NJ Theatre Alliance Executive Director to Speak on Audience Development at March 21 Workshop

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1 A Newsletter of the New Jersey Choral Consortium Vol. 5, No. 3 March 4, 2015 Consortium Calendar Saturday, March 7, Meeting of the Board of Directors of NJCC will be held at Renaissance at Raritan, 1 Renaissance Blvd., Franklin Township. Any interested NJCC member is welcome to attend; RSVP to Rhoda Wolin at rhodabwolin@aol.com Saturday, March 21, 2015, 11-1 Workshop on Audience Development, presented by John McEwen, Executive Director of the NJ Theatre Alliance, at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, South 2 nd Avenue, Highland Park, NJ. See the article at right. Saturday, May 9, Meeting of the Board of Directors will be held at Renaissance at Raritan, 1 Renaissance Blvd., Franklin Township Saturday, June 13, 8:30am- 6pm All- day Men s Choral Workshop, hosted by the Greater South Jersey Chorus and Jason Bishop, GSJC Muisic Director, at Grace Episcopal Church in Haddonfield. For information, write Jim Diaz, president of GSJC at jdmore information coming soon. SAVE THE DATE! Tuesday, August 11 Summer Sing In Heather Buchanan, professor of music and director of choral activities at Montclair Statr University, will lead singers in the Mozart Requiem. Beforehand, she will offer singers a short workshop on Body Mapping, a subject that teaches how the bones, muscles, tendons, nerves and joints of the body work together to perform an action, and how this applies to the movements of singing. NJ Theatre Alliance Executive Director to Speak on Audience Development at March 21 Workshop The New Jersey Choral Consortium is pleased to offer a workshop on Audience Development for community choruses, given by John McEwen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. The workshop will take place on Saturday, March 21, 2015, from 11 am to 1 pm in the Parlor at the Reformed Church of Highland Park, South 2 nd Street, Highland Park. The workshop is free to all members of the consortium and has a fee of $10 for nonmembers. Like the Choral Consortium, the Theatre Alliance is composed of members of a particular arts form theater and offers its members throughout the Garden State help in advancing their art. But unlike the NJCC, membership is limited to professional theater organizations. The New Jersey Theatre Alliance began in 1981 with a membership of five professional theatres. Today, there are 35 members in 17 of the state s 21 counties, all sharing a spirit of collaboration with each other. The state s arts community and colleagues in the service industry view the Theatre Alliance as a nationwide leader in developing model programs that foster collaboration, cooperation, and audience development. Mr. McEwen has been the Executive Director of the Theatre Alliance since He also serves as Vice President of ArtPRIDE NJ. He has extensive experience in fundraising, development and long-range planning with several major arts organizations. Mr. McEwen realizes that differences exist between professional theater groups and amateur community choruses. Nonetheless, he believes that many of the models that his Alliance follows can help the community choruses of New Jersey grow in a sound way. He will share what techniques his theater groups have used and also talk about collaborations, some unusual, that have created new audiences. Come with other members of your chorus and learn some powerful new ideas for attracting new audience members. To reserve your space or ask for a specific topic to be covered, contact Kathy Hannan at hannan01@aol.com. New Board, Officers Elected at Annual Meeting At the Annual Meeting on February 14, members elected Kathy Hannan to return as president with a term to expire at the next Annual Meeting. Elected to two-year terms were Marina Alexander as vice president, Ruth Anderman as secretary, and George Steward as treasurer. Elected to two-year terms also were at-large board members Laura Babcock, Erwin Petri, Steven Russell, George Swope, and Rhoda Wolin. A panel discussion on chorus membership followed the general meeting. See next page.

2 Panel Discussion on Membership Enlivens Annual Meeting A lively panel discussion followed the Annual Meeting s general business issues, The subject was chorus membership recruitment and retention. Taking part as panelists were Deborah S. King, artistic director of Schola Cantorum on Hudson; Marina Alexande, artistic director of Arcadian Chorale; Don MacGowan, membership chair of Masterwork Chorus; and Jeremy Lees, president of New Jersey Chamber Singers. A big thank you to all the participants who volunteered their time and ideas. Because each chorus was different in its mission and its identity, recruitment methods varied. Everyone agreed that it was important to make your chorus s identity and mission known to prospective members so that a good match could be made. Deborah King pointed out that this was important so that the singers would have a fulfilling musical experience. As membership chair of Masterwork, Don MacGowan said that it was imporrtnt to respond to potential members inquiries quickly, with full information and with enthusiasm. The panelists (and others) also felt it was important to create a feeling of family within the chorus so that members would want to stay. Some suggestions for developing strong ties of singers within the chorus were: chorus dinners and parties, scheduling a regular rehearsal break with occasional refreshments, having getting to know you activities, and having section leaders to ask questions of. The take- away from the discussion was that though all the panelists choirs were different, all offered a good experience for the right kind of singer and it was good to enourage prospective singers to find the right chorus for them Members of the New Jersey Choral Consortium Arcadian Chorale Ars Musica Chorale Cantabile Chamber Chorale Caritas Chamber Chorale Capital Singers of Trenton Celebration Singers singers.org Central Jersey Choral Society Children s Chorus of Sussex County Choral Art Society of New Jersey Choral Arts of Southern New Jersey Concord Singers Concordia Chorale and Concordia Youth Chorale Coro Lirico Greater South Jersey Chorus Harmonium Choral Society Kinnara Ensemble Masterwork Chorus Monmouth Civic Chorus Morris Choral Society New Jersey Chamber Singers New Jersey Choral Society New Jersey Gay Men's Chorus New Jersey Youth Chorus North Jersey Chorus Orpheus Club Men's Chorus Philomusica Concert Choir Princeton Pro Musica Princeton Singers Pro Arte Chorale Ridgewood Choral, Inc. Ridgewood Singers, Inc. Schola Cantorum on Hudson Sharim V Sharot Shrewsbury Chorale Summit Chorale

3 Concert Listings for March, April and May March Saturday, March 7, 2 PM and 7:30 PM New Jersey Choral Society Eric Dale Knapp, conductor NJCS turnbs the spotlight on iconic Disney sounds from stage, screen and Main Stree, USA. The Patricia Sollitto Performing Arts Center in New Jersey, Immaculate Heart Acamdency, Washington Twp., NJ Saturday, March 7, 8 PM Masterwork Chorus Come Away Sun Min Lee, Guest Conductor Concert selections will include Brahms Opus 31, Three Quartets and pieces by Paulus, Elgar, Sametz and Moses Hogan. Calvary Episcopal Church, 31 Woodland Avenue, Summit, NJ Saturday, March 7, 8 PM Harmonium Choral Society Anne Matlack, Artistic Director Dark Night of the Soul Featuring the mesmerizing title work by Ola Gjeilo and the world premiere of the complete choral setting of Farlon Alemen by Andrea Clearfield United Methodist Church, 50 S. Park Place, Morristown Sunday, March 8, 3 PM Harmonium Choral Society See listing above. Sunday, March 8, 3 PM New Jersey Choral Society See listing for Saturday, March 7. Sunday, March 8, 4 PM Monmouth Civic Chorus Dr. Ryan Brandau, Artistic Director A Joyful Noise Vibrant contemporary music in Hebrew and Latin First Presbyterian Church, 255 Harding Rd. (Tower Hill), Red Bank Saturday, March 14, 2015, 7:30 PM The Shrewsbury Chorale Maestro Anthony LaGruth The Shrewsbury Chorale Performs Mozart and Rutter. First Presbyterian Church of Freehold, 118 West Main Street, Freehold, NJ

4 Saturday, March 14, 8 PM Ars Musica Chorale Dusty Francis, Music Director Darkness into Light Zoltan Kodaly s Missa Brevis, Leonard Bernstein s Chichester Psalms, and a stunning new piece by by Ars Musica s Composer- in- Residence, Joshua Groffman. West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe Street, Ridgewood, NJ Saturday, March 14, 8 PM Coro Lirico Warren Helms, Music Director Puccini's "Gloria Mass" and his opera arias and choruses Church of the Redeemer, 36 South Street, Morristown, NJ corolirico.net Saturday March 14, 8 PM Summit Chorale Dr. Thomas Juneau, Artistic Director Alleluia! Featuring new works for choir by John Conahan, Jake Runestad, Martin Sedek, and many others Christ Church, 66 Highland Avenue, Short Hills NJ April Friday, April 17, 8 PM The Ridgewood Choral Marjorie Vandervoort, Music Director Music for On and Off the Stage Classical selections, including Vaughan Williams Magnificat for contralto solo, female chorus, flute, and piano, plus selections from Opera and Broadway for women s chorus. West Side Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood Saturday, April 18, 5:30 and 8:00 PM The Princeton Singers Steven Sametz, Artistic Director On The Town Complementing the Princeton University Art Museum s exhibition City Lost and Found, we look at the way the worlds of the composer, the performer and audience interact, influence, and shape each other. Works from Guillaume DuFay and Heinrich Isaac to Steve Reich and Philip Glass, and featuring the premiere of a new work by Steven Sametz. Princeton University Art Museum Saturday, April 18, 7:30 PM Harmonium Choral Society Chamber Singers Anne Matlack, Artistic Director Heart and Hand Works from John Dunstable to Eleanor Daley, di Lasso to Lindberg, Cristobal Morales to Tavener, from sublime to silly Grace Episcopal Church, 4 Madison Avenue at Kings Road, Madison

5 May Saturday, May 2, 8 PM Choral Art Society of New Jersey Martin A. Sedek, Music Director Spring Concert Vivaldi Gloria; (A World Premiere) Sedek, Four Seasons Cantata Presbyterian Church of Westfield, 140 Mountain Ave., Westfield, NJ Saturday, May 9, 8 PM Masterwork Chorus Resounding Joy Guest Conductor, Christopher Shepard Concert features Three Quartets, Op. 64 by Johannes Brahmns, and works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Franck, and Ives, among others. Calvary Episcopal Church, 31 Woodland Avenue, Summit, NJ Saturday, May 16, 8 PM Coro Lirico Warren Helms, Music Director Another Look at Kurt Weill venue tbd corolirico.net Saturday May 16, 8 PM Summit Chorale Dr. Thomas Juneau, Artistic Director Handel s Dixit Dominus Also on the program: JS Bach Cantata 147 Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, Carissimi Historia di Jepthe St. Teresa of Avila Church, 306 Morris Ave. Summit NJ Info at Sunday, May 17, 4 PM Capital Singers of Trenton Richard M. Loatman, Artistic Director and Conductor Haydn and Hayes, Two Te Deums Featuring Te Deum by Haydn and Te Deum by Hayes. Sacred Heart Church, 343 South Broad Street, Trenton, NJ Sunday, May 17, 2015, 4:00 pm Monmouth Civic Chorus Dr. Ryan Brandau, Artistic Director Vespers Fusion Monteverdi and Mozart Vespers intermingled in the resonance of a stone church and accompanied by authentic period instruments. Our Lady Star of the Sea Church 101 Chelsea Avenue, Long Branch

6 Saturday, May 30, 8 PM Ars Musica Chorale Dusty Francis, Music Director Mozart s Splendid Finale An exploration in music and letters of Mozart s final year of life, culminating in his beautiful Requiem, with chorus and orchestra. West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe Street, Ridgewood, NJ Sunday May 31, 2015 Central Jersey Choral Society Christopher Loeffler, Artistic Director Mendelssohn: Elijah First Presbyterian Church of Titusville, 48 River Dr. Titusville, NJ