New Jersey Choral Society presents “Ceremony of Carols”

Bergen and Essex Counties – Celebrate the joyous sounds of the holidays as the New Jersey Choral Society presents “Ceremony of Carols,” a program featuring traditional and new songs of the season. This concert will be presented on Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7 at 8:00 pm at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 30 North Fullerton Ave., Montclair. A third performance will be presented on Sunday, December 8 at 4:00 pm at the West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe St., Ridgewood.

The uplifting program, under the direction of dynamic conductor Eric Dale Knapp, features Benjamin Britten’s popular “A Ceremony of Carols,” “Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind” by John Rutter, “The Winter’s Night” by Nicholas Myers, the Medieval carol “Gaudette” by Steven Sametz, and the premiere of “Snowy Evening” composed by NJCS member Rita Blacker with text by Robert Frost. Three traditional English carols will also be featured including “I Saw Three Ships” by Mack Wilberg, “Adeste Fidelis” by David Willcocks and “Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella” by Stephen Paulus.  NJCS will be accompanied by organist Linda Sweetman-Waters and guitarist Roberta Wallis.

The New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups. Well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs, NJCS performs three major programs annually in Bergen and Essex Counties, and has performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia and England. In July 2014, they will perform in France as part of the Normandy Festival commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Normandy invasion.

Come one hour prior to concert time for The Inside Line, a complimentary lecture that provides an insightful and intimate discussion of the music for all ticket holders. 

Tickets are $25.00 for general admission, $22.00 for students, seniors, and patrons with disabilities and $12 for children 12 and under (add $5.00 at the door). Group discounts are also available. For reservations or more information, visit http://www.njcs.org or call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719.

In support of the Center for Food Action, the New Jersey Choral Society will be collecting nonperishable food items at these concerts. The Church of the Immaculate Conception and West Side Presbyterian Church are wheelchair accessible. Funding has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.