Entitled “A Winter’s Night,” officials say the show combines the traditional with the innovative.
Officials with Greater South Jersey Chorus (GSJC)say the group is offering a “truly unique concert experience” with performances of the group’s upcoming holiday show in Mt. Laurel and Cherry Hill.
The GSJC, numbering more than 90 voices, has contributed to the region’s musical landscape for over 25 years.
With the upcoming show entitled “A Winter’s Night,” officials say the show combines the traditional with the innovative, including multicultural pieces and featuring a work by a female composer.
Concert-goers will have two opportunities to attend, with shows on Saturday, Dec, 15 at 8 p.m. at St. John Neumann Church at 560 Walton Ave. in Mt. Laurel, and again on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m., at Christ Our Light Church at 402 Kings Highway North in Cherry Hill.
Officials say GSJC will sing of peace and joy, accompanied by live instrumentalists, as the show features expressive Spanish-influenced lullabies, a rhythmic Nigerian carol and holiday favorites.
The chorus’s artistic director Christopher Thomas of Rowan University chose a suite of nativity carols that officials describe as “distinctive and refreshing.”
“‘Carols and Lullabies’ by Conrad Susa is quite common to the Southwest — my first encounter with it was as a graduate student in Arizona — but less familiar in our region,” Thomas said. “Accompanied by harp, guitar, and marimba, it is a charming, fun, and heartfelt work.”
Another, less familiar work in the show is “Snow Angel.”
“It was my goal this year to feature a significant work by a woman composer, and Sarah Quartel’s ‘Snow Angel’ really spoke to me,” Thomas said. “Her haunting harmonies paired with thought-provoking texts has become my favorite piece of the program. It will likely be new to the entire audience, but it’s guaranteed to make an impression. In addition to these two works, the program also features standard holiday repertoire with moments of joy, wonder, and excitement.”
“A Winter’s Night” will be performed on Dec. 15 in Mt. Laurel and Dec. 16 in Cherry Hill. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the door or online at greatersouthjerseychorus.org.
Then, after “A Winter’s Night,” GSJC will begin preparations for its “Vino Forte!” concert and wine tasting event.
This annual gala fundraiser will be held on Saturday, March 30, at Laurita Winery in New Egypt.
GSJC will then perform on May 4 and May 5 alongside the Garden State Girl Choir and the New Jersey Boy Choir.
Officials say this spring concert, including “Mass of the Children” by John Rutter and “Requiem for the Living” by Dan Forrest, will lift spirits and pay choral tribute to the reawakening of the earth after the long winter.
