsal and performance opportunities of varied, high quality repertoire, with a wide range of performance ensembles and experiences. These musical opportunities are unique and designed to enhance what the students can experience in their normal scholastic musical experiences.
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We believe that every child should have the opportunity to develop their intellectual and artistic capacity through playing a musical instrument and participating in a variety of musical ensembles and opportunities.
We aim to support and supplement the work being done in public and private music education, and to provide resources that help students put to use and further what they learn in their school music programs and private lessons.
Who We Are
Conductors for Nextgen ensembles are chosen for their expertise and musicianship. All our staff are active as professional musicians and prepared to give students expert instruction based on real world experience.
Dr. Brian Norcross
Allegro Nextgen Artistic Director
Allegretto Director and Conductor
Dr. Brian Norcross is not only the Artistic Director of Allegro Orchestra Lancaster but also one of its founders. His passion for creating a joyful experience when conducting, playing and listening to classical music drives much of Allegro’s artistic vision and audience experience.
Many people know Brian from Franklin & Marshall College where he is the Conductor of Instrumental Ensembles. He is also well known around the community as the Director of Music at First United Methodist Church.
He and his wife Kim have four children: Molly, Megan, Greyson and Gloria.
Mr. Francis Caravella
Allegretto Assistant Director and Conductor
Crescendo Co-Director and Conductor
Allegro Nextgen Program Director
Mr. Francis Caravella is the former Orchestra Director at Manheim Township High School, where he taught Orchestra for 33 years. While at Manheim Township, he also served as the Department Coordinator and taught AP Music Theory and IB Music. Mr. Caravella is now in his 25th year as musical pit orchestra conductor for the Manheim Township Performing Arts Spring Musical.
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Along with Dr. Norcross, Mr. Caravella developed the original concept for Allegretto and was the assistant conductor for more than a decade. Additionally, he has conducted festival orchestras in Lancaster, Lebanon, and Dauphin Counties.
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Mr. Caravella is a past President of the Lancaster-Lebanon Music Educators Association (LLMEA). He holds a Master of Music Theory from West Chester University and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Millersville University. He is an award-winning composer of string orchestra and choral music and continues to be active as a performer, composer, and arranger.
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Currently, Mr. Caravella serves as the Assistant Music Director at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, where he is also a regular performer on guitar and bass. He lives in Lancaster with wife Shenna, children Bradley and Regina, and cats Yoda and Gianna.
Mr. Scott Kaliszak
Overture Director and Conductor
Scott Kaliszak serves as the Director of Secondary Orchestras at Dallastown Area School District. In his current position, Kaliszak directs the High School and Middle School symphonic and string orchestras, the High School and Middle School String Ensembles and the High School Pit Orchestra. He is also a freelance musician, performing in various ensembles across Southern Pennsylvania.
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In 2022, Kaliszak commissioned Beneath Stars for the Dallastown High School Orchestra, a piece which introduced non-western musical techniques and scales to the high school orchestra, while also encouraging improvisatory moments for young musicians. He has also served as the Director of Orchestral Activities of the Gettysburg College Symphony Orchestra (2023), Assistant Director of the York College Orchestra (2017-2018), and Assistant Director of the York Junior Symphony (2019 – 2021).
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In 2023, Kaliszak was named a semifinalist for The American Prize in Musical Theater Conducting, a national non-profit competition in the performing arts for his work in the musical Anastasia at Dallastown Area High School.
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Kaliszak holds a Masters of Music Degree in Orchestra Conducting from Messiah University and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Gettysburg College.
Mr. Anthony Scheuerman
Overture Assistant Director and Conductor
Anthony Scheuerman is a violist and violinist based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He performs regularly with local chamber orchestras, string quartets, and theater companies. He has been the orchestra director at Lebanon High School and Middle School. Anthony
graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 2017 with bachelor’s degrees in Music and Music Education, and is a private instructor of viola and violin in LVC’s Community Music Institute. He is currently pursuing a M.M. in Music Education at the College of Fine Arts at Boston University. As a product of the Nextgen Youth Music program, Anthony is especially excited to provide its students the same excellent experiences he had as a developing musician.
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Mr. Robert Shaubach
Crescendo Co-Director
Allegro Nextgen Program Director
Robert A. Shaubach is a recently retired music educator currently working as a professional musician and in the printing industry. Mr. Shaubach served as a public school instrumental music instructor for thirty-three years in the Manheim Township and Lampeter-Strasburg School Districts. His music education experience includes teaching band and orchestra classes to students in grades 4 through 12, hosting numerous honors orchestra festivals, conducting theater orchestras for school productions, and serving as a marching band staff member and arranger.
Mr. Shaubach is a member of the American String Teachers Association and Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, where he currently serves as District 7 Immediate Past President. A lifelong Lancaster County resident, he is a graduate of Boston University (M.M.E.), Millersville University (B.S.E.), and Pequea Valley High School.
Mr. Shaubach performs as a clarinetist in Allegro Orchestra Lancaster and as a woodwind musician in the Fulton Theater Orchestra. In
addition to musical and educational activities, he enjoys collecting and operating toy trains, camping, and vintage vehicles. He resides in Strasburg with his wife, Carol and their daughter, Missy.